How to feel bad about yourself in one easy step.

[cornerofmadness]

Go corset shopping. I hopefully start out googling plus-sized corsets. 2X, wow lovely ones and some that aren't 200$ (btw, that is my size or 22/24. Yes, I'm big but it gets worse). Turns out 2X in plus sized corset talk is TINY. As in Marilyn Monroe size 10 tiny (as plus sizes go). No, the biggest they make is a 6X. A fucking SIX X. And it says it's a 22/24 but when you measure it out it doesn't come close to fitting my waist size. It barely fits a 40" waist (that's NOT a 22/24 ladies and in comparison, my breasts should be an H cup.

Yes because 6X wasn't bad enough, you're going to insist I take an H cup. BTW those measurements don't work either. I know my cup size (sure as fuck isn't an H) and my bra size which is considerably larger than what they had listed out again 40" so I have no idea who/what they think these corsets are going on but it's not an actual plus sized female. And I KNOW there are women out there with corsets who are bigger than me. I don't think I can make one. My sewing skills are now bad and it's one of the activities that hurts my nerve damaged hand. I might, just might be able to take the one I have that's very old. add in panel and expand it maybe in the side where it would be less noticeable and recover it with a less horrid fabric. Suggestions?

And I WISH that were an April's Fool's joke but it's not. It's the sad truth. You know that feeling where you feel like you look like that fat ugly fun house mirror version of yourself then you tell yourself no one really looks like that. Well the corset makers are here to tell you that you DO look like that and maybe you should just wear a circus tent.

The day didn't start out well either. I actually went to bed early (for me, i.e. before 1 AM) and woke up at quarter to 3 in the morning with a super low sugar reading. That means getting up and eating sugar and protein until it levels. Because I want to be eating candy and hot dogs and/or peanut butter at 3 AM. I got about 4 hours sleep all day.

The only highlight of this day is at least I got some stuff written for my first day of Camp nano (i'll be back later with a word count)

Oh Arrow you become more unwatchable every episode. Sigh.


declutter day 337 item tossed-XP computer why kept-Mine before I upgraded why tossed -Why did I keep this? Still functional. Gave to my uncle now.

Comments

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

That sucks.

There must be some manufacturer that actually makes a nice corset that would actually fit a larger woman.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

You would think that but nothing I've googled comes close to fitting. We've rewritten the meaning of 2X and the size 22/24. You would think it exists. I mean look at fandom. I'm far from the only overweight lady out there.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

That's rather short sighted imo.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I agree but I see it all over the place. It's as if they expect all cosplayers to be Size 2.

I got into it with Hot Topics last fall. They had a huge influx of new anime shirts. I took my gamer girls. The girl who literally is 5'1' and barely 100 pounds took a 2X. I couldn't get my left tit into what SHOULD have been my size (i.e. that 2X) and I said what is this about?

'well little kids like anime too.' was their answer and that's about when I went off. I'm like then make a KIDS line. You don't take it away from the teens and adults who want it and frankly if you have a kid young enough to fit this shirt watching THIS anime, I'm calling someone's parenting skills into question (just because it's animated doesn't mean it's for kids and this anime definitely wasn't).

I told them and then wrote a letter (ignored) to their main office telling them what I felt about this and how much they lost in sales. From me, over 100$ because I was going to buy tons of them for the holidays and so were my gamer girls and just Ms Petite could fit them and they were tight on her. Imagine that a 2 X tight on a girl who weights 103 pounds.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

That's nuts. So unless your toothpick sized, you can't fit into anything?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

According to Hot Topics. The shirt I got ELD barely fit her and she's not particularly heavy. She did get one from them that was true to size for me but I swear it was a fluke.

It is nuts. It shows a complete lack of understanding and empathy for their target audience

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

I've seen that too (particularly at stores geared toward people in their 20s and younger, like hot topics). I love hot topics and would wear a lot of their stuff, but I would need to go back to 1982 to fit into any of it. Hot topics is just a big juniors department. Young people want everything skin-tight these days anyway. I've also seen those size problems at walmart in their juniors area. A "2X" the size of a man's small Tshirt. FEH!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yep that's it exactly. Yes hot topics is designed for the young BUT the young aren't as trim as they were in our day. They're icing out half the damn market

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

See if this has any good ones

http://www.corset-story.com/corsets/plus-size-corsets.html

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. This was one of the ones I looked at that's claiming a size 22 is a 40 inch waist. Seeing as I wear that and am bigger than 40 inches, it's like really?

I did like that pink one with the lace if it weren't PINK

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

I kinda liked the olive one... I've just never liked corsets. They are sexism with supportive spines

and it's hilarious that they have a size 20 as a 5x... A real 5X is sized in the 30s!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

You're looking at them with an old attitude really. They've long since become an empowerment symbol, sort of in the way a lot of derogatory slang has been adopted by the people it was directed at and given new meaning to. Men did not dictate the use of the corest in cosplay. Women embraced it, made it their own, sort of a fuck you, really.

But yes that last statement is exactly what I'm talking about. Now we have women being insulting to women.

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's an old attitude as much as it is physical impracticality, for me at least. Corsets make it hard to breathe, move, etc. I for one have no waist. Seriously. I am a cube. But I usually love cosplay and giving an FU to old ways and old attitudes.

Also I'm a size 18-20... so I hope you weren't thinking I was being insulting to women or to larger women?... That was not in there at all. I just found it funny because it is ridiculous size labeling (as you pointed out)

and I just had a truly murderous mammogram from a real squish'em flat man handler, which makes this even stranger... hopefully, I'm just blinded by soreness and reading your comment all wrong (I do that on occasion)

edited to correct *waist

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding here. there's the acrylic corset which most of these are and they are NOT binding at all. They are very easy to move in. It's like wearing a one-piece swimsuit. The steel-boned ones are for tightening and that is a particular fetish these days.

No, not at all in regards to the heaviness. It's my basic point, they have unrealistic sizing and THAT is the insulting thing. A true 6X is well above the 300 pound mark (probably closer to 400).

Ugh to the mammogram

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

ah, ok. good. I would have hated if I offended you. thankfully, it was just my soreness making me think everything was negative and bad (wounded animal syndrome?)

and I haven't played with an acrylic one. the last corset I put on was the real deal, an old one too, for a photo shoot. It was torture, but also kind of 'so this is how they would brace someone after they've broke a few ribs...'

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i think wounded animal syndrome applies to humans (speaking as so meone with chronic pain syndromes). I'm occasionally easily offended but not so much by a dissenting opinion.

Yeah, I'm not so much into grinding my insides against my ribs with the old ones.

I learned last night Think Geek's ladies clothes lines must be sized by the same assholes who do corsets

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

I've seen that too at think geek - and a lot of T places. Tight has definitely made a comeback, and now everything is teen teen teen :/

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes! I wanted the Star Trek pajamas but the 2X is 5 inches around LESS than what 2X normally fits. Bastards. And again, know your market. A lot of geeks aren't a size 2.

Oh and speaking of pain, something freaky just happened. I'm doing Osho's 21 day meditation challenge. I just looked up at the browser and the new meditation is open...but I'm NOT even in the email that has the link to that. And it's about conquering pain. I don't even know what to make of that.

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

the thinkgeekers should know that, but they have fallen into that trendy tight teen crap

and a lot of geeks are OLDER, and older = thicker (and WE have all the damn money, not the teens!)

and it knew my left boob needed some universal love STAT :)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes they have. I want that millenium falcon dress (okay on me a shirt because hello it barely comes to the top of the thigh and ain't NO ONE wants to see that one me)

boy no one seems to grasp that concept, the adults have the money NOT the teens. You would think that would be marketing 101.

snort. or my head. holy hell do I have a migraine

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

wait till you see my post from this morning... I am picturing spock in that scene with the rock creature, "paaaaiiiiin!...."

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

oh dear

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

I know that feeling about the corset. I'm about an 18/20 with a 44" chest & I can't find one that fits either. T.T and since I'm terribly short waited, I need an under-bust one & they're hard to find. I think they make them for girls who in a sense don't need them. XD

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I'm very long waisted so that's a problem too. I did see some underbust ones but yes it's like they're saying unless you are as perfect as the character you trying to cosplay, give up

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

We seem to be the forgotten ones. *sighs* Yeah? Exactly & that kinda sucks. >.>

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Forgotten or unwanted, I'm not sure which. Either way it sucks

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah... *sighs*

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

judging by the design, corset makers do not like women - they, apparently, enjoy torturing women. this may just be another aspect of that.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

there is that

[rahirah]

Blargh. Would it be worth the expense to have one custom fitted?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Honestly probably not since that would be well over 100$ for a prop for steampunk. Maybe with Mom's help I can do it

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

Sorry you're having so much trouble finding a corset. I looked to see if the people I got my overdress from had a website, but either they don't or I just never linked to it on my LJ. I doubt I still have their business card from a couple of years ago. My friend got a corset from them. I'll take a look and see if I can find it.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

It's kinda ridiculous really. Thanks. No big deal if you can't find it. I'll live.