Condo Blues: Do Clothing Designers Hate Women?

Friday, November 15, 2013

Do Clothing Designers Hate Women?

I am so upset on what was supposed to be a happy occasion. Husband took me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for my birthday. I used the birthday card to visit since I haven't been there which is practically criminal considering I live in Ohio, have family we visit nearby, and I named a dog after inductee The Ramones song Blitzkrieg Bop.

If you follow @condoblues on Instagram you might have already seen this photo.

The Rock Hall part of the day was great. Husband and I appreciated how much space the museum devotes to the country, jazz, and blues legends that influenced and created what became rock and roll. Out of all of the museums I visited this one has the best soundtrack.



I realized I might see more than rows guitars like in a Hard Rock Cafe (I have a thing for Hard Rock Cafes and go whenever I see one) when the first artifact to greet us is was CBGBs' awning. It was bittersweet.

The number of famous bands who got their start playing CBGBs is staggering.


When Husband took me to New York for the first time, CBGBs was the first place I wanted to go. I went there on my last visit to New York City. The Bowery now looks like a freaking strip mall!

So yeah, more than just guitars. After the origins display they have one case per decade-ish. I practically had a religious experience at the 1970-80's case. This is a section dedicated to The Ramones!


My apologies for the photo quality. I didn't know they allowed non flash photography otherwise I would have brought my DSLR. I had to punt with my phone camera.

When I laid eyes on Joey Ramones' leather jacket a performance of Blitzkrieg Bop played on the monitor. I heard it again when I saw Sid Vicious' Ramones t-shirt in the adjoining Sex Pistols display. My logical brain tells me it is coincidence but my heart wants to believe it is Blitzkrieg sending me a message from the great beyond that he is OK and loves me.

Ghost dog messages included, it was a great birthday. Husband promised me a shopping trip to buy me new clothes as my birthday gift because I met my weight loss goal. None of my pants fit or can be taken in any more. Yay! Shopping! New cute clothes! Whoo!

That's when things got ugly.

I tried on at least 20 pairs of jeans and NONE of them fit! They were either too big in the waist, too small in the hip, or worse, fit in the waist and hip and gave me camel toe (um, NO!) I'm not even going to go on about not skinny but clearly designed that way jeans that won't go over my thighs. *sigh*

None of the jeans or pants I tried on were remotely eco-friendly because I couldnt' find them. They were in the upper price range because this was supposed to be a birthday gift. Husband wouldn't let me cheap out or go to a consignment store because I worked hard and met my weight loss goal after a lot of stops and starts.



Remember this photo from August 2013? Those jeans are too big for me now.

I suppose I could alter the clothes to fit, but at the prices I am willing to pay I shouldn't have the clothes practically remade to fit! Don't even get me started about vanity sizing! It makes me even more upset because I have no idea what size I need to buy. Every brand uses different measurements. It makes me want to slap the person who invented vanity sizing into next week.

Do clothing designers hate women? Why do they refuse to design stylish clothing for women with curves that the majority of women have? Project Runway gives us a peek into the fashion industry's attitude when it comes to designing for real women. They balk every. single. season. when the designers have a challenge where they have to create a garment for a woman who is not the size and shape of a walking coat hanger.

Why does America have a growing obesity epidemic but our fashion and fit models are getting smaller? Just look at the disproportion in this photo of a runway fashion model next to a "plus size" model who is a size 12, smaller than the average American woman's size 14.

I got so disgusted with myself and shopping I wanted to go home.

Husband was willing to go to more stores (which is saying a lot because he hates shopping) but I needed to leave. I didn't want to lash out at an unsuspecting salesperson because the clothing industry makes me hate my new, and according to every medical chart out there, appropriate and healthy weight for my height.

The previous day I was feeling great about losing 25 lbs because I got into a skirt I bought as a senior in college. I rode that shirt until the wheels fell off.

Today I hate my curvy but lighter body.

Thank you Madison Avenue.

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