Fashion brands love to say "inclusive" now. It looks good in campaigns, performs well on social media, earns applause from people who've never had to squeeze into a "plus-size" garment that was clearly designed by someone who's never seen a fat body in real life.

But inclusion without intention is a scam.

So the clothes technically exist. But they don't work.

And when plus-size customers complain? Brands quietly shift the blame.

"Maybe size up." "Maybe try a different style." "Maybe it's just not for you."

Translation: We didn't design this for you. We just wanted the PR.

The Plus-Size Shopping Experience Is Designed to Exhaust You

For plus-size women, shopping is less casual, more emotional labour.It's scrolling endlessly through filters. Getting excited when you see something cute. Then immediately getting&nbsp; suspicious because you've been burned before.

It's learning to read reviews like survival manuals. "Does it run small?" "Is the fabric stretchy?" "Will the arms fit?" like it’s a life-or-death intel. It's memorizing which brands lie about their sizing, which ones run "small-big" (you know the ones), and which ones quietly disappear after size 16 like Cinderella at midnight.

Ordering from global brands like ASOS or Shein feels like gambling. Same size, completely different outcome. A dress that fits at the waist but suffocates your arms. Jeans that accommodate your hips but leave a gaping waist. Sleeves that assume fat stops at the shoulder. Busts that were clearly never tested on an actual human body.

Pattern Grading Is Where the Disrespect Starts

Here's the dirty secret most brands won't tell you: they don't design for bigger bodies. They scale for them.

Instead of creating new patterns based on how plus-size bodies actually carry weight, distribution, proportions, and movement, brands just stretch smaller patterns and slap a bigger number on the tag.

Armholes that dig into your skin. Necklines that choke. Dresses that ride up. Pants that assume all your fat magically goes to one place and stays there, unbothered.

Fat bodies are treated like inflated versions of thin bodies. Not bodies with their own structure, their own needs, their own right to exist in well-made clothing.

That's why a size 20 often feels like a stretched size 12 because it literally is.

The Emotional Exhaustion Nobody Talks About

This isn't just about clothes not fitting. It's about the mental toll of constantly being told your body is the problem.

Every time something arrives and doesn't fit, it chips away at you.Every time you walk into a store and nothing makes it past your thighs, you feel it.Every time you see a "size-inclusive" campaign that quietly stops at 18, the message is loud and clear: you're still too big.

We spoke to plus-size women across Lagos, Accra, and Nairobi. The stories were painfully similar.

"I stopped shopping in physical stores because I'm tired of the stares when I ask for bigger sizes."

"I just buy things and alter them myself now. It's easier than hoping brands will get it right."

"I spent £150 on a dress for a wedding. It didn't fit. I cried. Then I wore something old I'd already altered three times."

This is the conversation happening in group chats, voice notes, and quiet exchanges between friends who get it. The frustration. The embarrassment. The constant exhaustion of having to make do.It's been happening in private for years and it's time to make it public.

For Nigerian Plus-Size Women, the Problem Is Even Worse

International shipping is expensive. Returns are stressful or downright impossible. Alterations cost money, most of us would rather spend on something else.

Local boutiques often stop at size 14 or 16, if they acknowledge bigger bodies at all. And even when they do, the styles are either frumpy, outdated, or clearly not made with any understanding of how plus-size bodies move.

So plus-size women end up paying more, settling more, and compromising more, all while being told that fashion is about confidence.

But confidence doesn't come from clothes that were never meant to fit you in the first place.

If fast fashion sites like Shein or ASOS Curve have been your go-to but the fit feels like a lottery every single time, there are better options closer to home.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lee_bex/?hl=en">Leebex </a>is a powerhouse for modern plus-size fashion. Clean cuts, body-hugging dresses, oversized shirt dresses, co-ord sets, and wearable statement pieces that actually account for curves instead of fighting them. Very ASOS Curve energy, but with way more intention in the fit.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hertunba/?hl=en">Hertunba </a>focuses on contemporary plus-size styles that feel polished and current. The pieces are designed to sit properly on fuller bodies, not force you to size up three times and pray.

ShopbawstyTrend-forward, bold, unapologetic. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shopbawsty/?hl=en">Shopbawsty</a> offers plus-size fashion that doesn't shy away from drama, color, or shape, and they're not sacrificing comfort or construction to get there.

These brands aren't perfect. But they're doing one critical thing differently: they're designing with plus-size bodies in mind, not just stretching smaller designs and hoping nobody notices.


From pattern grading to fake inclusivity campaigns, the fashion industry has been lying to plus-size women for years. Here's why plus-size women are exhausted and why it's not their fault.

Personal Style

The Fashion Industry Hates Fat Bodies (And the Proof Is in Your Wardrobe)


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