Pants Part Two
For the second weekend in a row, the pants saga continued. I decided to visit a less “trendy” store to see if I could find something acceptable to wear on the lower half of my body.
We went to Apita, a large department store near Aaron’s work. At first, it seemed as if we were going to be more successful. The clothes were more reasonably priced, and I managed to find a few things that were close to fitting in the regular section of the store. Things were looking promising.
Then, I crossed the aisle and found a ton of garments in sizes larger than 73cm, which is the largest size, typically, available in the regular sections of most stores. Jackpot!
However, even when I tried on the larger sized pants, I still got the same result. The thighs were too tight, to the point of restricting movement. The ass area left very little to the imagination. And, the waist sat so high the pants could have almost doubled as a bra. When I got another size larger, the waist would be saggy, but the pants would still stay up because they were adhered to my thighs with such incredible force.
I tried on about a dozen pairs before I abandoned the idea altogether, and started looking at skirts. Yes, a couple of skirts did fit. But nothing was flattering. Nothing made me feel good about myself, which is really a shame when I have lost so much weight that I should, definitely, be feeling good about myself.
And then, when I read the signs and tags in the area where I was shopping my ego was seriously hurt.
That one says “okina saizu,” which means big size.
And all the tags said, “Elplus.” I mean, seriously, I can’t even fit into Japanese plus-size apparel. That is really depressing.
Needless to say, I left the store empty handed, at least as far as pants and skirts were concerned. And I am not going to lie, there were a few tears shed. As pathetic as it may seem, this whole situation is really starting to give me a complex.
Congratulations on getting your weight back to your wedding day weight. I think that is a real accomplishment. I know from experience that it is tough to lose weight, and others struggle with weight loss far more than me. Your weigh loss is also almost certainly good for your health. Unfortunately, it is also a real challenge to hold weight off, so I wish you equal success in that effort.
Your saga of pant shopping in Japan shows the homogeneity of the Japanese population. They are almost always tiny, and we, more typically, are not. They are different, so it does not make sense to judge ourselves by their standards. Furthermore, as it doesn’t help us to get down on ourselves, negatively judging ourselves would not even make sense if we were a Japanese person wearing a large size.
Bottom line: Celebrate your accomplishment! I think it is great! Order the smaller pants you now need due to your weight loss success from America.
Dad
My friend had the same clothes problem there and she was a size 6, even if you find something you can get into there’s a pretty good chance it still won’t actually fit correctly (this also happens if you shop at the Old Navy on State St…) I think your best bet is to find a tailor, it would probably be easier than making your own clothes anyway…
Thank you Eric for your comment and kind words.
I know that what I am feeling is totally irrational. It does not make sense to measure myself by Japanese standards. They have such a different body type and style. One that I could never come close to, no matter how much weight I have lost.
That night, after I got home from the shopping experience, I placed an order online. With luck, they should arrive in the next week or two. And, with even more luck, they will actually fit!!
Yeah, I know I am not alone in the clothing dilemmas. Seems to be a pretty common problem for foreigners. Most of the JETs that I know that go home to visit during their year or two here do an awful lot of clothes shopping while they are there. Now I know why.
I was particularly surprised to find that the sizing is different in different stores or countries. I was totally shocked that I couldn’t fit into anything at the Gap in Japan, where I had no problems shopping when I was in america. Strange!
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