For the regular consumer, the most difficult thing about finding clothes that fits you is the color, the style, or whether it’s in trend. But what about the other side that does not fit the same standard? KurbA’tin’s team got to sit down with “Cobra” and ask him a number of questions about his experiences as a plus-size consumer.
Going by the name of “Cobra” this 21-year-old student from Far Eastern University (FEU) is a member of the One Day Plate organization, their architecture and fine arts department’s dance organization. Outside of being a student and org member for their dance group, Cobra faces the same challenges of the community he is also a part of – the plus-size community. As part of the theme of the photoshoot we did with him entitled “Confidence Transcends” we sat down with him to fully understand what it feels like to be a part of a community that’s misunderstood and sometimes exploited.
“May times na nacoconscious din ako if may nakikitang skin.”
As a dancer, Cobra has a straight-forward, concise clothing style that is influenced by elements that are around him whether they are found online or in public when he goes to school. But sometimes, there are things that come with clothing that we don’t really like. For Cobra, these undesired things come with wearing comfortable clothes while training or practicing for dancing. While it is a default for dancers to wear comfortable dance clothes, for plus-size people, an additional hurdle comes along the way in the form of over-exposure of skin as wearing a larger build than regular people can make it harder to cover up skin while still being comfortable.
“Never makaka-catch up yung fashion industry with diversity”
By being a plus-size consumer that is also a part of diversity movements, Cobra believes that the fashion industry can never truly catch up with diversity because of the changes people constantly go through internally and externally. Although there are signs of companies being progressive, there are still many more factors that come with fully embracing the plus-size community in fashion.
“ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL”
Cobra takes on a brave stance that for companies, plus-size is just another marketing tactic for them. He states in our sit-down talk that the plus-size communities are merely “tokenized” to have an advantage over other clothing competitors. Sometimes, clothes for plus-size are just titles, but they don’t ever really reflect the quality you would expect if it was for the regular sizes companies offer. He believes that it’s important to understand the intention of the brand or company you purchase from, and see if their participation in the plus-size movement is genuine.
Watch the full interview above to learn more about Cobra and his advice to his fellow plus-size consumers, and why the first person who should care about you – is yourself.
Videography: Sam Aniceto
Interview by: Kovi Aparece
Editing: Allyza Neptuno
Location: Intramuros, Metro Manila
Written by: Kovi Aparece
