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Something changed, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I am head over heels in love with Old Navy now.

Old Navy finally realized that there are only two or three stores that specialize in offering trendy clothes to women who are not thin. They realized that these women have money to spend and are sick and tired of having to fork over $50 for a cheap button-down that still gaps across their breasts. That these women end up in tears when they can't find a single pair of jeans that does not have an elastic waist and tapered legs. These women are too young for polyester pantsuits and easy-fit chinos, and all they want is a cute sleeveless shirt to wear to the baseball game in August because it's fucking hot outside, and fat people want to be comfortable too.

These women make up millions and millions of women in the United States and I bet that everyone reading this can come up with at least five different people who fit into this category. And there's nothing wrong with us and we aren't second-class citizens or a class of people of which to make a mockery. There are a lot of us, and we've been pissed off at the fashion industry for years. And Old Navy clued into this and debuted their Women's Plus line in stores and online this week.

And because of this, Old Navy has won my heart forever. I bought t-shirts for $12, jeans for $25, and shorts for $17 today. This stuff fits me and is cute and trendy and makes me look like every other young professional woman out there. And as the seasons change, I can keep shopping at Old Navy because they have options and I haven't had any options for buying trendy clothes at all in my lifetime. I'm celebrating today, because Old Navy gets it.

I hate to use the word "plus-sized" because I don't feel like that describes me and I really think it's gross to call someone "plus-sized". I'm a woman who's not thin and never will be called "skinny" or "small". I'm a woman who is dealing with bad genetics and counting points and weighing food. I'm a woman with a big ass. I'm a woman whose chest is a 38G. I'm a woman who spent her entire adolescence standing around shopping malls with friends as they tried on everything at the Gap, American Eagle, and Abercrombie while I could only shop at Lane Bryant.

I would GLADLY spend $150 on a decent pair of jeans that I could wear out to bars. I'd love to fork over my hard-earned money for well-made clothes that fit � but until Sevens come in a size 18, I'm out of luck. I'd love to spend hundreds of dollars on professional clothes at Banana or J.Crew, but I can't. I want to order things from bluefly and shop at H&M, but they are not meant for me.

I'm not ashamed of my size, and I'm trying to get into shape because it's healthy, but I'm sick and fucking tired of the fashion industry trying to tell me that my size is something shameful. My curves are ugly and my hips are disgusting. Boys will never love a fat girl. Having the nerve to be proud of the way you look even though your collarbone isn't sticking out and your hipbones aren't protruding means that you are a repulsive pig. If a fat girl is eating in public, clearly she never stops shoveling food into her gaping maw. If a fat girl is offered a cookie and she takes it � well, no wonder she's so fucking fat. Fat girls will never get laid. Fat girls will never get married. Fat girls won't find employment and won't get promoted and won't ever be accepted as regular people. Fat girls eat bonbons and cheeseburgers all day long, so no wonder they're such cows.

Well, obviously, none of that is true. Fat girls DO have sex with regular guys, and it DOES work even without trying to defeat the laws of physics. Fat girls DO get hit on and DO get to kiss people, and DO feel pretty once in a great while. Fat girls eat cheeseburgers and cookies but they also eat salads and carrots and whatever the hell average sized people eat. Fat girls even look in the mirror and smile at what they see.

To the fashion industry, fat girls are size 10. Size 12. Size 14. What really constitutes a fat girl � a size 16? Size 30?

The answer is that it's irrelevant. The point is that women of ALL sizes deserve to be able to shop in all kinds of stores at all different price points. Their dollars are just as valuable as the size 4 woman or the size 6 woman over there. Stores that exclusively offer sizes 12-28 have been successful for decades � why not expand regular store lines up to a size 26 or 28? Sales will undoubtedly increase at very little additional cost, and stores like Lane Bryant and The Avenue will have to try a little harder to keep our business. Capitalism is about competition, right? Try to win me over, just like you would a woman who's a size 4. Show me that you want me. Seduce me with your Curvy Cut jeans and roomier jackets that will actually button over my chest.

So until the rest of the fashion industry embraces people like me, I'm inclined to tell them all to fuck right off � because Old Navy understands. And every not-thin woman in America will be dressed just like me, but I don't care one bit. Because I will acknowledge them on the street with a big smile, knowing that that's another woman who understands what I'm going through, and that we're in this together.

It's my hope that Old Navy's sales will skyrocket this quarter because of their smart business strategy, and that J.Crew and Banana are left scratching their heads, completely puzzled at how fat people have real American dollars to spend, and that they are flocking to Old Navy because that's what's available, and it's about damn time we had some options.

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