J. Crew, You Disappoint Me

C’mon.  You knew I’d have something to say about J. Crew, right? 

The other day I was flipping through facebook when I noticed someone had posted that J. Crew is introducing a size 000 to their line of clothing.  This “news” is bad enough, but what really bugged me were the follow-up posts.  I expected some backlash about how making clothes smaller and smaller just perpetuates the adolescent myth of being fat.  But the comments I read were the opposite.   There were responses gushing over J. Crew’s FINALLY offering sizes that won’t gape at the waist.  

To me this an example of grown women, (who know better,) manipulating how other people view them; I am SO thin, I am actually THANKFUL that I will no longer have to float in clothing that the rest of you fatties consider normal-sized.  It is just as manipulative as an acquaintance of mine who once complained because Lily Pulitzer doesn’t carry as size 0 petite.  Guess what?  She doesn’t carry a size 16 either.  The comment was designed to be a dig, however, because we both know a woman who wears a size 16 does not look the same as a woman who wears a size 0 petite, but this aquaintance was gonna make damn sure I acknowledged it. 

I’m 40 years old and feeling a little bad about myself because I'm thinking about how “fat” I am, especially compared to a size 000 human being . . . imagine how pubescent girls are feeling.  Why is J. Crew willing to add an extra zero to its smallest size instead of adding some digits in the tens place on the other end?  Some of their clothes, (but not all,) go to a size 16.  Meanwhile, I’m shopping in stores that feature horizontal stripes and rhinestone skulls.  Seriously, when is the last time you saw a fluffy woman who wanted horizontal stripes, which only add to the illusion of wideness, and bedazzled floating heads?

Before anybody gets her tinsel in a tangle about the smaller woman’s issues with body image, let me remind you that I have NEVER blamed my voluptuousness on anyone but myself.  I like pizza and beer and donuts.  And lots of ‘em.  I’m a smart girl; I realize there’s a cause and effect factor working here. 

Just to keep things in perspective, however, let’s examine what 23 inches actually is.  You can’t convince me that a grown woman with a 23-inch waist is healthy.  I call bullshit.  I wore a size 0 for a span of approximately two weeks when I was 11 years old.  I didn’t feel bad about myself for moving up from size 0 to a 2 to a 4, etc. because I was a growing girl.  I know a lot of healthy, athletic, trim women, none of whom could squeeze into a size 000. 

Just so we’re all on the same page:

My 23” thigh:

My 11-year-old son’s 24” waist:

My 4-year-old son’s 23” hips:

J. Crew, do you still think it's "normal" for a healthy woman to be able to comfortably fit into 23" size 000 jeans?  I realize I'm just one shopper and that my opinion makes absolutely no difference to Big Retail, but I am disappointed that you would even market such clothing in a mainstream women's store as opposed to your children's line or a line for juniors.