A new survey has surfaced revealing how plus size or curvy women perceive themselves. Come inside to see what they had to say about body image, buying stylish clothing and more!
One thing for sure, I DO NOT care what other people say about me. I have very tough skin and will wear anything I want and will wear it with a big smile! I’ve never been cautious of wearing something because of what I think others might say. If I like something, that’s it, I will buy it and rock it well. You have to have confidence in yourself ladies and I’m glad I don’t have those type of issues. Read what these ladies had to say though, quite interesting!
Plus Size? Full Figured? Curvy? When it comes to describing her size, what term does she prefer?
Women sizes 14 and up are evenly split on this, with 28 percent preferring the term “curvy”; 25 percent choosing “plus size” and 25 percent citing “full figured” as their top choice.
When offered the opportunity to suggest another term to the fashion industry to describe her size, “normal,” “average” and “beautiful” are her top picks.
How does she feel about her curves?
51 percent say their curves help define who they are. And, while the vast majority (85 percent) say they believe that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes, fewer than half (49 percent) say that they embrace their own curves and find it easy to be fashionable.
What’s in her closet?
While 26 percent identify themselves as trendsetters who can’t wait to buy the latest trends, 21 percent say they wait to see the trends on their friends before wearing them. An astonishing 54 percent say they do not follow the trends.
And, because her size fluctuates (69 percent), she says her closet includes clothing items in various sizes.
Will she sacrifice comfort for fashion?
NO! 48 percent say they dress for comfort and fashion when choosing their daily attire. 43 percent say they dress for comfort, and only 9 percent dress for fashion.
How does she feel about dressing for special occasions?
Plus size women have mixed feelings about dressing up. While 44 percent embrace a wedding, cocktail party or girls night out as an opportunity to show of their curves, an equal number say they “dread having to find a suitable outfit but do my best to put together something that’s suitable.” And 13 percent say they just “pull an old outfit from my closet and hope that no one notices me.”
Where does she find her fashion inspiration?
Mostly, she takes her fashion inspiration from women who look like her. When asked to rank her sources of fashion inspiration, curvy friends and family topped the list (30 percent), with plus size icons (21 percent), plus size pages in national fashion magazines (19 percent), plus size bloggers (13 percent) and Full Figured Fashion Week runway shows (13 percent) beating out straight size icons, fashion magazines and runway shows.
Fashionably dressed plus size women inspire their peers more than they know. While 61 percent of women surveyed say they feel inspired when they see fashionably dressed women their size, only 36 percent say they would pay a compliment to a woman who is rocking her curves and ask where she got her look. Instead, 64 percent say they would quietly admire her look and resolve to pay more attention to their attire, or just wish they could pull together outfits like she does.
What’s keeping her from embracing her curves and dressing more fashionably?
When asked to select all that apply, 49 percent cited the cost of fashionable clothes as a factor. Other barriers include:
Not feeling like a fashionable person — 41 percent
Having difficulty finding clothing in my size — 39 percent
Not knowing how to put outfits together that will look good on me — 33 percent
Feeling uncomfortable in my skin / don’t want to be noticed — 31 percent
Worry that I’m going to change size / new clothes won’t fit — 16 percent
Find it hard to be fashionable and work-appropriate — 13 percent
What would help her embrace her curves and dress more fashionably?
While 31 percent say they don’t need help when it comes to embracing their curves and dressing more fashionably, others, when asked to select all that apply from a variety of options, say they could use help:
Learn a few basics on how to shop for themselves — 47 percent
Seeing how other plus size women wear the trends — 42 percent
Getting free advice from a plus size style expert on what to wear — 36 percent
Shopping with a plus size friend — 24 percent
About the Survey Sonsi.com partnered with Op4G (Opinions For Good), a leading online market research panel. The survey was conducted on August 28 to September 2, 2013. Survey respondents were women sizes 14 and up.
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