PMM Exclusive Interview: Sarah From CurvilyFashion.com Talks About The #plussizeplease Movement & More
Have you ever seen a piece of clothing that you absolutely LOVED but it didn’t come in your size? There are so many retailers and brands that don’t go past a size 12 and with the average American woman being a size 14, that was something that frustrated Sarah, blogger of Curvily Fashion.
So she decided to start a movement that has empowered plus size women to let their voices be heard. That movement, known by the hastag #plussizeplease, has been going strong on Sarah’s Facebook and Instagram pages since April and has called out designers, retailers and brands that don’t offer plus sizes.
Sarah, who is based in NYC, does a wonderful job on her blog talking to the latest trends, shopping deals and showing off her own personal style in OOTDs (Outfits of the Day). She exemplifies the everyday woman with effortless style, confidence and smart fashion sense on what works for her body.
We are so impressed with what Sarah has done and how much the popularity for the #plussizeplease movement has grown, that we wanted to chat with her about that and more.
PMM: Hi Sarah! Thanks for chatting with us. First of all, when did you start blogging? What was the inspiration behind it?
Sarah: I started blogging at the end of January, 2012. I had been a member of plus size clothing rental company Gwynnie Bee for a few months at that point, and discovered just how vibrant and active the plus size fashion community was through them. Seeing women of all shapes and sizes expressing themselves through fashion was wonderful and inspiring, and I wanted to be a part of it. My thought was that if I could help just one other woman to realize that style has no size limits in the way bloggers have helped me, I would be happy.
In the last year and a half, I’ve received so many amazing messages from women I’ve inspired to try new things or look at themselves in a different way, and every one of them makes all the work of blogging SO worth it.
PMM: What inspired you to start the #plussizeplease hashtag movement?
Sarah: #plussizeplease was born out of my own frustration while shopping. So often, I would find something that I absolutely loved and would purchase on the spot IF it was a size or two bigger. I am an avid shopper, and it was so strange to be in a position where I wanted to spend my money but stores were effectively refusing it by not carrying sizes above the national average (size 14) – or even at the average, in many cases. I wondered if they even knew the money they were losing by falling for the idea that plus size women don’t care about fashion. I brainstormed about it for a while, and finally came up with the idea of a hashtag. Social media allows customers to directly address the companies and tell them what they want. I chose #plussizeplease for the wording because it is concise and doesn’t require the designer or retailer to know the whole history of the movement – they can get the message in one tweet or status.
PMM: Which designers and brands in particular would you like to see offer plus sizes?
Sarah: I would love to see plus sizes in contemporary lines like Diane von Furstenberg and Tibi, sharp career wear from Theory, and fashion forward prints from brands like Clover Canyon. It would also be wonderful to have Zara in plus – the dress I chose for my #plussizeplease anchor image is actually a gorgeous marble print sheath from them. Fast fashion retailer Joe Fresh also has some fun pieces that would sell wonderfully in plus sizes.
PMM: How has the movement been so far? What feedback have you received?
Sarah: The reception to #plussizeplease has been amazing – it spread like wildfire on Facebook within minutes of me posting it, and now has over 20,000 notes on tumblr. So many people have contacted me and told me how excited they are about the tag: How it gives them a way to participate in fashion and shopping in a way they have previously been denied; how it gives them a voice and a way to directly reach out to the companies that have been ignoring them; and how they have waited for something like this but never knew quite how to approach it. This all makes me incredibly happy.
PMM: Any last comments or thoughts you’d like to share?
Sarah: Keep sharing your images of non-plus items that you would like offered in plus sizes on social media, with the hashtag #plussizeplease. Make sure to tag the retailer / designer / brand and feel free to include the size range it comes in and/or the size you think you’d need. Or just say “I’d buy it right now if it came in my size”. Let’s get our voices heard!
Want to read more about #plussizeplease? Click here.
Check out Sarah’s blog by clicking here.
To follow Sarah on Facebook, click here and for her Instagram page, click here.