Yesterday I posted this ad on Craigslist:
Fit model needed for startup ladies’ shirt line.
Height: 5’4″ – 5’6″
Waist: 28.5″ – 30″
Hips: 38.5-42″
Bra Cup Size: D (no other bra cup sizes accepted at this time)
In addition to some promising responses, I received this email from a woman named Megan at 5:36 this morning:
This is descrimination! Do you honestly think you are going to find a “fit” women 5′ 5″ tall with a 28″ waist and breasts the size of cantelopes?! You are looking for a girl named Barbie then. Your ad makes me sick. I don’t even know you and I’m incredibly disgusted.
It took me a while to realize that Megan has no idea what the “fit” in “fit model” means, and perhaps some of my readers don’t either. A fit model is hired to have a clothing design fitted to her because she has the dimensions of one of the designer’s target customers. It has nothing to do with being physically fit.
Even if “fit” had Megan’s meaning, of course there are physically fit women out there with breasts the size of cantaloupes and larger! I resent Megan’s assumption that a large-breasted woman must be overweight. We all know that breast size has more to do with heredity than weight, and nothing to do with fitness. Granted, Megan could have reached her conclusion based upon all the full-breasted women in the world who must wear baggy tops to cover their breasts but end up hiding their waists. My shirts will remedy that.
I’ve decided not to respond to Megan . . . yet. When I do, I’ll probably send her a link to this blog entry. What comments would you like her to find here?
Hi Megan. I write this knowing that you will probably never see it, but I think someone else might find this helpful even if you don’t read it.
I would have been an perfect fit model for Darlene, with two exceptions. One, I don’t live anywhere near her, and two, my cup size is an F, also known as DDDD. Please understand, this just means that my bust measurement is 7 inches larger than my ribcage. I don’t look anything like Barbie, I promise! In fact, my personal breast insecurity lies in the fact that I feel like my breasts are too SMALL.
If I wear anything that isn’t closely fitted, like a garden-variety polo shirt, I look totally flat chested. Walking by me on the street, you would probably guess that I was a B or C cup. If I walked into a Victoria’s Secret, they would hand me C-cupped bras. I’m so sorry that you are a victim of the American misconception that D cups are huge. I’m not a blogger, but I try to change this misconception in small ways, like talking to family and friends, and hopefully anyone who reads this post.