Fashion is out of touch

So last night I tuned in to Project Runway for the season finale. That was fun and all but sometimes this show just irks me.

The show is all about being the "next American designer" but who are they really designing for? -- A TINY portion of the population. The average American woman today is a size 12.

Here is why Project Runway (and fashion in general) doesn't get it.

In one episode Tim Gunn refers to a designer's model as "zaftig" and the designer complains "I can't design the waist right on this garment because my model is too big." The model's size?

SIX! If you can't figure out how to make a waist on a size 6 model, then you're not a very good designer.

In another episode, each designer had to design a look for another's designer's mother *or in some cases, sister.* Not suprisingly, the five women who were plus size, were chosen last and several designers were complaining, "Ugh. I don't know how to design for this shape."

Um. The only difference in shape is that plus size women actually have one!! A heavyset woman still has two arms, two legs, a torso and a head. Why is this rocket science?

Michael was one of the designers who had a thin family member to model for him. He made a very cute shirt dress. Why can't a plus size woman wear a shirt dress? Just cut it to her size. Obviously, she's bigger, you're not going to hide that so just make it to her proportion and add some darts to flatter her assets (which generally in big girls means the chest area).

All of the designers with plus women covered them in drapes of fabric without much shape. Michael Korrs, a judge said, "Oh that's nice. Plus woman look better in something that drapes."

Uh sorry? I actually feel that if you put a plus woman in a big sack, you just give her no shape and make her look lumpy. Okay, maybe I'm the lone nut on this but why can't they accept that we carry more weight around but that doesn't mean we feel ashamed or have to hide? You can't hide the fact that big women are ... big. So don't act like you need to do acrobatics to make them look presentable.

Just dress them in something that makes them comfortable... and acting like you have to hide their ugliness is not going to make them comfortable! For the most part, plus sizes can wear anything a size 6 can wear -- okay maybe not a bare midriff look but really plus size people (especially women) are not aliens, there's no reason you can't make a flattering skirt, sexy top and shrug for them!

Naturally, during last night' big runway finale I didn't see one woman who was more than a size 2 showing the designs.

There's all this discussion about "what clothes would women buy?" My response, "Uhhh, for me, maybe none. While some of those looks are pretty, I see no indication that they would ever design for my size 14/16 frame. "

*GASP...FAINT*

That was Michael Korrs fainting at the idea of a size 14/16 girl. I mean if size 6 is plus... I don't even know what that makes me!