A little change that brought many pluses

Size symbols a better fit for big women

WE LIVE in a world where body shaming is rife and where the average woman wants to be a size 32. But a Joburg designer is working hard to make plus sizes fashionable.

Boutique store owner Hayley Joy Weinberg of Hayley Joy knows all about the anguish that plus-sized women face, especially with the limited fashion choices they have.

She knows the great lengths most of them go to hide the “XXXL” label on their shirts, blouses or skirts.

“I had a customer who sent me a picture in which her mother cut out all the sizes that appeared on her clothing labels. She was ashamed of the sizes she wore.”

Another of Weinberg’s customers became anxious at the thought of her boss seeing her clothes were labelled triple extra large.

“Her boss had to come into the store and fetch her outfit. She begged me to staple the bag and make sure the labels were nowhere in sight.”

Through her customers’ traumatic experiences and her own battle with her weight, Weinberg has come up with a clothing label system which, she says, helps plus-sized women gain confidence.

“I have opted to remove all sizes from the labels and to replace the sizes with shapes. After seven years on the shop floor at Hayley Joy, I feel it’s time for me to lead the way in eliminating body shaming, with dignity.”

Weinberg, who has been in the clothing business for 30 years, said she had spent many hours consulting plus-sized women of all shapes and sizes and discovered many of them had low self-esteem because they bought clothing in sizes labelled 5XL, 6XL and 7XL.

She decided to replace the letters with shapes and to use a colour-coded system.

The colours include a lilac square for smaller plus-sized women, an orange crown for larger garments and a purple arrow for 7XL garments.

“Instead of a woman being embarrassed to tell the store assistant the size she wants in front of other customers, she can simply call out the colour and shape. The store assistant knows exactly what she requires,” says Weinberg. FIVE lucky readers can each win R2 000 worth of clothing vouchers. Simply sms (space) hayleyjoy followed by your name and e-mail address to 41895. Smses charged at R1.50. T’s and C’s apply. “It’s our own female language.” Customers are applauding Weinberg.

“What society fails to understand is that some of these women have no control over their weight. They deal with hormonal imbalances and other ailments.

“By the time they come into this store they are broken and we have to play the role of counsellors before we even begin to show them how beautiful they are.”

Weinberg said she had also had to deal with self-doubt because of weight problems that began when she was 19. Her weight issues compelled her to make her own clothes.

“I’d go to a club and women would come up to me and whisper ‘Where did you get that dress?’ ”

Thirty years later, Weinberg is going strong with her clothing line, which includes evening, casual, maternity and corporate wear.

Weinberg said most of her clients were women in the corporate sector.

But it’s not all praise and compliments, though she’s often criticised for designing clothing for bigger women.

“You won’t believe the questions I get asked. Some people ask me if I’m aware that I’m assisting women to kill themselves by being in business.

“I am pro women leading healthy lifestyles. But while these women are working towards their body goals, they need to look and feel good about themselves.”

Although she might not be an international style guru like Jeannie Mai, Weinberg said she too has tricks up her sleeve to make women look and feel like a million bucks.

These include her famous multilayer mesh black dress, which is a must-have for many women who attend black-tie events.

Weinberg creates all the magic at a small factory housed above her boutique. Her dream is to see Hayley Joy stores expand across the country and the world, so women can buy garments that “will turn them into goddesses.”