Bare Plus by Bare Necessities Debuts at Fashion Week

Fashion Week. The mere mention of those two words can get the most composed fashionista jumping around like a little kid in a candy store.

This year fashionistas of all shapes and sizes could celebrate the joy of new looks and styles. The curvy shopper had their moment this year. Bare Plus, a plus-size lingerie shop brought to you by Bare Necessities, had it's runway debut in the middle of Fashion Week.

Long overlooked by media, plus-size fashion is beginning to have it's day in the sun. Often seen as a minority in the fashion world, the plus-size shopper is not.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 33% of American women are considered overweight or obese. Not taking into consideration economic and racial diversities, the average woman is a size 14 and up not the size 0 to 6 shown by media.

Jay Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer for Bare Plus says, "They are no longer the minority. You would never know that by looking at media, advertising and entertainment, but they really are the majority." This is something many of us have known for quite some time. And finally people are beginning to notice.

Maryellen Kernaghan, a 53-year old blogger who has been working as a plus-size model for years says, "Plus-size fashion has been the step-child of Fashion Week and of fashion in general for just too long." "A plus-size woman, just like any other woman, wants to feel great. And lingerie really does support a woman in more ways than one."

Bare Plus will be a part of the Curvy Fashion Show at the next New York Fashion Week in September. I for one will be looking forward to seeing that.

As plus-size fashion grows in awareness we hope that body image and acceptance changes. In this bloggers opinion body size and health are individual. No two people are alike and not all women can fit into mainstream fashion and mainstream media's mold of what they consider as beauty.

Crystal Renn's Body Debate

After the release of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition featuring former plus-size model Crystal Renn, the now size 6 or 8 model is receiving criticism over her new slimmer body. The once size 16 model has attributed her recent weight loss to a break up and exercise.

As the author of Hungry, Crystal Renn tells her tale of battling anorexia and bulimia. Becoming frustrated at trying to remain a size zero, she embraced her body and became an icon in the plus-size community.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her experience doing the SI shoot she says, "I felt comfortable with my body. I have found a place of stability when it comes to how to view my figure."

Some in the plus-size community have shown some animosity toward the supposed betrayal Ms. Renn has shown by losing weight.

Plus Model Mag's Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones is quoted as saying in this Radar Online interview, "You don't lose that much weight doing yoga and hiking! You have to put a lot of effort to go from a 14 to a size 6. We're not that stupid, we know how hard it is to lose weight and she insulted our intelligence."

Madeline is also quoted as saying, "Everyone rallied around her and now she's turned against us." "We have been betrayed by her." Rather harsh words for someone who was once the poster child for body acceptance.

Can we truly afford to ostracize our own? Crystal Renn has made a personal choice that we should support even if she has 'gone to the other side'. The social stigma of being plus-size is hard enough to battle without excommunicating our former members.

If Ms. Renn is suffering from her former ailments the last thing we should do is push her away from the community that accepted her when the rest of the world didn't. Let us be better than those that have ostracized us.

We should stand behind Crystal as one of our own. And congratulate her on her success at such a young age. Not as someone that has turned to the 'dark side'.

Full Figured Fashion Week 2012

For the 4th year, Full Figured Fashion Week FFF is coming up. Registration begins now. The search goes out for Designers, Models, Volunteers and Vendors. Register here to be part of the great events.

FFF Week is brought to you by Gwen DeVoe. CEO of DeVoe Signature Events, Creator and Executive Producer of FFF Week.

Full Figured Fashion Week is the premier event featuring everything in Plus-size fashion. Born from the neglect by mainstream fashion, FFF Week allows the plus-size fashion community shine. And shine it does. The past years have been fabulous and we have no doubt that this years event will even more so.

Media's Impact on Body Image

Sue Thomason, Beautiful magazine editor, author and body image campaigner, talked before a Parliamentary Inquiry in the UK into the Causes and Consequences of Body Image Anxiety. In this article from the Huffington Post she discusses her experience at the hearing.

It's disturbing to find that some in media do not wish to admit that they play a part in how their readers view themselves and Sue confronts it head on.

Check out the Campaign For Body Confidence Here.