Comments on: Real women, real old patterns, and really moved

By: Fattitude « superblondgirl

Fattitude « superblondgirl — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:53:41 +0000

[...] just making more women feel bad about how they look, just a different demographic this time. Like this post at Knitting Kninja – it’s not fair that she should have to defend herself for being thin. [...]

By: amanda

amanda — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:36:40 +0000

Kristen, very well said. I am middle-of-the-road in terms of body proportions, but I agree that this issue has been a one way street. Thin women are usually envied and criticized, as if being thin is their choice. Clearly it is not always the case, and sometimes we must accept the body type we were born with. I think you’ve brought an important point to light here.

By: Eva

Eva — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:04:43 +0000

I really enjoyed this post, too (linked from Whitknits, btw). As someone who *isn’t* slender, but rather in the odd no-man’s-land between “average” and “plus” sizes, I’m always shocked at how violent the backlash against thin women can be. I know how frustrating it can be to feel ignored by designers, but that frustration should be directed more positively, in a push toward expanded sizing ranges and variety in designs. It’s so hypocritical to react disparagingly toward people who simply come in a smaller size.

I think there *has* been a strong push in this positive direction lately, at least in more recent Knitty issues, on many blogs (Ysolda’s, for example), and even in some Interweave designs. That’s really nice to see. It would also be nice if someone prominent (Knitty, IK, etc.) ran an article on modifying sizes in both directions; might solve a lot of angst. Oh Miss Eunny…?

By: kae

kae — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:48:40 +0000

I really enjoyed this post. As someone who is slim (but not skinny), I have often in the past taken offence to the fact that magazines and media now consider me to be not a “real woman”. I believe women are women no matter the size they are – it’s what a woman does that defines her, and not her bust, waist or hip line. To me, it’s sad to see that in the move to address larger women’s issues, they have left behind the smaller women who also have their own (different) sizing issues . I think that all women in every shape and size should be celebrated, not subjected to terms such as “real women” or otherwise.

By: stitchywitch

stitchywitch — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:12:28 +0000

I completely agree with everything you have said here. I also feel that the term “real women” can be used in a very hurtful way towards those of us who are petite. I have talked about my sizing problems on my blog, but I have hesitated to post about the “real women” thing because I feared a backlash (silly, I know!) I have always been small because I have a small frame, and I have experienced hurtful comments.

I am glad to see what seems to be a growing awareness of this problem in the knitting community.

Thanks for adding me as a friend on Ravelry! Sometime I’m going to get around to knitting Maude Louise, which I love!

By: whitknits

whitknits — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:44:01 +0000

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful post. I’ve been meaning to write about my feelings on the whole “Real Women” issue (which is something that’s been especially on my mind recently, after dropping 20 pounds off my already thin frame due to illness and feeling very hurt by the “anorexic” references in knitting book reviews, and the dirty looks I sometimes get from other women when I go out now), but you’ve said it so very well already. Do you mind if I link to your post?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:42:06 +0000

My knitting New York friends have had some interesting discussions along these lines. One of our number, also a skinny girl, submitted a beautiful pattern to a popular online knit magazine only to be told that its ribbed body wouldn’t look good on most women and that she should make it a loose-fitting empire waist in stockinet. We were all annoyed that the editor seemed to be favoring shapes so generic as to look ill on everybody and water down the design, too. No pattern can suit every body type, and while I sympathize with the sentiments of larger women long discounted by a fashion industry that favors twig silhouettes, I don’t think it’s worth trying to make every garment work on everyone. Bigger gals can wear shapes that look like crap on me, and so can my scrawny little mom. I tend to design things for myself because it’s easier to know what will fit correctly, but ultimately I’d like to feel confident enough about my skills to issue patterns that will work for bigger ladies and others for smaller ones. I couldn’t agree more that health is most important, and I think we should celebrate a) that health takes different forms on different people and b) that knitting gives us the skills to adapt clothes to our own shapes.

I can’t wait to get a glimpse of Arthemis!