'Tis the season for muffin tops

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Jul 10th 2008 7:30AM

One writer over at College Candy says the season is ripe for muffin tops -- not the actual tops of actual muffins, but the excess skin that hangs over the tops of shorts, pants, and skirts when these items of clothing are just a tad too small. This problem, coined the One-Size-Too-Small Syndrome by said writer, affects lots of college-aged girls (one might argue it affects more than just college girls) and should not be mistaken for an overeating problem at all. It's clearly a size issue. You can be a size four and still have a muffin top. All it takes is a size two piece of clothing to cause this all-too-annoying problem.

This female writer from NYU knows what's it like: "I'm definitely not a tiny girl by any means, and I completely understand the battle with body image," she says. "I get a little unhappy anytime I have to purchase something in a large instead of a medium, but if the medium makes me look like a sausage trying to escape its skin, is it really worth wearing? Is it really going to look like you're a size medium to anyone but yourself? Of course not! I may groan when I have to reach for a size larger in that cute little dress or jeans but if it lays just right and fits as intended, so be it."

NYU girl draws from comments made by Stacy London of What Not to Wear when she makes these points: (1) The only person who sees the size of your clothing is you. (2) What matters is the look and if you can pull it off. (3) If you must go up a size to look like you can breathe (or to actually be able to breathe), then bite the bullet and do it.

I get it -- I'm all about feeling good in my clothes. And as for breathing: It's a must have for me. How about you?

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Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mary Weaver 7-10-2008 @ 10:25AM

You nailed it. It's a mystery to me why we women continue trying to force ourselves into clothes that don't fit. I want to cry when I see a nice-looking overweight 14-year-old who could look quite good in clothes a size or two larger--but who is convinced that tight is right. The result just accentuates the fat.
Thanks for a great blog. I've recently added it to my RSS reader.
Mary

Emma Leigh 7-10-2008 @ 12:58PM

I love watching Stacy London on What Not to Wear, although I almost always dislike what she is wearing. Does that even make sense?!

She often says "It's not the size, it's the fit." Meaning that size is irrelevant - how it looks on your body is what matters. Young women today squeeze themselves into tight clothes and it makes them look fat - and they aren't!

If you are that uptight with the size, cut the label out when you get home. I bet there are thousands of women out there that if they went up one size would look like they lost 15 pounds. Sounds weird, but it works.

jessica 7-10-2008 @ 2:08PM

Whenever I have biscuits, it's usually because the pants aren't cut right for my body. If I wear the "right" size, I get them. If I wear a size or two larger, I look like a street urchin that's grabbed whatever doesn't completely fall off. I've taken to buying pants larger and wearing a belt, but I think I'm going to start buying the smaller size and wearing them around the house to break them in to fit properly.

Low-rise pants aren't for everyone.