They actually found a way to inject more obnoxiousness into the wedding industry. Check this out. Yeah, there is now a show called Bulging Brides, where you can get inspired by dumb chicks who bought their wedding dresses too small.
Well, I would just say that these brides are dumb for buying into the bullshit and thinking they had to get super-thin before the Big Day. But actually the dress companies provide a nifty added incentive for ordering your dress too small and trying to shrink into it: namely, that you have to pay more for "larger sizes". And naturally, the sizes run smaller than department store sizes, so you pay lots extra and feel really crappy about yourself for ordering the size you really need. One time I was in a wedding and had to buy a size 22 dress (at the time I normally wore an 18), and so I had to pay $80 extra for the dress -- a $40 charge for a "large size" (which applied to sizes 14-16-18), and another $40 charge for a "really fucking large size" (i.e. 20-22-24). I wrote an angry letter to the company and got a reply that claimed the $80 was for "extra fabric". OK, it is true that larger dresses require more fabric, but $80 worth? And if that's really the reason for the extra charge, why not have a sliding scale and charge more for a size 10 than a size 0? Hmm... maybe because it's not really a charge for extra fabric, but rather it's a fat tax. And they figure women will be willing to pay it (as I did), since most women probably feel ashamed when they realize they wear a "large size". The alternative, which I didn't think of (but which is apparently pretty popular) is to just buy a dress that's too small. Brilliant!
4 comments:
I hate that shit.
True story:
I had to buy a bridesmaid dress in one of the large sizes, but then get it altered to be 1) shorter, and 2) smaller at the waist. Apparently I am not shaped the way dressmakers feel I should be shaped. Damn me. So I had to pay something like $30 extra for the large size, and then $70 for altering.
The dialog I had with the shop employee:
Me: "So let me get this straight. I have to pay extra for large size, and THEN I have to pay even more to make the large dress smaller. Is that correct?"
Employee: "Yes."
Me: "But...you're cutting out half the extra fabric. Ya know, the extra fabric that justifies charging more for the large size."
Employee: [no emotion] "Yes."
Me: "So actually, you're making triple the amount of money on a dress that will end up with the exact same amount of fabric as a size 6 dress. That's brilliant capitalism, right there."
I agree with you on the sliding scale, but apparently, Mary, you and I make too much sense for the fashion industry.
A 'fat tax'. I guess if a company wants to sell the larger dresses for more money, maybe they should consider selling dresses by the pound? Think of it like buying produce. You put the produce in the scale, weigh it, and you're charged according to the per lb. price. Of course out of season and certain other produce items would cost more than, say, potatoes, but that's to be expected. For a dress made with crappy fabric, you pay less per lb than a really nice dress.
Why am i not surprised that this show is on the fucking 'We' network. And 'bad girls club' is on 'Oh'
I want to start a network called 'FUCK YOU.' And have it just be back to back Golden Girls all day long :)
-J
My brother's wife did buy her dress too small. The trick is to search your extended family friends network for someone who knows how to alter dresses. Jessie lucked out, because my mom knows how to alter clothing and just altered the dress and sewed on some extra pearl bead detailing to match the original design.
Even if you only know an avid quilt maker. They will 90% of the time be able to help you not pay the ridiculous fees involved.
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