Why do people equate "comfortable" with "over-sized"?

because a lot of people are fat, and anything less is uncomfortable.

Great question! The first thing that I thought of was snuggies. D:

I feel comfortable in “nice” clothes because I buy ones that fit well and it boosts my confidence. The right high heels can be really comfortable in a way, too. Oversized clothes are nice, because they let you move around and have breathing room, but any time clothes don’t fit right you have to keep adjusting them. If my pants are really big and baggy, it’s not comfortable to pull them up. I guess most people think that comfort =/= looks, and they just kind of give up when they want to be comfortable.

There was a time in my life that I was very vain. At the time I used to ask the same question. I thought I was comfortable in my cute clothing and didn’t mind a little discomfort if it meant looking appropriate. So I understand this sentiment.

However as I got more involved in college I started to understand this phenomenon. It was so much easier and much more practical to pull on a hoody and forget the makeup etc.. More comfortable as well.

Then in time I quit being so vain and now I get the other side of the argument. But this is perhaps to my detriment as I’ve been out and about a few times looking rather sloppy and regretting it later. Still now at least I know the difference between vanity and sloppy comfort. There is a middle ground :)

I suppose I didn’t say much about wearing oversized clothes. But I guess I see it as part of my lifestyle change. I learned that beauty can be comfortable but that it doesn’t have to be. You can be really comfortable in sweats and a hoody! And oversized feels even better, lol. No tight clothing. Ahh… I suppose that’s when you put your hair up nice and throw on some makeup so you make up for the baggy sweats, hehe. (half-joke)

when you wear sweat pants in public, you’re basically saying “i give up.”

Because those of us who are fat change shape radically when we are sitting down, so we need plenty of space to expand as needed.

In addition, wearing over-sized clothing can be a reminder of the warmth and safety you felt when you were a little kid wearing your dad’s bathrobe.

I don’t care what Stacy London says, high heels and my feet are not a match made in Heaven. When I was young and impervious to harm I could tolerate the discomfort. But now that I am older and arthritic, it’s Birkinstocks all the way (except at the gym where it is WW New Balance with custom orthotics.

I prefer my women built for comfort.

Uh.. I edited my response above to include more of an answer to the question. I think. Sorry if I got off on a tangent for a moment.

For me, personally, it depends on my mood and what I’m doing. Example: I have fairly large breasts and sometimes it is just more comfortable to have them strapped in. they don’t bounce painfully and i don’t have to worry about them getting in the way. The same is true of pants. Sometimes, pants that are tighter in the ass and thighs are much more comfortable for me than anything else.

Because often, tighter clothing isn’t as comfortable. It’s a simple matter of how much something is restricting movement and pressing itself against your body. The less clothing does that, in general, the more comfortable it is. I personally find most of my clothing to be perfectly comfortable, but there are some things (like my really tight socks) that aren’t as comfortable as they could be, but they’re the only ones I could find that were short enough and that’s the look I want. Remember: It’s better to look good than to feel good. I think oversized clothing takes it one step further; it’s even more comfortable than regular-fit clothing. When I’m lounging around the house, I’ll wear the most comfortable clothing I can find, which is not necessarily what I would wear in public.

@eponymoushipster lol…I don’t even own a pair of sweat pants (though I used to when I was younger).

@RedPowerLady You make a good point.

@eponymoushipster I kind of agree with that. Although, some young girls do it to be “cute”

@Darwin Your first paragraph made me laugh Thanks for that The second, I cannot directly relate to, but I get it. The third makes perfect sense :)

@proXXi I know it’s a joke, but I don’t get it

@KatawaGrey Do you need a better bra?

@DominicX Gotcha

@Facade Built for comfort= thick.

@Facade: Not at all. It’s just sometimes I want the girls reined in with extra stability. Have you ever worn a corset? I’ve never worn a “real” one but the kinds you can buy at fashion stores are nice and keep everything held in. It just feels so nice to have everything smooshed in. I don’t know why, maybe I’m just a little weird. :)

@proXXi Ohhh. Good :)

@KatawaGrey I have not, but I’ve always wanted to

@Facade: It feels great and improves your posture. Oh and i lied. I have tried a real corset. Do not ever wear one of those. I swear my waist shrank 5 inches in 30 seconds. It was a very painful experience.

@KatawaGrey – I have worn corsets when doing first person history and reenactments. I find that, unless you are trying for that rib-crushing extreme Victorian hour glass, corsets are quit comfortable. Not only do they keep “the girls” in close formation, they support your lower back wonderfully.

However, it is no longer possible to bend gracefully to pick something up off the floor.

@KatawaGrey I would go against your advice, but I have a short torso, and that might be damaging…5 inches though? Nice :)

@KatawaGrey Corsets are kind of comfortable in a weird way, but I hardly ever have a reason to wear one. Maybe it’s because they do something for my posture. Finally taking it off is even better… I feel almost like I’m being poured out of it. I guess half the fun of structured clothes is finally getting them off at the end of the day.

@Haleth I’m sorry I skipped you! I’m with you about the “nice” clothes. And yes, dressing nicely changes your whole attitude.

@Facade: Oh no, not nice. Unnatural and horribly painful. It was like some large animal got a hold of me in its jaws and bit down.

@Darwin @Haleth: I find the fashion ones to be very comfortable. I couldn’t ever wear a real one again. I looked the company up online and they use at least 20 steel rods in each one. Apparently there is a new “epidemic” of corset wearing wherein people are being cinched so tightly into their corsets that they are developing internal damage similar to that of the Victorian era.

I equate uncomfortable with under-sized.

Being a big girl myself, I can honestly say that the cut of most fashionable clothes are simply wrong. So I may look ‘better’ but the shirt’s too short, the pants gap at the waist when I stand up, the shoes are made for tiny toes, the panty hose feel like sandpaper…. I could go on and on.

Perhaps if we took fashion, more realistic cuts, softer fabrics and mixed them together it would be a different thing.

As plus size fashion is now? Fuggedaboutit. It’s all mumu’s or clothes designed for skinny people but are just made with more fabric. Hence, uncomfortable.

Nothing beats a Sunday with my fleece pants, a tshirt and the game on tv. Nothing.

I’m a pretty thin guy, and if I wear really baggy clothes I don’t feel comfortable at all. I feel like everyone will look at me and think my clothes are swallowing me whole, or I’m anorexic or something.

I feel most comfortable in a pair of slim fit jeans, a tee shirt, and a pair of my favorite shoes….unless it’s summer time, then it’s a pair of shorts.

@gemiwing – If you haven’t already done so, check out Junonia. I like them not only because their stuff is comfortable, colorful and well-made, but also because they use normal people as their models. Soft Surroundings is a bit more high fashion, complete with skinny models, but some of their pieces are very nice, both comfortable and stylish.

@Darwin I love Junonia for their active wear. I usually buy from Jessica London for the dressier stuff. Gave up on Lane Bryant years ago- everything is hippie/peasant there lately. I’m going to check out the Soft Surroundings- sounds great!

@Facade those oversized “pink” or “juicy” pants are NOT cute. they look messy. ...yoga pants on the other hand….

@eponymoushipster camel toe ftw

@RandomMrdan well, there’s that – and the real juicy…

Alterations and tailoring, full stop.

I have no idea!!!
All I can say is that I wear clothes that fit ALL the time and I am never uncomfortable.

Lurve for yoga pants.

@eponymoushipster I love yoga pants! This is one type of clothes where I do think it’s stupid to wear them tight. A lot of the bitchy girls at the gym wear them like that, and it’s really unattractive to see every detail. There’s like an epidemic of yoga-wear where I live. I usually wear mine as jammies or for lounging around the house. I have no clue about actual yoga.

….my God! Just say it…..

… it’s comfortable as hell and I not going to take it any more…. ‘it’ = tight, regimented, neat, spiffy, classy, buffed, etc

@gemiwing Try Ninewest for wide sizes. That’s where I get 98% of my shoes

@Haleth Why the hate on tight clothing at the gym? ...That’s another place where I must be comfortable, which means wearing as little as possible. It’s often mistaken for trying to get the attention of men. I don’t need tight clothes to do that; that’s silly

Nothing is more uncomfortable than being seen by others in an ill fitting garment.

Well, my normal clothes are the same as my work clothes, my comfortable clothes, my athletic clothes, and my nice clothes, and they’re all a black T-shirt and baggy cargo pants. I think clothes should be practical and comfortable, the latter often involving bagginess (the first maybe not so much).
And I love a girl who wears cargo pants

I’ve never had good luck with heels.

Although I tend to be better dressed when I’m at work (fitted blouse + slacks), if it’s just classes, I’d rather be comfy in jeans and a tshirt. My shirts aren’t fitted, but they’re somewhat tight (too baggy bothers me), and my jeans fit well.

It’s partly how I was brought up…although I wore dresses often enough when I was younger, as I got older, I wore more slacks/jeans than skirts. Part of this was adult influence—my mom stopped wearing skirts (for the most part) and so did my grandma.

For me, part of the reason why many of my “comfy” clothes are over-sized is the warmth issue—if clothes are slightly bigger than you, you’re warmer than if they’re form-fitting. And who ever heard of tight pajama pants? :P

@Facade, does that help answer your question? At all? Or have I gone completely off-track? :D

@evegrimm Heels are all about walking on your toes ;) I pretty much HATE pajama pants. I really want this for winter bedtime. And you helped very much; thank you :)

@Haleth
where do you live that this yoga pants (tight) thing is happening? I wanna visit.

When I was young and terribly thin, I wore skinny jeans (the first time they were cool) but always bigger tops. Now that I’m older and heavier, I wear jeans that fit (if I can find them :/ ) and even bigger tops. It’s mainly because I have a huge rack. Anything that fits the ‘girls’ is far too big everywhere else. As a result, my tops often resemble tents… blech. I find myself committing the ultimate fashion faux pas these days, and tucking most of my shirts in – just to indicate that I do have a waist in there somewhere.

Now, if I’m having a particularly bad day for some reason, I love to wear my husband’s shirts. He’s 6’2”, and 250+ lbs, so they’re way too big for me. They make me feel cozy and loved.

@augustlan Yea, tent tops are bad unless belted. And it’s cute that you wear your hubby’s clothes. I often steal my man’s shirts too :)

@Facade I can’t blame you for wanting to be comfortable. It just makes me uncomfortable when people wear skin-tight pants in public. It’s not just at the gym… I don’t like it when adults wear stockings/ leggings as pants, either. They’re not pants!
@augustlan I love stealing boyfriend clothes, too! I hear guys hate it when women do this, but I think it’s cute.

At 52, 30+ years of wearing terribly cute high heels have taken their toll on my feet in the form of bone spurs, and two pregnancies caused my feet to go from a 7–½B to a 9–½C. Shoes, in addition to being hard to find, are not comfortable to wear.

I have also quit “drinking the koolaid” at 52. If someone would judge me by what I have on, then they are the type of person that I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass what they think about anything; they’re superficial.

I like what fits properly, not too snug or binding and not too loose or sloppy. It should almost feel like I’m naked. I should have freedom of movement with my entire range of motion. I should be able to focus on what I’m doing and who I’m talking to and not think about my clothes or shoes in the least. That’s comfortable to me.

The 1980’s? Big hair, big puffy pants, big shirts, big puffy furniture, super sized plates and meals?

@hungryhungryhortence – And, don’t forget, shoulder pads suitable for playing football while dressed for church.

@Darwin: shoulder pads so big that when you’d laugh, your garment would shrug up and smack you in the face.