Until recently, it was husky. According to my mother, chubby pre-teens shopped in the "husky" section of the department store. Ricki Lake's plus-size diva in the '50s nostalgia movie Hairspray modeled for a fictitious shop called "Hefty Hideaway." Today, the appropriate nomenclature is curvy, according to Michelle Weston, design consultant for a plus-size chain store, the Avenue, which recently opened a location in Cranston.

Weston, a gregarious woman who calls people "honey," is a self-proclaimed leading expert on "self-love, self-style and self-assurance for those struggling with body image. The Avenue woman has sexy lips and smart eyes . . . she knows what she wants." Weston also emphasizes that the growth of New Jersey-based Avenue is indicative of how far the plus-size industry has traveled. "Ten years ago, there were only 200 vendors doing plus-size," she says. "Today, there are 2000."

With hundreds of such locations across the continental US, Weston's self-acceptance dogma is about making money as much as good vibrations. As she notes, "The average plus-size customer spends about $1200 a year on clothes. Fifty-two percent of them shop monthly. You're looking at a lot of income here."

Still, being in the plus-size range (sizes 14-24) can weigh especially on the minds of teens. "When I was a teenager, the challenge was, `I want to go to my prom, but I can't find anything [to fit me]" recalls Weston. "That sucks! But magazines like Cosmo Girl . . . show different ethnicities, different sizes. Even Vogue had a `shape issue' this year. There is the growing realization that beauty is not limited to size."

Even upscale design houses are beginning to cater to plus-size women, who, by one estimate, constitute 60 percent of the American female population. "The more the plus-size industry grows, the more we challenge people and companies," Weston says. "We have to keep challenging." Across the board, though, Weston says, "Women are crazy, whether she's a size two, 12, or 22. We all have something we don't like about our bodies. It is important to love who you are. To be who you are."

Weston imparts this last bit of advice for the avid shopper: "Style is more important than fashion. Fashion changes at the drop of a hat. Style is a manner of being or doing -- who do you want to be and what do you want to do?"

Issue Date: September 13 - 19, 2002