A recent study was published that said that 66% of the American population is clinically obese.  Two-thirds of the people in America are overweight!  Thats a staggering number, and makes me want to better myself by hitting the gym.  What are the top plus size states?  Here they are:

1.  Mississippi
2.  West Virginia
3.  Alabama
4.  Tennessee

All of these states had obesity rates of over 30% with Mississippi's being 32.5%.  37 states saw in increase in obesity, while only 13 stayed the same (and plus size women's clothing is down 13%, hmm, odd).  Colorado seems to be the most fit state, with an18.9% obesity rate.

This is an eye opener.  It's no longer a wonder that the number one killer in America is heart disease.  We need to all hit the gym and eat healthier.  Knowing this, I am going to start going to the gym again and watching my diet.  My new routine:  Cardio 5 dys a week and cutting my meal portions in half.  I am not going to be another statistic, wish me luck!

Girdles can be amazing.  Although exercising is better,girdles can be the quick fix that we all need from time to time.  They flatten, smoother, hide, tuck, and define our bodies.  They can make us feel confident and slim.

The term girdle is a little outdated.  They are now being referred to as body shapers, or shape wear, or Cellulite Smoothers.  No matter what they are called they do the job.  They are restrictive which is the point, but they can also be restrictive to a fault, complicating mobility, flexibility, and in some cases respiration.  Centuries ago, women used to turn to Cosette's, which over time, manipulated the rib cage and permanently shrunk the waist, hurting internal organs.  This can still occur with girdles and body shapers, if not selected correctly.

Choose styles that aren't bulky or that involved clasps, those will be more trouble than they are worth.  They should be tight enough too smoothen, but not tight enough to compress.  They should feel like plus size bike shorts, for the upper body and torso.

Overall, I am all in favor of the girdle, and relay on them when slipping into my sexy black dress.  I encourage every woman of every size to implore them, at least for the smoothening benefits.

I came across an article with this picture on Glamour's website.  This one photo garnered the magazine publication hundreds of letters and emails.  Women were applauding the magazine for including a picture of a "real woman." 

One reader gushed:

""the most amazing photograph I've ever seen in any women's magazine,"

While another subscriber added:

"This beautiful woman has a real stomach and did I even see a few stretch marks? This is how my belly looks after giving birth to my two amazing kids! This photo made me want to shout from the rooftops."

Women were reacting to the fact that a "glamour" magazine was finally brave enough to show a real woman with curves and a stomach.  Readers were finally able to see themselves in the magazine, someone who would wear plus size clothing for women, and eat normal meals.

The woman in the photo is Lizzi Miller, a size 12-14 plus size model who had previously struggled with her body size and image.  She was self conscious, and did not feel comfortable in her own skin.  She changed herself, not physically, but mentally.  She began to love her body and realized that what was sexy, was not having a perfect stomach, but having the confidence of someone that does.  Lizzi admits to tearing up when reading her new fan's emails and letters, adding:

"When I read them I got teary-eyed!"..."I've been that girl, flipping through magazines trying to find just one person who looked a little bit like me. And when I didn't find it I would start to think there's something wrong with the way that I looked. When J. Lo and Beyoncé came out and were making curves sexy, I started to accept myself more. It's funny, but just seeing them look and feel sexy enabled me to do the same."

It is always inspiring to know that there are plus size women that fall under the sexy category.  Take Sara Ramirez, the Grey's Anatomy star, at a size 12 she is drop dead gorgeous.  Sure, in the fashion world she may be considered a plus size woman but in the real world she is quite....average.

Sara doesn't let her plus size women's clothing wear her, she wears it.  Sara showed the world how sexy she is at the 2008 New York Fashion Week's catwalk.  Strutting her curvaceous body down the catwalk in the Angel Sanchez gown designed especially for "The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection", a fashion show to help raise the awareness of women's heart disease.  

When she stepped out on that catwalk she took a stand against what the media considers sexy.  Her grace and elegance showed as she wowed the crowd that day.  She wore the skin tight gown, her face glowing with pride.  The Angel Sanchez design was later auctioned off as a piece to charity. 

It was a day I will never forget, the first time I felt proud of the plus size clothes in my closet.  Sara made a statement then, and she still makes it today, standing up for us all.  No matter what your size you are still a woman.  With all the curves that make you who you are, a beautiful, sexy, real woman.  The only person that can label you is yourself.  If you have pride in yourself it is going to show no matter what size you wear. 

So, this Christmas season as you attend all the holiday parties, don't just wear your gown because it is a formal event.  Wear it because you know how good it looks on you, and how beautiful it makes you feel.  Wear it to show everyone that just like Sara Ramirez, you are proud of who you are and the clothes you wear don't define you, you define them. 

The Economist wrote an article this past June about the decline in plus size women's clothing sales.  The article was quiet bias and the diction was poor, their first offense was to call "plus size women" "overweight women."  The Economist goes on to write that plus size women's clothing sales are down 8% while "regular size women's clothes"  has only declined by 2%.  Their reasoning behind this is that plus size clothing is more expensive to make, "overweight" women earn less than "regular size women," and that larger women tend to be homemakers who will "sacrifice their own spending for their families, especially now”.  The real zinger is the part in which they say that "perhaps heftier women have decided to make fashion less of a priority."  Disgusting!

The irony comes from the fact that the "regular woman" is plus size in terms of the numbers on the tag.  The average woman is a size 14, and the common thought is that plus size clothing is size 10 and above.  Also, one of richest people, and woman, in the world is plus size, Oprah!  Our size does not affect our intellect and manufacturers need to stop thinking that they are doing plus size women a favor by making plus size clothing, instead they are missing out on billions.

If you're not seething by now, read this quote from a plus size expert:

"They’re really bargain shoppers," says Catherine Schuller, a plus-size expert and former editor at Mode, a magazine for larger women. “Many are homemakers who can’t spend considerable amounts on clothes and are willing to sacrifice their own spending for their families, especially now”.