Tuesday, May 18, 2010

You Know This Is a Plus-Size Store, Right?

Talk about a non-scale victory:

On Friday after work, I stopped by Avenue, a plus-size store, to pick up some skirts for work. Even now, over a year after my surgery, I'm still wearing sizes 14 and 16 in skirts, even though I wear sizes 6 and 8 in tops. (I could definitely use a lower body lift.) Anyway, I went to Avenue because one of my favorite work skirts that I've been wearing since September came from there.

The store was quite empty for a Friday afternoon, so the employees were antsy and looking for customers to chat up. I hate salespeople interjecting themselves into my shopping, so I tried to avoid the oddly thin woman sauntering around the sales floor. I was unsuccessful.

Saleswoman: Hey, what can I help you find today?
Me: Umm...well. Umm, where are your skirts? (She takes me to the professional-style skirts.)
Saleswoman: (invasively looking me up and down) What size do you wear, darlin'?
Me: (awkwardly, in disbelief she's asking me such personal questions) Uhhhhhhhhh... I don't really know...?
Saleswoman: (brusquely) 'Cause you know, this is all plus sizes [sic] in here.
Me: (speechless, thinking "OMG, did she just tell me I can't shop here?").

She chatted with me a bit longer about charge cards or some other nonsense, but after she walked away, I slipped out of the store, laughing aloud. This was hilarious, especially since I was wearing a Size 18 skirt at the time (admittedly, a touch too big.)

I've felt like such an imposter in regular stores the past several months. I've even worried that a salesperson is going to walk up to me and straightforwardly tell me I don't belong there. Even now, when salespeople aren't friendly, I assume it's because they think I'm too fat for their store.

Lo and behold, when a salesperson finally confronts me about shopping in the right place, it happens at a plus-size store. To paraphrase The Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip RNY is!

This encounter lifted my spirits a lot at a time when I really needed it. I've been so frustrated with the stagnation of my weight loss, and I've felt so fat because I seem to be unable to shrink my thighs and midsection. Maybe my remaining concentrated bulk is a little less obvious than I thought?

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