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Melissa McCarthy has spoken out about the term 'plus size' -- is it offensive?
PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
IS IT OKAY to use the term “plus size” anymore?
Actress Melissa McCarthy, who recently launched a new clothing line, has spoken of her distaste for the term and sparked a conversation about whether it’s acceptable to use anymore.
The actress was speaking to website Refinery29 about her new clothing line Seven7 when she spoke out about the term.
Furthermore, she criticised the placement of “plus size” clothes in shops.
McCarthy is far from the first person to criticise the term “plus size,” which typically refers to sizes 16 and up in the UK and Ireland.
Earlier this year, Australian model Stefania Ferrario posted a selfie on Instagram and called on the fashion industry to stop referring to her a “plus size model”.
stefania_model stefania_model
She has since lent her support to Drop The Plus, an organisation that seeks to eradicate the term altogether.
Drop The Plus argues that the term is outdated and implies that certain sizes are not “normal”.
And it seems that many agree that the term can lead to women being made feel like they are somehow “other” or “abnormal”.
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Others, however, have stated that the whole thing is much ado about nothing.
For example, Pratik Naik, a retoucher who works in the fashion industry, defended the term on Facebook and stated that it was merely an industry term.
Meanwhile, Marie Southard Ospina of Bustle has also defended the term and states that it is preferable to terms like “curvy”.
AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Arguments aside, Melissa McCarthy has been widely praised for addressing the issue and creating clothes for women who feel underserved by the fashion industry.
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Good going, Melissa.
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