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Obesity is not a common subject among fashion designers, and the models who strut the catwalks still look like a hearty meal would do them good. Yet, the reality is that the population of women who ultimately are the buyers of clothing are getting larger. At some point, the fashion world must take notice.

Obesity is an epidemic, that fact is plain for us all to see. Over half of the women in this country are overweight or obese. It is worse for middle-aged women. In this demographic close to 2/3 are overweight. Another quickly growing demographic is teenage girls. As a result there is a sharp increase in the demand for clothing plus size and larger.

While the fashion industry has not fully met the demand, plus size clothing is the fastest growing market sector for business. Consistently, fashion trends lag behind in the plus size market. Often these are merely scaled versions of clothing designed for skinny people rather than actually being designed with the plus-sized body in mind.

The response to this is size inflation. This is the term used by the industry observers. Simply put, a garment that used to be size 14 is now a size 10. Consumers do not address the real concerns while feeling smaller in size. Plus size fashion clothing as dissatisfied customers as a result.

There have been some changes that are encouraging in the plus size market. Recently a group of plus size clothing manufacturers has completed an exhaustive sizing study, more extensive than any since World War II, making newer designs a better fit for today’s woman. In fact, there are even some models and fashion shows that are now exclusive to plus sizes, though they are still in the minority in the industry.

The epidemic of obesity is running on showing no signs of decreasing. It actually appears as though it may be increasing, at least during the near future. The fashion industry is well aware that this trend is occurring and they are beginning to capitalize on the trend. Plus size clothing stores and fashions are no longer a niche market, but rather are quickly becoming the standard size for a large portion of today’s consumers. This new reality should, and will, quickly become reflected in high fashion, with plus size fashions being designed specifically for this market.

Andrea writes about Plus Size Clothing. Find plus size deals at Woman’s Plus Size Clothing Discounts

- Andrea Dilea