Have any of you ever brought your friends to the plus size shops at the mall or wherever?
I was always toooo ashamed to even let them know that I shopped at Lane Bryant. They didn't seem to know that I had to shop at different stores because the Gap didn't fit me. When I weighed 250+ I had one of my size 0 friends talking about great bras and how I should try this one kind from Victoria's Secret and I was thinking......."She has no clue......".
I guess sometimes skinny chicks live in their own world. But I suppose I should take it as a kind of compliment because everyone knows that Lane Bryant is where the Big Girls shop and they never thought that I was that big that I had to shop there.
That being said, I did take my best friend to LB once and she couldn't buy anything there, all she could do was look at the accessories section. I think it might have dawned on her then that that was all I could do when we were shopping in JCrew.
But I am too elated that now I can shop in all sorts of stores!!!! And I have awakened a shopping monster inside of me!! It is so much fun when you feel like you belong and can actually wriggle yourself into their clothing.
I never took anyone with me, but as you mentioned I went with others too "regular-sized" stores. Boy did it suck. I felt like a stalker just walking like two steps behind them the whole time but it just depressed me to look at stuff that I couldn't fit into. Once a friend bought me a pair of flip-flops at abercrombie b/c I think it dawned on her and she felt bad for dragging me to the umpteenth store where not a single thing would fit me.
Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I now take my bf in there occasionally, but I only started doing that after we hit like the 2 year mark, and I tell him it's because I have big boobs. I know he probably doesn't believe me, I mean he's seen my sizes. He still likes to tell me I'm a size 10, though. How sweet.
I used to be really lucky because one of my close friends worked at Lane Bryant for a while. They get like 45 percent off, and occasionally 55 percent off. AND sometimes they get free clothes when a new line comes out, because of course they want their workers to model and advertise their stuff. Ah, those were the days!
Oh...my...gosh...never ever shop with someone who is
a. Smaller than you and/or
b. Has never dealt with being overweight.
I did that once and my feelings were so hurt! This girl I was with kept telling me, "Try this on, it would look so cute on you!" Okay...a size 14 does not equate with a size 0. I felt awful! Everything in the store was cute, but I couldn't wear any of it and on top of that I was one of the bigger girls in the store. Most of the girls in there were really tiny.
UGH! There is no better way to make a girl feel bad than shopping at a store she can't fit!
Now, I do enjoy shopping at just about any store I choose. However, I still sometimes feel self-conscious because I know what it feels like to not be able to wear what you want and to feel like you're not cute enough or good enough.
But enough of my ranting...
Congrats on your weight loss and being able to wear what you want! You're amazing!
Yup all my friends are skinni, and it's so hard shopping with them sometimes. I'm kinda borderline where I fit into some stores clothing, but the bigger sizes. So when they are shopping at their little stores where the size XL looks like a small, its kinda hard. Man am I good at making excuses why I don't want to try anything on...
My sister wears a size 4, but, when I was a size 22/24, she always went to Lane Bryant with me. She'd help me look through stuff, and always find something that made her go "Man, I wish they had that in my size!" That, of course, is the same thing I would say to her when we went to Buckle or The Limited or somewhere like that. But, she never made me feel bad about it. She was always happy to go to "my" store. And, inevitably, she'd find some earrings or a necklace or something that she loved. Heck, half of her accessories probably came from Lane Bryant!
I love Lane Bryant. I had a friend that would buy me an outfit from there for my birthday because she knew that I liked that store. I haven't been in a while. I guess it didn't embarass me for her to shop for me there or for her to go with me to Lane Bryant...but when we went to the skinny shops, I just focused all the attention on her..saying..this would look good on you..or something. I guess it was sort of an unspoken thing that I couldn't wear any of those clothes. I sometimes wonder if I would even want to shop in those skinny shops even when I do get to a size where I can wear their clothes...just simply for the fact that the way I was looked at all funny and treated when I have gone into their shops, not being able to wear their clothes. ..or maybe again..I'm just paranoid.
I never ever used to go shopping with my friends once I reached a certain size (actually about where I am now, but that was a whole different issue). I actually didn't like shopping with them even when I was very small. I just get nervous. Also all my friends are smaller than me, shorter, narrower etc. SO no matter what the shop or my size at the time, I was convinced they looked better than me.
Then later, as I had a higher paying job, thankfully my excuse was that my taste in fashion was different to theirs, so I never tried stuff on in their shops. Thankfully I was only ever as large as the biggest size we stock in normal shops in NZ, but still.. I don't like trying on stuff in my eye-o-meter tells me it's going to be tight. Also I think there was a period of about 6 months where I just didn't shop as I REFUSED to buy anything in a plus size, or over a NZ size 16. (us 12)
AND then when i was in europe with my size 0 5'4" (ex)friend.. shopping was horrid. I was at my biggest so I just used the "oh I'd rather have the money for site seeing/next weekends trip to XXX" excuse rather than embarass myself with trying things on that were too small.. She was rather mean about it too.. always *****ing about how stuff was way too big for her, how she'd have to get it taken in or that they just don't make clothes small enough and what do they think, everyone in the world is fat?? (seriously, she said this to me - whilst encouraging me to pig out on chocolate with her.. grrr). And saying I was ruining her fun by not trying anything on.. well duh.. it's not going to fit, so why bother?
Anyway even now, I prefer to shop alone or with the BF, but that has a lot more to do with my body image and self esteem issues, than being embarassed about my size per se anymore.
I used to work at Lane Bryant in college and it was great! Except I spent all of my money on clothes so I really didn't make anything. Anyway - I usually just go real shopping with other friends who are overweight. Like my best friend and I are about the same size so we go shopping together when we can (we live 1000 miles apart). I don't like going shopping with small people unless it is to Old Navy or other stores where I can fit some of their clothes. I also feel weird bringing smaller people into Lane Bryant or wherever with me. Unless it is my sisters they are cool like that.
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading all of these posts - I never knew so many people had similar thoughts that I do on shopping!
I would never take a friend to a plus store, and like all of the above posts, I would always go shopping with the skinny girls. And I would be the only one that wouldn't walk out with a shopping bag. Not alot of fun for me...seems like I was the gal that would run and grab my friends a size 6 because the 8 was too big. Gag. Been with my hubby for 7 years and he knows that small girl stores just aren't an option, he is understanding and he is supportive of me trying to lose weight. I can't wait.
I went shopping with my best friend this weekend, and she goes to what she calls "The Big Girl Stores." I spent quality time with the accessories, but once I took a better look at the mannequins, I spent the rest of my time studying ALL of them in the store.
They are NORMAL looking! It's not a plastic size 0 stick-figure under there (being a size 10 in pants, I'm not a skinny girl, and have a hatred of "normal" mannequins). I got so many clothing ideas in that store, because they showed what clothes will ACTUALLY look like when you wear them. The anorexic mannequins in "normal" stores display unattainable looks. I tend to actually avoid buying what the mannequins wear, becuase I know they'll never look that way on me.
Are you kidding? I can't even bring myself to go into a plus sized shop alone, let alone bring someone with me.
That is probably the reason i have one pair of jeans and only 3 shirts that are decent enough to wear in public. I just can't bring myself to do it.
Not to mention the one shop I did go into was ridiculously priced. I would prefer to go into Target at this stage. Shame - as I used to love going shopping and buying clothes and shoes and handbags . . . the list goes on.
I just feel depressed now when I have to go clothes shopping so I avoid it unless absolutely necessary.
Ever brought friends to a Plus Size store???
