Hey guys,

So because I’ve been different degrees of plus size my entire life, I’ve never purchased anything at American Apparel.  I knew very little about the company except that their ads were a bit…odd.  Very young, half naked girls in weird poses.  It has obviously worked for them because  they seem to be  doing well, even after some negative press about their founder, Dov Charney.

So recently they have decided to jump on the curvy bandwagon and expanding their sizes to a “plus-size” size 12. Yes a 12, you read correctly. And they’ve come up with an interesting marketing ploy to introduce us plussies to the brand, titled The Next Big Thing.

The whole concept was interesting: they were trying to expand the brand to appeal to bigger sizes, which is a good thing, no? But you couldn’t help but notice the underhanded sarcasm of it all.  The contest wording was full of fat girl puns (Booty-ful, XLent, etc.), though they’ve recently (and conveniently) re-worded it to make it sound less offensive.  It just reeked of insincerity, especially once you’re familiar with their history and how Mr. Charney treats women.

But something wonderful happened.  A phenomenal curvy girl named Nancy decided to take matters into her own hands and…well,  see for yourself. 

After submitting her pictures and getting votes, she won the contest! There are differing opinions about whether what Nancy did has pushed us Curvies forward or set us back, but I honestly think this is a brave and amazing young woman.  Nancy proves that 1 person ( a plus size woman, no  less) can make a stand against a giant corporation and make some waves.

You can see her article here at the Daily Beast, as well as her Tumblr.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

xoxoxoxo,

Eves