Plus size range - what to call it?

[deniser]

if they really wanted they could just be thin?

Adults, yes, they can, if they really want to. I have lost a lot of weight myself recently.

Children are however largely dependent on their parents which is what makes all this so sad.

Anyway, I'm not here to judge them, I just want to bring some joy and less embarrassment into their lives whilst clothes shopping as their size is not their fault.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Do you remember the catalogue for taller than average ladies called "long tall sally", a variation on this, but i dont trust myself to start thinking of them.

They were rubbish - I'm 5'10 so struggle to get clothes long enough but I'm a size 8 ...... Sally didn't stock an 8, their smallest size was a 10, and it was a big 10 too, so boo to them. Are they still going? They were really expensive.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

some of the posts here are disgraceful.

Is it any wonder people are offended when you see what people have written on this thread?

You think it's easy to be fat, that somehow people prefer to be that way and if they really wanted they could just be thin?

Years ago people weren't so fat. Do you really think people have got more lazy and seek out food to eat more or that the high calorie easy food available to them and an increase in car transport contributes? It's hard to say no 20 times a day to a constant parade of yummy food when you'd prefer to say yes I will eat that.

It's not the kids' fault they are overweight and calling them vicious names is hardly going to do anything for their self esteem. It's hard enough for them to take part without making it another chance for ridicule. By having a go at them you start to segregate the overweight from the fit like two classes of citizens.

I agree with you on this BUT I also have realy difficulty accepting that obesity should be "normalised". While DeniseR is absolutely right that, in business terms, there is a market out there desperate to fit their kids with nice comfy fashionable clothes I also think that it's tantamount to child abuse to allow your child to eat so much that their body becomes distorted with fat.
Fat is not healthy - it does not just settle as unattractive rolls on the visible parts of your body, it surrounds your vital organs with fat and prevents them from working properly.
I have NEVER been on a diet - I am probably not typical of women of my age I know, as I am the same size now that I was when I was 15. But that is because I eat healthily (because I like the taste of unprocessed, unfried food), I exercise for fun as I love nothing more than a good dance session, I cycle everywhere, l drink in moderation ...... my kids have both grown up with the same attitudes and will hopefully never have to face weight issues as a result.

I just don't understand how parents can allow their kids to get fat. Simples. That said, it does need to be treated sensitively otherwise it becomes way more than just a weight issue and confidence, self esteem etc will be very badly dented.
Good business idea, dreadful that it is even being considered as a potential mass market. Very, very sad.

 

[deniser]

dreadful that it is even being considered as a potential mass market. Very, very sad.

I agree with everything in your post.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

As a name suggestion I think "Comfort range" would be a fairly innocuous but relatively informative description ......

 

[Christine Hough]

Fat or not, I would not like to see them walking around without adequate clothing!!

It is a vicious cycle where children who have no experience of eating well, nor food preparation skills.. not to mention low energy levels and their own health problems grow up and propagate the lifestyle they had.

I agree 100 % that bringing a child up to eat unhealthily all the time is tantamount to abuse, but I also know saying that will not change things. Although with a bit of help... Did anyone see the programme, 'Honey we're killing the kids'?

 

[Morgan]

What about something using Phat which I believe is a modern term meaning 'cool'?

Or just 'Phat'. Or is it too close to the mark?

 

[Mustaka]

some of the posts here are disgraceful.

Is it any wonder people are offended when you see what people have written on this thread?

You think it's easy to be fat, that somehow people prefer to be that way and if they really wanted they could just be thin?

Years ago people weren't so fat. Do you really think people have got more lazy and seek out food to eat more or that the high calorie easy food available to them and an increase in car transport contributes? It's hard to say no 20 times a day to a constant parade of yummy food when you'd prefer to say yes I will eat that.

It's not the kids' fault they are overweight and calling them vicious names is hardly going to do anything for their self esteem. It's hard enough for them to take part without making it another chance for ridicule. By having a go at them you start to segregate the overweight from the fit like two classes of citizens.

I bolded the ridiculous parts. So you as a parent are walking down the street, see some delicious unhealthy food place, go in with your kids and stuff your face with them. You had a choice to keep walking and you chose not to. The consequence is you are fat and your kids are fat and learn that as a pattern. You do have a choice not to eat that way but you chose not to.

Its like standing in line at the grocery store and you see some crazy fat person with every possible fattening thing in the shop in their cart and a bottle of diet coke in hand. In the vast majority of cases obesity is the choice of the person. So yes fat people prefer to be that way because the obvious choice to eat healthier seems somehow more difficult to them.

 

[Morgan]

I bolded the ridiculous parts.

I think they were meant tongue in cheek

 

[woodss]

The problem is simply to do with laziness on behalf of the parents. If you have kids you have a duty to look after them regardless of whether you can be bothered or not. I don't care how tired you are, or how hard you work - stuffing your kids with chips and processed stuff from Iceland isn't on at all.

You can dress it up as much as you want, but the fact is it takes about 30 minutes to make something excellent, and filling, like a salad with fresh cooked chicken. There is noone on this planet who cannot spare 30 minutes to ensure they and their kids eat a proper meal. Of course, it's easier to chuck a pizza in the oven, so guess what happens.

Me personally, I'd be ashamed to have to buy my kids 'fat clothes' and frankly those profiting from it ought to be ashamed - just because there's a market doesn't make it ethical and it certainly won't improve the health of the kids in question.

Phff.

 

[SillyJokes]

The problem is simply to do with laziness on behalf of the parents. If you have kids you have a duty to look after them regardless of whether you can be bothered or not. I don't care how tired you are, or how hard you work - stuffing your kids with chips and processed stuff from Iceland isn't on at all.

You can dress it up as much as you want, but the fact is it takes about 30 minutes to make something excellent, and filling, like a salad with fresh cooked chicken. There is noone on this planet who cannot spare 30 minutes to ensure they and their kids eat a proper meal. Of course, it's easier to chuck a pizza in the oven, so guess what happens.

Me personally, I'd be ashamed to have to buy my kids 'fat clothes' and frankly those profiting from it ought to be ashamed - just because there's a market doesn't make it ethical and it certainly won't improve the health of the kids in question.

Phff.

I'm not here to judge large kids or your parenting skills, I'll leave that to a vengeful God, I'm just saying it isn't as easy as you say it is to make the same 'right' decision over and over again when everything around you is stacked against you and delights in making it easy to lead you astray.

Glossy, misleading advertising, dozens of easily accessed food outlets, a culture that says it isn't safe for kids, fat or thin, to play out, fewer parents at home with time to spend on fresh cooked foods, aisles of ready prepared dishes in the supermarkets.

There are larger kids out there. That's a plain fact. It isn't unethical to provide clothing for their needs so that they can be involved in events or educational opportunities which their skinner neighbours enjoy. That is the ridiculous thing to say.

 

[woodss]

lol.

if parents don't have time to look after their kids properly, then they should re-evaluate their lifestyle so that their kids don't suffer health problems.

This MAY include cutting back on nights out, socialising and/or clothing too.

How terrible

 

[classixuk]

So far I like 'comfort range'.

The only other suggestion I would have is 'growing fast' ... i.e. "Our growing fast range are manufactured for the kids who seem to be growing faster than sunflowers! You'll get plenty of wear out of these clothes before having to replace them."

???

 

[woodss]

PorkerPantz

 

[SillyJokes]

The large plus childrens' costumes we carry are related to education.

Victorian Boy Costume Large Plus

so that any child can dress up to learn history.

 

[Morgan]

So far I like 'comfort range'.

The only other suggestion I would have is 'growing fast' ... i.e. "Our growing fast range are manufactured for the kids who seem to be growing faster than sunflowers! You'll get plenty of wear out of these clothes before having to replace them."

???

I like growing fast. What about Mighty Oaks (as in from little Acorns......). Ok maybe not.

 

[Christine Hough]

It isn't unethical to provide clothing for their needs so that they can be involved in events or educational opportunities which their skinner neighbours enjoy. That is the ridiculous thing to say.

Its ridiculous to imply that providing clothing for them contributes to the issues they already have!

Parents who allow their children to eat this badly do so for lots of reasons and are often well stressed themselves. Stressing them over not being able to buy clothes is hardly likely to help!

Not by any means excusing it but just being practical.
Beat wishes with your business.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Business doesn't have to be ethical - cigarettes, alcohol, cars with large engines, plastic bag manufacturers ...... there's a massive list of what I would regard as "non-ethical" products available to us which provide jobs, generate income etc. Not really fair to blast someone for spotting a gap in the market and jumping on it!

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Butterballs.

 

[woodss]

Business doesn't have to be ethical - cigarettes, alcohol, cars with large engines, plastic bag manufacturers ...... there's a massive list of what I would regard as "non-ethical" products available to us which provide jobs, generate income etc. Not really fair to blast someone for spotting a gap in the market and jumping on it!

Indeed, but 2 of those in your list are products which adults choose for themselves. Children don't normally choose to be fat, in most cases they're given an excess of food to eat, or eat the wrong foods by default. If it's the wrong food, the parents are to blame and it needs sorted out, not accepted by mass-marketing oversized clothes to somehow make them feel better; That's just burying heads in the sand and the child will suffer.

So yes, there are unethical businesses and business practices but they're not in the same vein as this. Maybe it's just a decency thing though, I'm all for people making money but does it HAVE to result in people suffering long-term while they walk around with their fingers in their ears, justifying it as a "gap in the market"?

I mean, someone mentioned America - massive problems with obesity because it just became "accepted" (large portions, massive clothes, etc etc) - I say remove the big clothes from the market and stop assuring lazy people that their fat kid is fine, for the kids sake. "Mum I can't fit into my normal sized jeans any more" "you might want to put that mars bar down then" "but mummmm... " "no buts, go and play football".

Remember the old expression "sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind?" - some people need to be told they're fat, not buttered up (excuse the pun), so that they can actually think "hey, I might need to do something about this before it gets worse".

We'll all pay in the long run - fancy financing a country where the majority of people need healthcare due to their own gluttony? It's coming! Pandering to people only makes it more likely, since fatter = more effort to move = less likely to happen = guaranteed health problems.

For the record, I'm not slim myself, I'm 6' @ 14 stone 3lb but I keep fit and don't need XXL clothes, and neither do my kids!

And yes, I realise there are some larger kids but surely they should be the exception rather than the rule...?

 

[woodss]

Its ridiculous to imply that providing clothing for them contributes to the issues they already have!

Parents who allow their children to eat this badly do so for lots of reasons and are often well stressed themselves. Stressing them over not being able to buy clothes is hardly likely to help!

Not by any means excusing it but just being practical.
Beat wishes with your business.

Pretty terrible in my opinion that you think parents being stressed is a valid excuse for them treating their kids badly by not looking after their health.

 

[Christine Hough]

I cannot for the life of me see why it is unethical to sell clothes for overweight children...
You are not making them fat, nor helping the parents make them fat.

Knowing some overweight children the last thing that will help them is not giving them clothes. Many comfort eat because of poor self image.

Good comfortable clothing may even be the trigger for some to take pride in their looks and start to control their weight.
being 'punished' by not giving them anything to wear will never help!!

And from 5 years onwards they do get help and information from their school independent of their parents.

 

[We Do PPI Claims]

excellent analysis Chrisitine, just because a child may be overweight does not mean they cannot or should not be well dressed.

 

[Christine Hough]

Pretty terrible in my opinion that you think parents being stressed is a valid excuse for them treating their kids badly by not looking after their health.

No of course its not a valid excuse, (I did say that in the post) but it happens and adding further stress will not change them. Does it make you feel better just to sit and criticise on the moral highground?

I am not saying don't help/incentivise them change their ways, but to deny them clothing is ridiculous.

 

[woodss]

I cannot for the life of me see why it is unethical to sell clothes for overweight children...
You are not making them fat, nor helping the parents make them fat.

Knowing some overweight children the last thing that will help them is not giving them clothes. Many comfort eat because of poor self image.

Good comfortable clothing may even be the trigger for some to take pride in their looks and start to control their weight.
being 'punished' by not giving them anything to wear will never help!!

And from 5 years onwards they do get help and information from their school independent of their parents.

You're missing the point completely. The fact that there are "fat clothes" available for overweight kids, does nothing to discourage parents from letting their kids get into that state in the first place.

As for the poor self image thing, I don't buy it - kids aren't usually aware of themselves until some other kids takes the mickey out of them, probably for being fat. Therefore, it makes far more sense for parental responsibility to trump the requirement for "fat clothes" which, while they may work temporarily to disguise emotional turmoil, will do little to change the underlying problem that the child is overweight and is destined to a life of health problems.

So yes, I do think the selling of these clothes is unethical. Free market though innit

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Having been in Sainsbury's today and seeing the saturated fat laden pies and pizzas the piles of sugary sweet things,bags of crisps etc piled into the various trollies,along with the "well covered" children trailing along behind an equally "well built" Mother,the OP may well be onto something.

 

[papverpoppies]

You're missing the point completely. The fact that there are "fat clothes" available for overweight kids, does nothing to discourage parents from letting their kids get into that state in the first place.

As for the poor self image thing, I don't buy it - kids aren't usually aware of themselves until some other kids takes the mickey out of them, probably for being fat. Therefore, it makes far more sense for parental responsibility to trump the requirement for "fat clothes" which, while they may work temporarily to disguise emotional turmoil, will do little to change the underlying problem that the child is overweight and is destined to a life of health problems.

So yes, I do think the selling of these clothes is unethical. Free market though innit

Many kids have poor self image, and they are aware of it, many get bullied because of it - they are easy targets.

Not sure how you have arrived at the conclusion that making/selling clothes for larger children is unethical. If that applied right across the board, lots of everyday items would vanish.

Beer, cigarettes, (two huge tax raisers) they are not healthy for you, but where do you draw the line? Do you do either of those, because some people might say they do as much damage to your health as over eating.

Kids, adults, no they should not be fat - but guess what, a lot of them are, so what should they do, go around in badly fitting clothes, that make them look and feel even worse.

I know thin kids, and I know kids who need to loose weight, I know happy/sad thin kids, and vice versa, so it is not just being over weight that makes kids unhappy, so at least let them dress decently without frowning down on them.

Aren't people meant to be in business to make money.
Cannot see how not selling clothes for larger children is going to make them loose weight - never worked in any other quarters.

Pops ~xx~

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Indeed, but 2 of those in your list are products which adults choose for themselves. Children don't normally choose to be fat, in most cases they're given an excess of food to eat, or eat the wrong foods by default. If it's the wrong food, the parents are to blame and it needs sorted out, not accepted by mass-marketing oversized clothes to somehow make them feel better; That's just burying heads in the sand and the child will suffer.

So yes, there are unethical businesses and business practices but they're not in the same vein as this. Maybe it's just a decency thing though, I'm all for people making money but does it HAVE to result in people suffering long-term while they walk around with their fingers in their ears, justifying it as a "gap in the market"?

I mean, someone mentioned America - massive problems with obesity because it just became "accepted" (large portions, massive clothes, etc etc) - I say remove the big clothes from the market and stop assuring lazy people that their fat kid is fine, for the kids sake. "Mum I can't fit into my normal sized jeans any more" "you might want to put that mars bar down then" "but mummmm... " "no buts, go and play football".

Remember the old expression "sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind?" - some people need to be told they're fat, not buttered up (excuse the pun), so that they can actually think "hey, I might need to do something about this before it gets worse".

We'll all pay in the long run - fancy financing a country where the majority of people need healthcare due to their own gluttony? It's coming! Pandering to people only makes it more likely, since fatter = more effort to move = less likely to happen = guaranteed health problems.

For the record, I'm not slim myself, I'm 6' @ 14 stone 3lb but I keep fit and don't need XXL clothes, and neither do my kids!

And yes, I realise there are some larger kids but surely they should be the exception rather than the rule...?

I agree entirely with what you say, however I still don't see that the OP should be lambasted for spotting a gap in the market.
I've said before that I am very uncomfortable with the concept of normalising obesity, and I stand by that. I personally wouldn't get involved in any business that encouraged kids to remain fat, or to give parents the impression that fat kids are OK because "kids are getting fatter".
Fat kids are,without a doubt, the product of lazy, ignorant and ill informed parenting. There is absolutely no excuse for allowing your child to get fat. Sitting them in front of a DVD or a computer game and filling them with lard whilst lamenting the fact that you can't prise your child into a pair of jeans is, quite frankly, disgusting. The worst of it is that these children will grow up (if they don't explode first) into lazy, ignorant, ill informed parents themselves and simply carry on this blubber-filled cycle of eating far too much bad food and doing absolutely no exercise at all. What sort of life is that?
It is, quite frankly, an absolute tragedy and makes me want to cry.

 

[missdetermination]

My 6 year old niece needs bigger clothes than her 9 year old brother...and not because she eats too much but because she has a medical condition which means she grows a lot quicker and is currently verging on puberty.
Its not all about over feeding children. Although I read the other day goverment guidlines suggest 3 hours daily play/getting them moving for toddlers...good job I have a hyperactive one (wander if its all those sweeties JOKE!)...she's just mad!

 

[deniser]

Me personally, I'd be ashamed to have to buy my kids 'fat clothes' and frankly those profiting from it ought to be ashamed - just because there's a market doesn't make it ethical and it certainly won't improve the health of the kids in question.

Phff.

I am not doing this purely to make money.

I invite you to spend a day in my shop and see the faces of the fat kids who come in with their parents and who are told there is nothing that will fit them and they will have to go to a dressmaker and have clothing specially made. It is absolutely heart breaking.

I have resisted the plus size clothing for years. In fact, you can read an old thread of mine on here somewhere asking whether plus size clothes for kids are unethical. Everyone said not, that I should go for it.

I would like to think that every family I turn away will change their lifestyle but it ain't gonna happen.

As I said previously, I would like these kids to go home happy rather than even more depressed about their weight. The weight is for their parents to tackle, not me.

 

[deniser]

My 6 year old niece needs bigger clothes than her 9 year old brother...and not because she eats too much but because she has a medical condition which means she grows a lot quicker and is currently verging on puberty.
d!

This is not the norm though. It doesn't account for the 28% of kids who are overweight.

I was thinking back to my school years. There was no fat child in my primary school year and in my secondary school there were only two in my year who were overweight. One had emotional problems and the other came from a culture where fat means wealth and so was encouraged in that society.

The difference was that we ate 3 meals a day - one was cooked, the one we got at school for lunch - with no snacking in between. Fast food didn't really exist and going to Pizzaland was a teal treat that happened no more than once a year.

 

[Merchant UK]

What would be a good name to denote plus sized clothing?

Had you though about...

"Extra Large and I'm in Charge"

 

[papverpoppies]

This is not the norm though. It doesn't account for the 28% of kids who are overweight.

I was thinking back to my school years. There was no fat child in my primary school year and in my secondary school there were only two in my year who were overweight. One had emotional problems and the other came from a culture where fat means wealth and so was encouraged in that society.

The difference was that we ate 3 meals a day - one was cooked, the one we got at school for lunch - with no snacking in between. Fast food didn't really exist and going to Pizzaland was a teal treat that happened no more than once a year.

Saw what happened when Jamie Oliver tried to get them to eat sensible school meals, even the parents went potty.

They filmed some of them waiting at the school gates at lunch times, with Mcdonald' s in hand for their kids lunch - their comments were unbelievable. "We want out kids to eat good food"

From then on, it was hard work and more down hill for Jamie.

Pops ~xx~

 

[woodss]

Well, if it were me, I would rather send the kid home upset because he couldn't fit into some new trendy clothes, and work his ass off (literally) to do it, rather than say "oh it's okay, there there, have another cake and we'll get you something for bigger boys".Damn sight easier to change their outlook on food/diet/exercise when they're young, than when they reach 18 and decide to blame some obscure thyroid problem for their muffin top.

That's just me though.

As a side note, since when were thyroids available in the sweet aisle?

 

[Christine Hough]

I've yet to see a thread saying sticky bun makers were unethical!!

Much more fun to humiliate some poor kid who has been brought up wrong wouldn't you say?
Let's make them go around starkers and then they will get the message!
Perhaps we could recruit some school bullies to call them names.

They will be soooo grateful, immediately see the error of their ways, take up 3 sports and only eat salads. What a wonderful world.

 

[papverpoppies]

Well, if it were me, I would rather send the kid home upset because he couldn't fit into some new trendy clothes, and work his ass off (literally) to do it, rather than say "oh it's okay, there there, have another cake and we'll get you something for bigger boys".Damn sight easier to change their outlook on food/diet/exercise when they're young, than when they reach 18 and decide to blame some obscure thyroid problem for their muffin top.

That's just me though.

As a side note, since when were thyroids available in the sweet aisle?

So would you turn down a job doing a website for 'larger child models' if asked to do one, because you think 'fat' children are wrong, and should be kept out if sight, until they have lost some weight.

Pops ~xx~

 

[owas]

I call my two year old chubbs just an idea

 

[matt seymour]

The "Ample" Range?

Interesting debate this has turned into. There is some truth in what is said on both sides of the argument.

Yes, there is undoubtedly far more fast food on offer in this day and age. When I was a kid, whenever we were out in town we generally went into a cafe and had a sandwich and a milkshake or something rather than a burger or takeaway - mainly because there was no McDonalds, KFC or Burger King etc on the high street. Nowadays they are absolutely everywhere. As a result of this cafes are generally few and far between and those that do still exist all serve burgers and greasy food now because they know it sells.

That's part of the problem. Junk food is quick, convenient and some of it tastes pretty good.

Having said that, people still have to use a bit of common sense and some restraint. A burger here and there and the odd unhealthy meal won't do any harm, but some people practically live on the stuff.

We live in a very different world to the one we used to. I was brought up in an era when most Mums stayed at home and spent the day knocking up amazing home cooked, healthy food. You'd eat your homemade grub and then go out to play with your friends and get plenty of exercise.

Now most Mums work and no one seems to have the time to do anything. The modern world is one where convenience and time saving is everything and that applies to food just as it does everything else. I'm not saying that Mums going out to work is the cause of these problems at all, but it is unquestionably something that has changed along with so many other things and it all contributes to a generally lazier, less active and healthy lifestyle for many kids... and adults.

 

[UKSBD]

Generous

I know you said you weren't looking for a brand name, but Generous could do both, GenRus Clothing

 

[woodss]

So would you turn down a job doing a website for 'larger child models' if asked to do one, because you think 'fat' children are wrong, and should be kept out if sight, until they have lost some weight.

Pops ~xx~

Well, that's not what I said at all but thanks for putting words where there weren't any.

I think i've been pretty clear that I blame the parents for making their children fat and that I think making larger clothes readily available goes some way to encouraging this behaviour as acceptable which it really isn't.

So, to answer your question, yes I would turn down some work if I felt it was encouraging childhood obesity in some way. You wouldn't? I guess that says more about you than it does about me.

On the other hand, I'd happily do some pro-bono work if someone asked me to, if it did the opposite.