This is a safe space for the fashionable men who don't fit into the mass media's image of the "ideal" body type. CGS is dedicated to bringing savvy tips, fashion advice, and sending a signal boost to the fashion industry for an underrepresented demographic.
In this episode of Chubby Guy Swag TV, I discussed healthiness. Someone sent in a message to our inbox regarding our lack of addressing healthy behaviors on the blog and I felt like it was too important to put on the back burner. So I was compelled to make a video.
Melissa McCarthy, Rex Reed, and Fat Shaming is Absolutely Not Okay.
This video isn’t part of the CGS YouTube channel - it’s from my personal vlog - but I think the message is pretty universal. Hollywood has some pretty distorted views about bodies and sometimes this silly obsession with the “ideal” becomes so absurd that someone in the biz oversteps their boundaries.
Watch as I analyze the most recent misstep in the film industry and try to make sense of it all.
One week left to submit something for PEACH magazine! My body positive design project for college! It would be a huge help to me if you could submit something!
A huge part of CGS is the fact that this community was founded on the principles of body positivity and body acceptance. This is an opportunity to raise awareness and to educate in addition to helping out Tara O’Brien who is a very bright artist and an extremely vocal supporter of body positivity.
Abigail and I also love her work so we obviously would love to see her succeed.
Therefore, in the spirit of lending out a helping hand, submit to Tara’s project. She has guidelines on her page.
First of all, I’m really glad that this Tumblr is around. I love to see other fat guys looking absolutely kick-ass and it’s given me a lot of inspiration.
I’m really nervous about adding myself to their ranks but I figured I have nothing to lose except what little dignity I have left, so here we go!
Although this is primarily a fashion blog I think it’s important to address other issues in everyday life too. This week on my dashboard I’ve seen ‘fat sex’ and ‘fat dating’ brought up a lot.
When it comes down to it, you have to love yourself and your body before you can love anyone else or share yourself with someone. Doesn’t matter how you look or what size you are, insecurity can break up the most loving of relationships. I know from personal experience. There is nothing worse than having the person you love hate himself (or herself). It’s insulting and impossible to watch them go through that psychological warfare. There is no magic sex position for fat people. If it feels good for you, it probably feels good for every type of body. That’s just how sex positions work, it’s no secret. If you’re distracted by your insecurities and can’t commit 100% of your focus to someone in either situation, then you’re just not being fair. There is no way around that.
Guys we LOVE that you’re spreading the word on the petition but signing it takes the same amount of time as reblogging it so pleasebe sure to do that as well. We need 1,764 more signatures before presenting it to Torrid! Lets do this!
Hey everyone, just wanted to give a bit of a life update.
My sister became very ill during her pregnancy which ended up requiring her to have an emergency c-section this past Friday. I started a new job on Monday so, when I’m not working I am focused on helping take care of her and my nephew as she heals and gets used to motherhood. Thankfully she’s finally home and I don’t have go back and forth between home, work, and the hospital. I am still very focused on and dedicated to CGS, but life has kind of thrown me through a loop and my brain is a little fried. I wanted to apologize for slacking and not providing enough content for the site. As always, if anyone comes across anything interesting relating to the site send it this way! Also SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT! A big part of Chubby Guy Swag are submissions! Show us your summer style and tell us where you find fashionable clothing.
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting the Torrid petition! Please continue to spread the word. We currently have 210 signatures and we require 2,000 in order to present it to Torrid. From the Torrid petition we move onto other companies who already sell women’s plus size clothing. And then from there we’ll petition for plus size clothing from store’s that don’t sell any. If you’re thinking of any company in particular, let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
I would like to give my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you who has made this blog a joy to run. It’s been almost a year since I started this blog and, as we have seen, there are men out there who are plus size and fierce. Let’s face it: for a blog called Chubby Guy Swag, we have had chubby guys with swag in spades.
I am proud of the community that is growing on this small blog and of all the support for this particular niche in our culture. Male body image, I feel, isn’t always touched upon and plus size bodies in general are an unfortunate disparity and through blogs like this one, I think our generation is taking strides in the right direction.
In the coming months, myself and Abigail are planning on moving forward with petitions (like the one for Torrid) and other CGS related outlets for the community. It’s going to take a lot of work and patience, but I hope that over time it serves fruitful and ushers forward a more immersive experience. Expect more in the future.
As always, I am humbled by how everyone has embraced CGS and I am more than thrilled to be the founder of this blog. Thank you and keep it classy.
Zach
P.S. I know we’ve been running it through the ground and that some of you have very distinct feelings about Torrid, but please sign the petition. Even if you disagree with their practices or you debate whether or not they’re worth the effort, it would be appreciated. This could be a huge step for the plus size men’s fashion industry at large.
forrestbondurant asked:
Hey I think the petition is a great idea, but I was curious as to why it's Torrid that we're contacting?
Good question! Zach and I both decided that we would start one company at a time. Torrid has been an incredible help in women’s plus size fashion. The store is also made to appeal to a more fashionable crowd, unlike The Avenue or Lane Bryant who essentially aim to sell clothing for older women. All other companies have started selling plus size clothing lines because of Torrid having paved the way and shown what a success and good investment plus size clothing is. If they also pave the way for men’s plus size clothing then who knows, we might not need to make more petitions. Companies may just follow suit as they did the last time.
Most companies don’t cut their clothing from exact sizes, they just add extra fabric. Hence why people often purchase from a plus size line and the fit ends up being totally wrong. Torrid actually makes clothing for exact sizes, 12-26. Forever 21 has taken notice of this and just begun to correct the way they manufacture their clothing.
Torrid is a fairly new company, we can see them being the most enthusiastic about jumping on this opportunity and getting more out of their business. Especially if it’s something their customers are asking for. They’ve been very good about being aware of who their customers are, and listening to what they want since day one.
All of these things considered, it seems Torrid is the best place to start.
Went into a Torrid store today to ask employees about how I can directly contact headquarters. They were really helpful and really psyched about the petition. They explained that so many transgender people come into the store looking for plus size men’s clothing. And men themselves asking if they had clothing online or a separate store just for them. So glad to hear that people are going out and asking for it, making employees aware. We need 2,000 signatures before presenting the petition to torrid so please sign and reblog! Thank you so much to those of you who have done so already!
“I’m setting up a plus sized vintage shop for both guys and girls! I’m a qualified photographer, so the shots could look fandabidozy! I have a portfolio upon request, so if you fancy giving it a go-no previous experience necessary-please get in touch on my blog here: http://may-is-the-way.tumblr.com
