When a plus-size woman gets pregnant, she faces stigmas from every side. On top of having to navigate care that focuses on her health and not her size, she has to live with her marginalized body getting larger in a society that generally looks down upon plus-size women. Among the sociopolitical struggles fat women face, a simple but exceedingly frustrating one is finding clothes that make them feel good. And this is especially true for plus-size pregnant women.
“I think all pregnant women want to look and feel their best regardless of size,” Tanesha Awasthi, the plus-size fashion blogger behind Girl With Curves, tells CafeMom. She recently gave birth to her second child and documented her style (and personal) journey through Instagram and her blog.
The body-positive movement certainly catapulted plus-size fashion more into the mainstream. While the industry still has a long way to go in offering a diverse size range, they have even further to go in maternity — one Awasthi sees as a multifaceted problem.
But that isn’t to say that it is entirely impossible to look stylish while plus-size and pregnant — hell, Awasthi is living proof. For her, the secret to a stylish pregnancy was investing in one key item:
“The only maternity clothing I’ve invested in through both of my pregnancies were jeans. Everything else simply has enough stretch to fit!”
Which, by the way, is incredibly important to keep in mind while hunting for plus-size maternity clothes — they can pop up in some pretty unexpected places. For any plus-size pregnant women struggling to find fun and functional clothing, we’ve rounded up some places women across the plus-size spectrum can enjoy.
Along with some of Awasthi’s tips and some unexpected places to find clothing that works, we guarantee that plus-size pregnant women will find something to feel stylish in.
More from CafeMom: Here’s What It Really Looks Like to Be Plus-Size & Pregnant
More from CafeMom: I Had So Much Body Confidence — Until I Got Pregnant
More from CafeMom: No, My Already Fat Body Has Not Been ‘Even More Ruined’ by Pregnancy
