Why can’t I find you?… Seriously, I am running out of patience trying to find truly fashionable, stylish, fashion-forward, timeless or even “trendy” garments specifically catered to the Male Plus-Size market. And no, I am not talking about Big & Tall options. I’m talking about bigger people who aren’t already every gay’s glass of Tito’s Soda with lime (spoiler alert: not every guy is above 5’11”). Now, I am well aware that Plus-Size fashion has recently entered the mainstream scene with clothing brands all over the world, but I have yet to see any real progress for Plus-Size Men’s clothing. So consider this post a call-to-action for brands and retailers alike (please, sir).
When You Scroll Long Enough…
By the way, are y’all on TikTok? You know, that app that went crazily viral this past year for more than one reason? Mostly for its ability to lure you into its feed for hours-on-end having you laugh, cry, relate, scratch your head, make you angry the entire time, but also because the President tried to get it banned in the US. Yeah, that one! Anyway, have you ever seen the “Is This a Fit Or Is She Just Skinny?” TikTok videos? Yeah, I love them too! When I first ran into TikTok creator Sanrizzle’s truthful series (is that what we call these on-going videos, by the way?) I could not stop viewing and waiting for the next installment to come through, the house. But at the same time I kept thinking about the notion that what IF all these skinny people just looked great in all of these “sick fits'' because they’re just skinty, hunny! I even went as far as to look through my favorite fashion bloggers’ Instagram accounts and tried to see if certain fits only looked good on them because they’re tall and skinny. Alas, I couldn’t make the hypothesis stick because fortunately (or unfortunately) the bloggers I follow (and routinely patronize) have impeccable style — no matter their ideal height or sculpted-by-the-Gods-body-mass-index, and that’s on good taste! (I’m looking at you, Joel aka Gallucks. Please tell me you all read it in his video intro voice. By the way thanks for putting up with my excessive DMs, if you’re reading this.)
My inner hope cheering on Gallucks’ style against the hypothesis.
Not You Thinking I’m Ungrateful.
“But as much as we want to truly chant, ‘style has no size!’ apparently it does, and it’s 5’11” and above. ”
This led me to finally work up the courage… okay, let's be honest, it led me to stop procrastinating and finally talk about this issue that is important to me, and that I hope is important to others like me. And before I get dragged for not talking about the countless LGBTQ+ Plus-Size fashion bloggers like: @LordTroy, @Marquimode, @_adydelvalle and Joshua from @TheBeardedChronicles, that have made our Plus-Size voices (debatable, some of us sound more like Karen Walker) heard. Let me just say: I fully appreciate and actually look up to these guys for paving the way and sparking not only conversation, but action from brands and retailers. But as much as we want to truly chant, “style has no size!” apparently it does, and it’s 5’11” and above.
It’s A Famine Of Beauty, Honey. My Eyes Are Starving For Beauty.
As much as I would have liked for my hunger for fashion to be satisfied, it unfortunately still is not because my 5’6”-ass still can’t shop entirely where they are able to find fits. The big & tall market has always had some sort of a voice — maybe an outdated one — but there have definitely been brick-and-mortars that catered to big & tall men; DXL Big & Tall probably amongst the most prominent...let’s not visit the time I tried to shop there -- I myself try not to think about it. But now we have retailers and brands like ASOS, Target, Nu-In (proud of daddy Butler), Jack & Jones, French Connection, Patagonia, Boohoo Man, River Island, Stone Island and Stitch Fix, among others offering limited quantities/edition Plus-Size options. I will say that sometimes I run into a few wearable pieces for someone of my frame, and of course sometimes I’m still able to turn out a look from regular large sizes from some stores, but baby it is not enough… We deserve options, people!
Well Damn, If You Can’t Go To Bella Noches, Then Where The Hell Could You Go?!
Yes, we deserve options. I know damn well I am not the only chubby guy below 5’11" that is into fashion, takes care of their appearance and wants to genuinely look good in whatever they choose to wear. My main bone to pick is with a retailer I frequent, because 9 times out of 10, it is my only option for a stylish and not crazily expensive fit. One that also keeps in mind that not every Plus-Size man is equally tall. That retailer is ASOS. I just cannot fathom why quality and “good finds” is constantly decreasing for men of my size on your website. Me and ASOS go way, way back. It was the first online store I found back when I was growing into my own personal, ever-evolving style. I was picky and tired of basic American retailers and brands, and what of it? I’d have to be dead if I was going to continue to wear Abercrombie & Fitch or Hollister well into my late-teens and my 20’s. Back then I was so happy to have found a retailer/brand that made it easy to express my individuality and set me apart from everything else that was at my disposal as an American teen. But you see, now it’s really upsetting me and my homegirls (Oh, gosh I hope more than just myself can relate to this blog post), because I think I’ve seriously hit a point where I can no longer let this indecency, this travesty slide. ASOS, can you please tell me why you feel the need to clog your Plus-Size Men’s selection with hodgepodge, ill-fitting, and at times ridiculous options? Just because we are a lot pudgier than average does not mean we will take scraps and unflattering prints and call it fashionable, NO MA’AM. Some of us actually want to look good. I mean a lot of what you’ve been presenting since your plus-size debut is simply not it, sis. And let me say it was not always like this; you guys started out so good with wearable great options for bigger guys. But as time has gone by, so have the tasteful options. In the time it currently takes me to find one or a few “stylish” items in ASOS’ Plus-Size Men’s line-up, I could’ve probably found a better solution to roll-out the Covid vaccine. At least the vaccine truly is a one-size-fits-all. Furthermore, I have seen options for your average sizing and it is apparent that you guys still got it, you still have stylish designs, brands, and aesthetic. at prices that won’t break the bank for most of us. So, my plea is this: Can we not have these same types of options for your Plus-Size market and continue to carry on the notion that not every “bigger” person equates to a Goliath. I would love to see this kind of change be reflected in other brands and retailers as well. Because if we can’t shop at ASOS for stylish fits, then where the hell can we go?
You Go, Glen Coco!
The Women’s Plus-Size market has been blessed with its inclusion in retailers like Target, Reformation, River Island, Revolve (sometimes), Boohoo and others with significant growth in recent years. They even have a great selection of Plus-Size specific brands like Universal Standard, Eloquii, Stitch Fix and of course the torchbearer, Torrid. Not to mention groundbreaking inclusions on world-wide stages like Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty fashion show, which this year continued forward with their normalization of the Plus-Size body, plus its on-going inclusion of MEN (it’s raining Plus-Size men, hallelujah). Basically, brands need to be more like Rihanna, PERIOD. We are fortunate to continue seeing Plus-Size inclusion sprinkled across major runways in the worlds’ many fashion capitals. Big strides for the Plus-Size market this year, indeed.
Who Here Has Ever Felt Personally Victimized By Fashion?
I suspect (well, hope) that the future of Plus-Size Men’s Fashion will see its growth and inclusion across the board with fabulous retailers and brands just like the women’s Plus-Size market did, and is continuing to do so. There are countless brands and retailers that I wish would expand their hearts and their sizing to include larger sizes beyond XL and XXL. I mean, could you imagine places like The Pangaia, COS, Uniqlo, ASCLO, Everlane, Vuori, Lth Jkt, Eytys, and countless more including true Plus-Size (and not just Big & Tall) in their already great selection of clothing and footwear? As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t have good Plus-Size selection that caters to all body-types in the spectrum, then you’re losing money. There should not be a reason why brands shy away from making Plus-Size clothing for ALL SIZES and alienating an entire market eager to see themselves represented within fashion. I am sure we are well headed this way, but we don’t have time to waste, and sometimes they just need a little push!
Learn Something From This
I know I’m bound to get responses imploring me to work out or lose weight, but people responding with such suggestions would be missing the point. Pursuing a healthier lifestyle is something I’ve currently proposed to myself, but it should not be a reason why I am exiled to terrible clothing until I am at a healthier weight or physique. Having aesthetically fashionable clothing options should never be a goal for losing weight or being healthier; that should be done for one’s own well-being and pursuit of good health. Don’t make me Tyra yell at y’all. So now, World, I turn to you and ask: if you’ve ever felt alienated as a child, teen or even adult by retailers that refuse to be inclusive in any way shape or form, I implore you to share this blog post, talk about this blog post or do whatever you guys do with a blog post. Because we all deserve fashion, even if we aren’t model-height, model-size. I don’t want to go more years singing, ‘Where are you Fashion?’ to the style of Cindy Lou Who.