Open Letter to Plus Size Women; Stop Complaining About Price - A Thick Girl's Closet

Open Letter to Plus Size Women; Stop Complaining About Price

10:17 AM



To the plus size women of the world,

The title says it all. This is my open letter to women that say they want quality but don't want to pay the price for quality. Within the last couple of days since Monif C released more of her bathing suits for the season, I have been reading a lot of the comments and the common statements that I continuously see is...

"I won't pay $200 for a bathing suit"

"It's too expensive."

"Why are her things always so expensive"

"$200 for a bathing suit uhhhhhh....no"

It truly grinds my gears to hear plus size women complain about pricing. So many of us are the 1st ones to say that we want quality clothing. We petition and take to social media in order to grab the attention of the fashion industry. We want brands & designers to create pieces for us that will cater to vast differences of our curves but still be functional. We want the same attention to detail and quality that is given to straight size women. We want the swimsuit that holds the "girls" up, holds in our "guts" creates clean lines for our curves & won't fall a part or lose it's shape after a few wears. But when plus size designers like Monif  C. who every year produces multiple bathing suits that will encompass most if not all of these aforementioned criteria and charge $200 we don't want to pay for that. We want b***h & moan and say "I'm not paying for that" We want to say "well forever 21 has something similar for $30" Here's our reality, you will never get Monif quality with forever 21 price tag. If you want quality you have to pay for quality. It's cliche, but it's so true.

Now don't get me wrong. I have no issue with shopping at Forever 21 as I am an avid shopper there. I  know it is easier & cheaper to run to your local Forever 21, or your local Target or Walmart and buy a swimsuit.  I also understand that if you aren't someone that goes to a beach or pool often, then spending $200 on a bathing suit might not be smart. And some of us are in a position where we just don't have the budget to spend $200 on a swimsuit. I get it, but what you have to understand, is that everything can't be cheap. Especially when a brand puts tremendous thought behind the construction of clothing, particularly plus size clothing.

I can say speaking from experience the quality & the care the goes into each & every one of Monif's bathing suits is top notch. And that is what you have to understand. You can't want a champagne life with beer bottle pockets. It doesn't work that way.



And some of you will make the argument that just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's of good quality. In some cases that may be true. But I pose this challenge to you, purchase a Monif C bathing suit, then purchase one cheap bathing suit, and tell me you don't feel the obvious difference. As plus size women we require more from clothing, with that typically comes a higher price tag for somethings.

Charging in the hundreds for a bathing suit is nothing new in fashion. Designer bathing suits for straight size women can be JUST as expensive and they have a fraction of the material we do. That should tell you something. All I'm saying is stop complaining about price. If want you cheap stick to forever 21 & target bathing suits. If that's all you can afford that's fine. No judgement, because if you can rock the life out of the bathing suit then 2 snaps & a twirl to you. But there are plenty of brands that make more affordable swimsuits (Torrid, Lane Bryant, Josephine Swim, Becca Etc. Sorella Swim, Swimsuits for All)

Maybe a Monif C bathing suit is not for you. But we can't demand the best then turn around & not want to pay the price. Ladies we have to do better.

xoxo
Shay

You Might Also Like

22 comments

  1. LOVE THIS! You tell 'em : ) My grandmother always taught me quality over quantity. I bought a Monif C Convertible dress YEARS AGO and it's still in pristine condition. I'm thankful for designers who truly fit for the plus size physique and adore her as a designer. Stop hating on heavy weight haute couture. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeeesssssssssssssssss

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love it! Speak...

    ReplyDelete
  4. LAKETA RENDLEMANMarch 14, 2014 at 12:43 PM

    I love this! If my budget allowed and monif C carried my size i would definitely support however most designers stop at a 22/24 and that's just not where I am right now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mercedes CastroMarch 14, 2014 at 1:33 PM

    I agree with a lot of what you are saying but the reality here is that you're getting rich charging 200 for a bathing suit that cost a small fraction for you to make. Maybe if you weren't so concerned about profits more people would buy. You know that you can afford to sell quality garments and make a profit at a lower price point. YOU CHOOSE NOT TO. If you knocked it down to 100 it would appear reasonable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    • Are you in the plus size fashion industry? Is that how you acquired your knowledge that one can "sell quality garments and make a profit at a lower price point"? Do you, in fact, know that Monif C. is "rich"? It is your privilege to buy a cheap swimsuit. It sounds like sour grapes when you complain that you can't afford a swimsuit that you obviously desire.

      Delete
  6. Im sorry but materials only comprises ONE part of what goes into making a quality piece of clothing, even more so for the construction of a plus size bathing suit. There is staff, samples, shipping, the sheer time spent designing a bathing suit getting it right, models, marketing, photo shoots, etc. It takes quite a bit AND she has to be concerned about profitability if she wants to continue doing what she does. And she is based in Manhattan, rent (for her small odfice) ain't cheap. If you don't like the price, keep quite and move on!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tychelle GrahamMarch 14, 2014 at 3:23 PM

    While I think that your standpoint makes sense, 200+ dollars for a swimsuit is slightly ridiculous. Stating that it is understandable that some women cannot afford to purchase a $200 swimsuit isn't the real issue, it seems to really state that because a women is larger or has more curves that she should be able to afford a $200 swimsuit if she wants to look good. Why is that even okay?! As the previous commentator mentioned and I would like to ask is what is the profit margin on these swimsuits? Is it costing you double to make?
    I know I am not the only woman who purchases multiple swimsuits for the season or a vacation, so $200 is just not going to cut if I want to buy more than one.

    To my curvy girls... You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on one swimsuit (albeit a beautiful swimsuit) to look good, you just have to be savvy! For my previous vacation I wanted to buy multiple swimsuits so I thought long and hard... I ended up going to Cacique (of Lane Bryant) and purchasing two of their smooth full coverage bras which offer underwire, support, and come in many colors & styles. I also purchased two bottoms one from Cacique/LB and another from Lands End (who knew?).

    Really ladies its all about thinking outside of the box and not feeling bullied into spending a lot of money to look good.

    If you wanna see how I paired my swimsuits from my summer vacation in Vegas take a look and follow me @curvyfashionaddict on instagram I also bought two of new line of sports bras, which are sooo cute as tops for bikinis this past Christmas and I used the same bottoms!

    -Tychelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    • Elle @ (Eat.Style.Play)March 14, 2014 at 7:20 PM

      The thing about that is this, from a business stand point if you pay for quality. There are TONS of swimsuits in straight sizes that cost more than 200 bucks so it's not about big girls having to pay 200 bucks for a reason. There are big woman out here who had different tax brackets, they follow these pages and a lot bloggers show high and low points. So why do those people who can only afford forever 21 have to go in and complain over and over again about something that they don't have to get. I don't think anybody is being forced to buy anything because it's shared on a page. It's basically a different strokes for different folks sort of thing to me. I do however think from a blogger perspective that some people are overly vocal about these prices to the point where it's getting old.

      Delete
  8. Cookies, Chaos n C est la vie!March 14, 2014 at 6:31 PM

    I have to say I am a person who would like plussize clothing to cost as much as straight size clothing but I think we forget that certain brands are considered "designer" hence the price range. Monif C. is a designer brand and has worked very hard to establish herself in the plussize fashion industry, thus I understand the price difference compared to Forever21. Many people want high quality items, as for me I am a person whos style is forever changing and thus does not want to spend much on an item I wont wear to often.
    cookieschaosncestlavie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    • Elle @ (Eat.Style.Play)March 14, 2014 at 7:22 PM

      I agree, folks act like they don't understand low and high price points. 200 bucks for a swimsuit that has al that going on is still decent. I brought a swimsuit from old navy once and it was pure garbage, so cheap ain't always the best for some of us. We might be big but some of us still want that support and to look nice in our suits. So I totally agree with you.

      Delete
  9. Elle @ (Eat.Style.Play)March 14, 2014 at 7:28 PM

    Thanks for this article, I am truly sick of folks complaining . If you can't afford it then by all means don't buy it and don't bother to look at it. Don't bother going on their site, and don't bother commenting on it if you don't like it. I mean it's not rocket science to be honest. Not everybody who follows these pages on FB wants forever21, or cheap things. It's fine but you have an entire age range of folks who have different bank accounts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    • Agreed. I don't see complaints about price on Vogue.com when their designer pieces are in the thousands, and most of their editorials are comprised of these clothes. I think the case is this: if you want quality, then you'll have to pay for quality. If you don't care about quality (and that's fine), then continue to buy cheap clothes. But I suspect that the people complaining about the price do, in fact, want nice things: they just don't want to have to pay for them.

      Delete
  10. afatgirlsblues.comMarch 16, 2014 at 8:40 PM

    Hmmmmm I don't know if this open letter will work.....as a blogger you must understand that ppl will have opinions freely. we are not here to quiet them or complain about them complaining about a price it's the purpose of an open forum. Honestly $200 dollars for a bathing suit some people can never imagine and that's okay. I do know from a business standpoint that plus size women are taxed for being plus size. if your pants are a 18+ in some cases you are charged 20 to 30 dollars more by some indie desginers. I've even seen some get charged $100 more to make something. so the true question to me is " are plus size women getting pimped for being plump?". If you can afford it do it if you can't that okay too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Alexandra SherriffMarch 17, 2014 at 7:28 PM

    You're totally preaching to the choir here. I totally 100% agree.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wait was I supposed to feel catered to as a plus size person by that monif ad's "tummy tuck" powermesh and "shaping" and "coverage"(which seems to be ubiquitous in fat women's clothing, I don't see thin women bombarded with the "positive feature" of coverage that has come to mean to me over my fat life, "covers your nasty fat body making you look more "'normal' ie thin!")? Sounds like this is just one more plus size clothing maker who buys into the mainstream idea that fatties need to hide their fat and takes that there are a lot of fatties taught our whole lives that we need to do this as something they ought to perpetuate. Not impressed, keep your expensive made for fat women but still catering to fat hating rhetoric shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    • Monif C. is not "one more plus size clothing maker who buys into the mainstream idea that fatties need to hide their fat . . ." Have you looked at her clothes? They are unabashedly sexy and glamorous. And for the record, here's a straight sized swimsuit with "powermesh": https://www.chicos.com/store/browse/product.jsp?&productId=570093916&color=058&CMP=csc_goog_pla&003=9120377&010=sku8799319&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=sku8799319. You are entitled to your opinion of not liking her style or clothes, but to accuse this designer of "fat hating rhetoric shit" is ignorant, wrong, and frankly, childish.

      Delete
  13. Try buying a decent mastectomy swimsuit. The aren't just a suit with a place for a fake boob, the chest needs to be cut differently, a bit more coverage under the arm where many end up with a little roll of extra skin, some kind of back strap or anchor so the front will stay put. If you wear a swimsuit regularly, say you have a boat, swim for fitness, spend time at the shore, have/belong to a pool, then it's worth it to pay full price for a suit that's been designed to work with the body you have. You can buy cheaper suits that you end up not liking, but you might as well just flush the money. At some point a girl figures out that it's worth it get something that she'll actually wear.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shainna TuckerJune 23, 2014 at 3:36 PM

    Is Monif C. supposed to be designer? If so, I can see why the price is what it is. I never considered it to be that, therefore, I thought her prices were a bit out of hand. I feel like a lot of companies that cater towards larger sizes, take advantage of the opportunity. The demand is larger than the supply, so prices will reflect the situation. If you ask me, I say screw it all, I'm making my clothes. (Blows dust off of sewing machine)

    ReplyDelete
  15. John B. FriendJune 4, 2016 at 2:41 AM

    On the off chance that you adore purchasing shoes more than whatever else; if your significant other is a shoe fixation, then you should search for new places to shop. In any case, verging on each city has a decent number of shoe stores. In any case, in the event that you are not in an inclination to make a trip but need to enjoy the wrongdoing then you can in any case access to each shoe you can long for.Visit our site for Shoes for Overweight Women

    ReplyDelete
  16. Kristy UnreinJune 7, 2016 at 9:23 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Alex jonesJune 22, 2016 at 6:57 AM

    I am always searching like this type blog post. I hope I will see again.
    Affordable assignment help

    ReplyDelete

Followers

Get ATGC Updates by Email