Did anyone else think saying "I'm on the smaller end of plus size" was a bit rude to those larger than her? Whether you agree that she is on the smaller end of plus size or not, it came across that she was *shock* not body confident and actually saying "I'm plus size, BUT ONLY JUST!".
but that's exactly the reason she makes such a huge deal out of the fact that she is - supposedly - a size 18! she uses the fact that she's plus size to lure in a plus sized audience, who follow her for her #plussizestyle hashtag, yet simultaneously, she ensures that everyone is aware - as often as possible - that she is a size 18 - even using the very specific #size18style to ensure that nobody ever makes the mistake of assuming she may be
above a size 18, because she clearly believes there is something inherently bad about that.
i have always thought that when she declares that she's a size 18 "...which is the smallest size classed as" plus sized" is the insinuated ending to that sentence. she's just never put it into words - until now! - but it's always been there, unspoken, with a kind of superior "and that makes me better than you!" attitude.
the way that babs states her clothes size at every possible opportunity - along with the way she endlessly writes posts letting the world know she was once a size 10 - shows that, despite her self-deemed" body confident role model" status, she is actually very insecure and her self worth is very much determined by her appearance and the number printed on the labels inside her clothes. she jumped on the "plus size fashion" bandwagon, because she was aware it would increase her audience, but she is self-conscious and insecure as
duck - hence the "tips to hide your gunt' etc - thus worried that if she simply labels herself as "plus sized", people may make the assumption that she is - *shock, horror* - a size 20 or 22 or 24 - and she cannot deal with that - even though she is also lying to herself.
she judges people by their size and appearance, and therefore assumes others will judge
her similarly.
and sure, people
do judge her, but the criticism is not about her size - it's about the
dishonesty about her size. how can she be so insensitive that she would overlook that fact that stating "i'm a size 18 - the lowest possible plus size!" could be hurtful? for a supposed "plus size fashion" influenza, her attitude towards plus sized individuals is disgusting - with many of her beliefs about weight, size and appearance very clearly rooted in fatphobia.
) they are raising the issue of peoples social media posts being mocked and shared by kids at school