Hi Vansters,

I feel like I’ve been neglecting this blog due to my business coaching and consultancy company, Ignite the Screen, and wonderfully managing to get clients before the site was even launched. Things are going at a nice pace there now although I’m still very busy with it having just put out a brand new free guide which talks about customizing Facebook pages for business. If you’ve got your own business please feel free to download it.

Due to me being busy there have been no fit posts which is a shame but unfortunately they do take up quite a bit of time to compose and I’ve kind of made the decision to pull back from doing them because they took up a lot of time I needed to dedicate to my business.

But I wanted to use this post to answer a question by the beautiful, fashionable business woman  Monif C as well as share with you some ASOS related news.

This is a long post so please don’t speed read.

Monif said

Hi Vanessa, hope you are doing good…drop a line in the ASOS Curve folks ear that they should consider carrying some of the designer plus size labels on their site similar to how they do with the str8 size lines. I think Monif C., Anna Scholz, Svoboda and the like would be great on the site! Read your blog the other day, keep up the good work!

I wanted to spend some time thinking of a response. It is not the official response; it is my personal response which is very much constructed from observation. So please remember than as you read on.

Having been with Curve for nearly six months I can say it is still a very small subsidiary of the ASOS brand. It may seem big (pardon the pun) to many in the full figured fashion world but it by no means takes the amount of money its mainline does. That is just a simple fact. Curve was only ever meant to give fuller figured women the option of having select core line styles in the sizes of 20-26 (UK) and over time it’s managed to stick in a few exclusives which aren’t on core.

It’s not like Simply Be or Evans; these companies are solely set up for the full figured fashion market. Curve is classed like maternity or petite, so as a business at this point it would not serve ASOS to bring in new full figured lines as Monif has suggested. Not at this point.

This may not seem fair but from a business perspective it makes sense to leverage their own brand first before they even think of bringing in new lines.

But there is also a flip side which no one really likes to talk about but being as it’s me writing this (and not a cookie cutter PR) I’ll just go ahead and say it.

Have you ever wondered why Curve (at time of writing) is never featured in Asos magazine? Have you wondered why there isn’t a huge amount of press around ASOS Curve in mainstream media? It’s not that team don’t want this – it’s in my view because the hierarchy that runs ASOS don’t seem ready to want to put full figure out there as a main marketing niche. They market to ‘straight’ size young fashionables.

This used to make me quite angry but really from a PR perspective I can see why a predominantly ‘slim’ niche clothing company would be hesitant to show full figure women anywhere on their site. This is why I believe you will never see size 20 models on Curve.

The knee jerk reaction would be to claim ASOS don’t like fat people. That is rubbish. I know this because I’ve never worked in a place I’ve had so much love and respect from my peers as I do at ASOS. They are very dedicated and focused to giving you good clothes.

The simple fact is, in my view, they (the puppet masters at ASOS) don’t understand the power of the full figured market on a global scale, yet. Their image is slim pretty young women, not fat pretty women and therein lies the difference between ASOS and a company such as Simply Be or Lane Bryant.

It’s like asking Porsche to promote a style that looks like a Jaguar. Both are beautiful cars but each have a specific look and target market and while Porche may incorporate some Jaguar features you will always have a Porsche looking like a Porsche. I hope that makes some sort of sense?

This is exactly what ASOS do, they take elements from main line but never go all out with changing the way they brand and promote on the whole.

Why is this? It’s because the UK (where ASOS is based) have not yet caught up with the US. The UK is a very small country and we are surrounded by magazines that simply want to show off ‘slim, slim’ and more ‘slim.’  Occasionally we have a flush of  plus love but it is more to do with trending rather than a constant perspective.

Summer is the worst time to be a fat Gal in the UK. Its ‘summer diet’ and ‘that bikini look’ overload. Not many of us can say in the UK that we are not affected by the media. Even me – for the first time in my fat adult life it has got to me this year. I mean terribly. I’ll explain more, further down.

Is it any wonder that a company that is based in this small ‘slim loving’ country targets the customers with the most sway? Not at all. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of big people in the UK but its not anything like the US.

As you can see this was too long for a Facebook note but I’m very happy Monif brought it up. J

Never Say Never

Looking forward and with Curve’s continuing success you may find the size range expanded. You may ever find it expands to other items like shoes or possibly maternity. But that’s in the future and all we can do is to continue to support Curve and its team.

They really adore making these clothes for you. They don’t see why fat Gals shouldn’t look high fashion. They are pretty particular bunch of people who will not hesitate to demand several fits if an inside leg is not correct or the bust dart is one cm too far over from what it should be.

There have been things I’ve really loved but they’ve been cancelled because the team are not getting them perfect. Of course it’s a very true fit line and also one based on my shape (not all look like me LOL and you’ll note that if you’ve followed Curve from the beginning then the previous fit model was a slightly different shape to me) but surface to say they aim to please the majority. Judging by the activity on the Curve Facebook group they are pleasing a lot of people. I love them a lot.

But it’s Time to Say Goodbye to Curve

My friends, it is with a heavy heart I tell you that I will be leaving Curve soon. Plus my contract with my agency comes to an end next year. It has been an amazing journey with this team and with this brand and it’s with eyes filled with tears I write this. If I seem dramatic then it’s because it has been truly amazing. This was not an easy decision to make because those two days a week in fit sessions make me so happy. However on the whole I am not happy within myself or in my skin.

That’s right one of your poster girls is not happy. But we’ve been through this before right? You know I made a conscious effort to lose weight and get in shape last year. I dropped two dress sizes and then Curve came and I was excited but in hindsight I didn’t think it through. I didn’t think what a heavy strain on my mind it would be to never be able to change whilst in this job. Of course it makes sense I wouldn’t be a size 14 but in my mind I never thought as time went on I would get out of shape by doing this job. And I have.

I never realised that if a first time garment came in that was simply not cut right I’d have to go through the mind hell of thinking I had failed to comply with what has been asked of me. Every month (you know the time Gals) I bloat terribly. This can often cause me to gain a few cm on my stomach but reduce around my waist. This is bizarre and obviously the team are great with taking this into account but it’s still a head screw for me.

For the past few months I’ve found it very difficult to handle the fact I must stay the exact same size. Plus I’ve had to watch a family member very close to me gain and gain and now struggle to move. This person is active but as the years go by they are finding it harder and harder to lose the excess and keep active.

This could be me in 10 years time and I don’t want that. As I mentioned summer makes it worse because their is an overload of slim everything. Mostly for vanity and not really due to long term health. But still if you spend four hours a week looking in a mirror (as I have to in fit session) whilst also being in a place where super slim models are the norm to see walking the corridors you can see that plays some head games. Of course I wouldn’t feel so bad surrounded by people that looked like me as the norm.

I’m not saying I’m ugly – I’m just saying I don’t feel fantastic anymore. Not like I once did.

I like curves a lot. I don’t want to be a size 8 or even 10. My goal is to be back to a 14 (uk)

In the ‘Community’

This could be seen as conceding defeat against the machine of ‘slim is beautiful.’ I feel it’s just a personal decision of doing what I want with my body; just like you wish to be accepted for being fat (if you are). I think the bottom line is I don’t want to end up like the family member I speak of. I’m 35 nearly 36 and it’s time to make a huge life change and not be distracted by anything else.

You notice we are not all equal as plus either. In modelling I can never be booked for anything that showcases fashion. I’m stuck behind the scenes of fashion. I’ll leave you to ponder how that makes me feel.

I’ve had a good run as fat woman in the community who is known for many things, but in order for me to have more energy etc I need to make these drastic changes.

For the record I think ‘health at any size’ is a very misleading statement and we’d do well to define it better. You may not like hearing that but it’s true. I once was one of those people who said that, so I am guilty but over the last few months my eyes have been opened (once again.)

I always said I didn’t want to grow really old so screw it – let me stay fat. But over time and with the possibilities my new business has thrown up I realise I want long term health and I just want to walk into a store again and pick up a size 12/14 (UK).

I’ll never bash anyone who wants to stay as they are. That’s their choice.

To Evolve and Inspire

What’s so scary about this is that there are thousands of women who read my blog every month and love what I do but what’s scarier are the ones that have written to me when I was losing weight and said they wished they could do the same but feel that they would not be accepted if they did.

Ladies this is BS and we need to stop it. I cannot stress enough how deeply angered I am at the way some of you behave if someone is not ‘the right size.’ It throws the whole size acceptance thing out of the window. How can you expect to be accepted when you won’t accept others for their choices? If a slim woman wants to make and sell full figured clothes who are you to discredit her goal? That is just one example of what I’ve witnessed over the years.

There are ladies out there in the BBW community for instance who are hailed as goddesses and paid to be fat. But don’t believe the hype people. Many of them eventually resent it. Yep it’s money in the bank for them but when the party is over and they struggle to lose the weight they find it difficult and they also find it difficult to stay within the community they have built friendships in because of their new slimmer size.

This is not bitterness talking its fact and truth and if you read my blog you’ll know I give it in spades.

I will evolve and maybe I will inspire some along the way.

Looking Forward

So I just want to let you know that I will still be with Curve until they find a new fit model. Beyond that I will still be in contact with the team. As one team member has said, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to replace you?’ She wasn’t talking about the size issue she was talking about the connection I’ve helped make between lovers of the range, bloggers and the brand.

I have tried my very best to let you enjoy this journey with me and to understand how the process of making these clothes happens. I think I’ve done more than the PR team at ASOS have. I’m proud of that and I’m proud of each and every blogger who’s shared their pictures and write ups about the clothes.

Please don’t stop enjoying the range. The Facebook group will stay open so you can share things and let the team know how you feel and of course I will pop in and let you know if there is anything exciting happening if the team let me know.

The word on the ASOS street is they are reading blogs avidly with a view to having a Blogger’s day. It’s a rumour I hope comes true. The A/W collection is slowly coming in for fit and I’m just like WOW. Of course most of it I’ll be able to enjoy because these garments are coming to main line – but there are a few exclusives so enjoy them. And note, Curvettes that looking forward these exclusives and some other garments will be limited for exclusivity so don’t rely on them going in sale! J

I’m going to enjoy my new journey as a business coaching consultant (and occasional MUA) as well as keep this blog going with life, fashion and beauty news. And of course I’ll be updating you on my progression in weight loss and a healthier lifestyle for me. I may have to get the amazing Debra Mazda on board for some pep talks! J

Thank you to those who continue to support me and my life choices. My new mascot as you may have noticed by visiting my coaching site is a butterfly. I’ll leave you to ponder why it is so significant to me and my life path.

Be Happy,

V x

P.S I will let you all know when I’ve officially stopped being Curve’s fit model.

Find me here: facebook/ignitethescreen

New email vanessareece (at) gmail.com (please use this from now on and if you’ve sent me mail I have not replied to please send it again to this new address)

Fashion Picture courtesy of Asos.com