Is Plus Size, Full Figured, or Curvy the BEST Term for a Woman's Figure?

Society has always stigmatized the way a woman's body should be. Trends always come up: Kate Moss thin, Beyonce beautiful and the plus size revolution. it's impossible to have the "right" term to define a woman's body type. Everyone has his or her say so. Its important to understand what is most preferred by the masses.

According to Google, the most common term is plus size. Do women really like being called plus size? Or is it rather a term that is commonly accepted? The average American woman is a size 14. If a 14 is the AVERAGE SIZE, is plus size average size? Plus size is everywhere online: forums, blogs and marketing galore.

Many women are proud to be plus size, because "plus" means more to love. Large retailers: Lane Bryant, David's Bridal and Torrid make a fortune catering exclusively to, and marketing only to plus size women.

Plus size is a common word, easy to navigate in search engines or appeal to a mass audience without much guessing what they are targeting. Plus size by far is the most accepted term, but does that make it politically correct?

It appears as though most plus size women refer themselves as plus size for lack of better term. However, the curvy revolution is in full swing, and presents a nicer connotation. More ladies are proud of their chests and booty's, and prefer to be called curvy.

More and more models and average women consider themselves curvy, not plus size. Describing yourself as curvy is more flattering, uplifting and flirty. Curvy sounds sexy and intriguing!

Full figured is also a very popular term. Full figured could be seen as more of an outdated term. Marilyn Monroe was the quintessential full figured model, and bombshell. Nothing wrong looking like her, and full figured is making a comeback.

Full figured is often related to 1950's pin up models, with sexy hourglass figures, a body shape that anyone would die for! Even celebrities such as Selma Hayek and Queen Latifah are boastful of the term.

Whether you call yourself plus size, full figured, curvy, average or real size, personal preference must override societal stigmas. Change is amongst us ladies, and you are in control of the way you are perceived, and also to change the way society creates stereotypes for women.

Being Large? Get Over It

I talked to a friend, a fashion saleswoman in a high priced women's clothing sore. She told me she once met a woman, size 14 or 16, trying to squeeze into a size 8. I am sure it was painful for the customer and as painful for my friend who had to advise this woman.

Both men and women, specially women, should realize that when God made us, He made us different, both inside and outside. Let us deal with outside.

Some women are born large and grow up to be... well large. There is no problem with that. People who have a problem dealing with size have a problem all of their own--usually it is bias and a misguided sense of what is proper.

Here are some tips regarding shopping if you happen to be a large woman.

1. Shop alone or with a trusted friend. This will save you lot of heartache and get you right selections because your friends will give you correct advice regarding color, size, fall, shimmer, stripes etc.

2. Do not go for franchise type stores. They have off-the-shelf product that is exactly what you do not need. You need someone who can customize your dress, bring high points to its look and suppress obvious faux pas.

3. Do a bit of homework. Read up on contours, shaping lines and visual effect of patterns and textures. Smooth fabrics look much better on a large woman than coarse, textured, rough-hewn fabric like raw silk and corduroy. Similary, "wardroby" types of outfits are drab and often accentuate largeness. Try contrasts and a bit of flash. It creates an optical illusion of sorts so people do not dwell on your size, but on the color and subtlety of the accent on your dress. And that is exactly what you want--creating a sudden fashion statement. So get some tips.

4. No need to pay a premium just because you are large. Shop around.

5. Have a friend stand by the fitting room. Looking at yourself in the mirror is not enough. You need to make sure you know how you appear to the others. So after you have tried something on, come out and let your friend look at you critically. It will help you to decide which pattern and style to go with.

6. If you are a professional woman and want to be comfortable in senior management circles, hire a fashion designer who specializes in executive wardrobes. It always pays to get some experience, specially from a person who designs or advises on a woman's wardrobe and does this for a living.

Good luck.

Traditional Wedding Dresses OUT - Short Sexy Wedding Dress IN

Yesterday I saw a picture of a wedding gown on Facebook with a very long train, titled, "Are long trains long gone or long overdue for a comeback?" The response was overwhelming that the most people loved the dress. If this is the case, why are designers gravitating toward short sexy wedding dresses? Have traditional wedding gowns been replaced by sexier, sleeker styles?

The amazing thing about fashion, is that styles are constantly recycled. Though the modern bride circa 2013 may still want a long sleeved, long train ball gown... just not the Princess Diana type! Fashion has the amazing ability to build from the past and reinvent "old" styles to modernize them. This is the current trend with more and more brides overlooking traditional wedding dresses for short sexy ones!

But the main question remains, are traditional styles a thing of the past? Interestingly enough, when I Googled, "traditional wedding dresses," there were 12,000,000 results available. However, when I Googled, "sexy wedding dresses," a whooping 42,700,000 popped up! That's over 3x's the search volume.

Even more fascinating, "short wedding dresses," resulted in 58,300,000! Yet, any combination of, "long train wedding dresses, "gave slightly over 2.5M. Something is going on here with short sexy wedding dresses dominating Google searches! The question I ask whether the designers are influencing statistics by producing these gowns, so that's the only thing available, or did the demand supersede supply?
The age-old question, "what came first the chicken or the egg" pops up. Did plus size brides DEMAND more short styles and the industry listened, and gave them what they wanted? Or were plus size brides simply told what the market had available and what options to buy? By the overwhelming response from Google, its pretty safe to say, demand creatsed supply in the case, BUT fashion designers are always at the helm deciding what will be in style this season and next.

Another explanation for the decrease of traditional wedding dresses and rise of sexy ones, is the fact more couples are having destination weddings. We all know how uncomfortable sand is when it gets in your feet. Can you imagine how HOT, sweaty and miserable you would be on beach, in 100 degrees in plus size ball gown? NO THANK YOU! Short gowns certainly have their place.

Yet still many brides will wear traditional wedding dresses to walk down the aisle, yet quickly change and slip into something more comfortable to dance at the reception. Though stunningly beautiful, long train gowns are a hassle to dance with, and you risk somebody stepping on it, tripping on it or spilling. It could really be more of a hazard than helpful! Undeniably, any bride will take ravishing pictures in a cathedral length ball gown, but would feel more comfortable at the reception in a sexy wedding gown!

Why Plus Size Brides Care What Others Think of Their Dress

I get asked all the time, "If I'm a curvy girl, what wedding dress looks best on my body?" I always answer the same way, "Whatever makes YOU comfortable." There is no science or evidence saying, "anyone over a size 18 must wear an A Line wedding dress, or only petite women can wear a sheath wedding gown."

You chose your fiancé because he looked best on YOUR arm (on top of a million other reasons) but you probably "tried" out others on your arm before committing. You didn't say, "I have curves, I can't have him." Nor should you sacrifice sexy short wedding dresses because of your curves or because society says "you shouldn't wear that." Chose a dress YOU like, not what you FEEL is acceptable.

If YOU are more comfortable in a plus size ball gown and prefer something modest... ROCK IT! The key is, it's YOUR wedding day, YOU know what makes YOU happy and comfortable so do what feels right. Similarly, if YOU feel like flaunting your curves, don't pass up plus size mermaid wedding dresses because your worried what others might say. Trust your personal style and have confidence in your choice, that's what your future hubby likes!

Now don't wear something inappropriate just for shock value either. You must be respectful. If you have a church ceremony, it's inappropriate to wear sexy short wedding dresses, or have cleavage spilling out, regardless if you are curvy or petite. Class and decency is key, but nothing wrong with a little sass and sex appeal. If you don't want your father seeing you like that, it probably shouldn't be worn! But you can always get a fierce reception dress to "make up for" your conservative ceremony gown!

On the flip side, too many curvy brides sacrifice style because they are insecure or scared of what others think. Some wear long-sleeved dresses or an A Line wedding dress that isn't as form flattering as she wanted. They go the "safe route" and buy a typical plus size gown that fits more like a curtain than a glove, even though they were yearning for one of the more sexy plus size mermaid wedding dresses.

It is good to take others opinions to mind, but not always to heart. When shopping for a plus size bridal gown, relate it to "shopping" for your husband. Sure you cared if your girls thought he was cute, nice and complimented you. But did you really care what they thought? Would you not be with him if they said he's not attractive enough? Probably not. So why take everything to heart with the wedding gown YOU will be wearing?

Discover Exotic Body Shapers For Plus-Size Women

Typically, most women with large body figure have natural curves that make them feel self-confident about themselves when you consider the breasts, the butt, the hips and the waist. Most often, they would still like to look more cute and attractive in certain outfits. That's why body shapers are in high demands, most especially among plus-size women.

Whatever may be your body size, you can find various kinds of body shapers that you can wear. Most of them come with beautiful styles, fabrics, and designs. For instance, a curvy woman of size 41-35-46 and 5'6" may not find any spandex that can completely hide her derrière. Nonetheless, there are many kinds of shaperwear that can perfectly help to remove some inches from the parts of the body that need some fitness in order to get the beautiful figure that should be characteristic of a plus-size lady.

Here are various types for shapewear on the market:

* Body Briefers: these body shapers give contour to your torso, covering the regions of your breasts, tummy, waist, and hips.

* Panty Girdles: peradventure, you want to shape your buttocks, waist and hips, get panty girdles; they are perfect and sexy tight skirts for you.

* Tummy Shapers: they can give fitness to your stomach to a great extent - they reduce the tummy size, giving you the look of someone with a flat tummy.

* Waist Cinchers: these have been known to work well for trimming your waist and flattening your tummy so as to have a good-looking figure.

* Bodysuits: typically, they cover the trunk of your body, that is, from the breast region to your knees.

* Shapewear Camisole: this is referred to as a lightweight 'control tank' that you can wear under your dress throughout the day.

* Padded Panties: they are perfect for women who have sagging or flat buttocks since the padded panties can turn the buttocks into something perky.

* Leg-cum-Thigh Shapers: if you like to have good fitness for your thighs and calves, you should get these kinds of body shapers. They can be worn under your jeans without having any feeling of being uncomfortable.

Once you identify your needs, you can decide on the kind of shapewear that will help you get that perfect figure you have ever dreamt of. These plus-size body shapers come in various colours; they also vary in sizes, even up to 5XL. You only have to go online to search for what fits you perfectly.

Plus Size Swimwear - How To Get Confidence at The Beach

I, as many women worldwide, used to be a fan of Oprah Winfrey shows. Oprah's persona was so captivating; we forget that she was a "big girl." She is the world's most respected anchor person, whatever she does, she does with much pomp and élan; among her shows, she had a number of fashion shows for plus size women including swimwear.

The 'slim was in' mantra no longer holds good. Plus size design is the toast of today and plus size swimwear has gained sudden importance and respect from designers. It is here to stay as the majority of women all over the world are accepting the fact that they are plus size and they got to feel comfortable with their body, along with its flaws, learn to respect the temple of their souls and love themselves for who they are.

Plus size swimwear has generally been specifically designed with much care for women with stretch marks, sagging body and loose thighs. More than feeling comfortable in plus size swimwear, one of the most important factors determining whether a plus size woman feels confident at the beach depends upon the swimwear style that she wears and how flattering her look is.

Halter neck or deep V- shaped neckline plus size swimwear can accentuate the ample breasts and make the neck look longer and slimmer. A dark coloured plus size swimwear can be in contrast to the whiteness of your skin and you can be proud to saunter your stuff on the beach. A pale complexion will look stunning in a plus size swimsuit with lavender, green or aquamarine blue. Chocolate hues and pink will go well on dusky complexioned lasses. The main idea is a plus size swimwear can either complement your skin tone, or be a contrast to the tone. A two-piece skirted swimwear with attached underpants is something that can give total tummy control and it will make you look nice and confident at the beach. A well designed plus size swimming dress can flatter any body shape and make the wearer look radiant and alluring in it.

Psychologists say that plus size women are far more jovial and take life as it comes, compared to their anorexic counterparts. At the beach and in their flattering plus size swimwear, these are women with loads of confidence and self-respect. Nobody can deplete your self-esteem, unless you allow it to be depleted.