First Contact

Playground Wear - by lowbudgetdiva on Polyvore.com

Welcome to Big Mamas, a blog for plus-sized fashion for moms! 

In my obsessive scouring of the internet for plus-size fashion blogs, I observe a noticeable absence: style for plus-size moms. I don't think your style should be dictated by having children, but neither do I think you can ignore the challenges of wearing heels or silk blouses on the playground. So an element of practicality is in order for a lot of us. I see this issue addressed well in blogs for straight-sized moms, and some of these blogs even occasionally feature special entries on plus sizes. Which is all great, but it leaves me wanting more.

Out of this void springs my new blog. Here you will find tips on where to shop, how to find the best fit, suggestions on styles that are well-suited to the lifestyle of the hip, plus-size mom with a messy kid in tow. I aim to offer a mix of stock photos from online retailers, collages I create in Polyvore, and live photos of myself and willing volunteers. This last is important to me because I think that for plus women, even more than for many (but not all) straight-sized women, it is essential to see how a garment looks on a real body, and one close (or, at least, closer) to one's own size. Not only does this give you an idea of how you might reasonably expect to look in an item, but it also goes a long way to correct the fashion world's dysmorphic vision of how a woman should look. But that's a soapbox for another day. 

That brings me to the last thing this blog is about: presenting images of plus-sized women, and widening our perspective on what is beautiful, stylish, and, really just "normal." The oft-quoted statistic that the "average U.S. woman...wears a size 14" could be combined with figures about women's sizes at various stages of their lives. A recent study showed that women over 36 have, on average, measurements larger than a size 14. It would be interesting to see what impact motherhood has on a woman's shape.

What you will not find on my blog is any discussion of weight loss, updates on the hottest trends, or parenting advice or opinions about various parenting styles. These topics are amply covered elsewhere, and don't interest me much. I might mention trends, but I feel as a woman over thirty that grabbing onto each new thing is not really on my radar anymore. I tend toward a mix of classic and fashion forward, borrowing from trends only if they seem like a fit to my lifestyle.

I hope you find something of interest here!