I thought it was a great show, highlighting to designers and retailers that whatever shape we are, we aren't standard.

 I'm sad that this forum seems to be a battle between fat and thin . . . why can't we just appreciate and support each other in resolving the issues we are having when shopping.

 For retailers you have an untapped financial resource . . . larger ladies . . . and we ARE curvaceous who want fashionable, attractive clothes to wear - and we are more than happy to spend our incomes on the right clothes.  I may have been described as dressing like a boy, but in despair I'd lost my way and rather than being unhappy and frumpy . . . I guess I kind of gave up.  I welcomed the show and all involved in reminding retailers and designers that we like to feel sexy and attractive too - without it being a major drama.

For larger women in the process of losing weight, feeling attractive and good about oneself is really motivating and is a huge support on the weight loss journey.

So let's stop losing sight about what all this is about . . . filling the gaps in the market that prevent us from looking and feeling good about ourselves (that's all of us) and making the retailers richer xxx 

What a wonderful post - bravo!!  I took part in the show and had a wonderful time with T&S, the cast and crew and all the 8 other lovely ladies.  I am certain no offence was meant by anything any of us may have said, careful editing makes for good telly basically - its why we all tune in.  The main thing was, we had a fab time, we got to speak to the retailers and put our points across, and hopefully something good will come of it. 

I think if the "Size 10 freaks" statement was shown out of context, the women in the show out to complain to T&S. The way it was presented, it was very offensive. If I said something that was taken out of context to make me seem prejudiced I would be very upset and would be complaining that I was misrepresented.

What is upsetting is the fact that the "size 10 freaks" statement was made and nobody stood up to the woman that said it and told her that she was wrong. We all sometimes say things that we shouldn't have said; usually someone calls us up on it and/or we realise that we shouldn't have said it and we apologise.  

 

Well said ' a little bit more' and 'mumsrgreat'

I think that ALL women are beautiful no matter what size and that should ALL be celebrated. I was one of the 9 women featured too and had a wonderful time filming the show. I would happily sit and watch a show about slim, tall or petite women, just as my friends (most of who are not larger and would fit into one of these) watched and supported me in my show. 

I think most importantly, the show was not made to tell people it's healthy, acceptable or even encouraged to be a plus size, but instead to encourage the stores to supply good clothes for larger women to enable us to feel more positive about ourselves. I know it's been written before, but I'll say it again - most of the structured weight loss programmes out there start by letting you know that you are not alone in your problems and improving your self-worth so that you feel that you have alternatives to a bar of chocolate or a packet of crisps and a night in front of the telly!

Vicky has already used these forums to express her apologies and frustration at being misrepresented in her statement that was taken completely out of context and I'm sure she has followed it up elsewhere.

J x

 

I don't have any problem with Vicky herself, as most of us at some time or another have had our words taken the wrong way or have said things that we didn't mean the way they sounded.

And I agree with the sentiment on this thread.

My problem is with T&S, with programs like these where large women are seen as the only women who have problems finding clothes - if you think it's hard finding a size 20, try finding a size 4 or a size 6, obra with a size 28 band or high heeled shoes in a size 2.

Or the fact that on these programs it is considered unacceptable to even use the words "fat" or "overweight" or refer to an overweight person as having a problem - they're all "big beautiful  women" but perfectly fine to call someone a "stick insect" or a freak or say they look like they have anorexia.

Or that larger size women are seen as the only women who are insecure about their bodies and need to be made to feel good about themselves.

Do you think Trinny & Susannah would do a show for women size 4 and under, possibly some of whom have eating disorders,  to show how they can dress to discretely hide their spinal columns and rib cages? Surely someone with an eating disorder needs to be made to feel good about herself.

 I am not saying that any of the people posting here wouldn't do this, but I don't see people like T&S or Gok doing this.

 I was also a bit annoyed when a tall woman and a short woman (who also happened to be large) on the program said they had trouble finding clothes to fit their height (as opposed to their weight) and T&S just brushed off their questions.

 My problem is with the programs, not any of the indivduals who appear on the programs.

 

 

 

My problem is with T&S, with programs like these where large women are seen as the only women who have problems finding clothes - if you think it's hard finding a size 20, try finding a size 4 or a size 6, obra with a size 28 band or high heeled shoes in a size 2.

....then I must be viewing a different set of TV progs to you.

I have sat through (with huge interest) loads of T&S, Gok and WNTW episodes that have been devoted to by and large slim ladies who have problems finding body confidence and clothes to wear.

It's sad that you were deeply hurt by comments which appear to have been edited creatively, but you have a whole thread devoted to your concern and this thread was to try and create some support for each other.

I have found that it is not just the larger curvy women that have a problem, at least you have stores like evans to go to for clothes that fit.

I have recently lost weight and gone from a size 16 (a 14 around the waist and shoulders) to a size 12 (a 10 around the waist and shoulders, and still sometimes a 14 around the hips and bust)

I have since found that almost nowhere provides clothing for those of us who are average or small in size with promenent hips and bust.

When I tried to buy a fitted coat from anywhere I found that it either looked huge and baggy on me and not at all smart(when I bought to allow room for my bust)or the buttons and fabric where severly warped and sometimes dammaged when I bought to fit my waist.

The only places that provide clothes that remotely fit the smaller curvy girl local to me are dorothy perkins or wallis.

Even then it is not garranteed that I will find anything to fit.

For instance, I decided that I wanted a pencil skirt supposedly famous for being sexy on hips and excentuating the waist.

Not in this case. I tried on several pencil skirts in size 12 and all of them where far too tight around the hips and the waistband was so largeon me that it did not even touch my waist.

It seems that clothing sizes are increasingly being made for colomn or sausage shaped women with fewer and fewer companys making clothing that will fit the genuinly curvy figure.

So while I support the fight for high street stores to provide larger sizes, I am dissapointed that what is being largely ignored are the smaller curvy girls.

Just because the sizes are catered for widely does not mean that the shape will fit.

Not everyone who is curvy can afford to get their clothes altered for their figure.