to think that "fat shops" like Evans and Ann Harvey don't do their customers any favours by making their sizes much larger than they usually are?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Was in London last week, nipped into both. Tried on jeans in Evans, even a size 16 was too big (and I am SO not a 16). Went into Horrible Ann Harvey, Polyester Queen, and overheard the woman saying to a customer, "No, the sizes come up much bigger than in regular shops. If you're a size 16 in M & S, there won't be anything here to fit you."

Is this not going to lull porkers (I am one, I am allowed to say that) into a false sense of their own size, if they think, oh I am "only" a size 16, which is not too bad, when actually they are probably a 22+ in "normal" shops?

I guess they cant leagally enforce it, but it was in our contracts which we signed when employed.
@jacquelinehyde maybe it is just the area i work in as they do have different ideas, but this is my third year there, and the rules apply to the managers too, and only newest stock is allowed to be worn when area managers visit :)

I really think people should get off the OPs back regarding her sense of humour Penelope.

If you feel so sensitive about your weight and are so unhappy about it, that you should have a go at someone else for their own personal sense of humour...I hope you are doing something positive to address your own insecurities rather than simply telling others what they should and shouldn't say.

I hate shopping, I only buy jeans in Uniqlo because 1: they are really good and 2 I don't have to try the damn things on in the shop, once you've had one pair you never have to try any on again.

I have a wardrobe full of nothing but jeans, hoodies and half a million anime/managa related t-shirts.

Mutz - sorry to burst your bubble but im a "perfect 10"

I am amazingly lucky to have a metabolism that kicks ass.

Sense of humour has nothing to do with offensive turns of phrase. The self respect and self esteem issues are not mine.

The rule for staff wearing Evans clothes is the same for most chain clothes shops with no official uniform? Topshop, DP and River Island all do the same.
Its their uniform , whats the problem?

So penelope, you're offended on behalf of other people then?

PS, I am a porker. As a "porker", I have no problem saying that.

I don't think it's about anyone being sensitive about their weight (although I am happy to admit I am highly sensitive), but more about having some common decency.

It would be like me branding women who had slept with X amount of men as dirty slags just because I had slept with that many and referred to myself as one. It is highly inappropriate.

Not the same, I dont view porker as offensive, just descriptive. Dirty slags is an offensive term.

Fat greedy fucks = offensive

Porker = merely descriptive. slightly podgy

Porkers is an offensive term if someone is offended by it surely?

In that case penelope you're a bigger miserable tit than you first appeared to be.

Do you actually surf the internet looking for things to be miserable and offended by on behalf of others?

Perhaps you should go back to reading the Guardian and be 'outraged' at everything....

No- my sister worked for Evans for 5 years and always had to wear their current season stock. Thay did get good discount off uniform wear though. Everything visible had to come from Evans.

I have been called porky in an abusive manner by stupid little boys when out shopping.

Yes I admit I have been called much, much worse because of my weigh by random strangers but porky/porker is most certainly used as an offensive term by the unimaginate and unintelligent.

different strokes, if someone is a moaning little bitch thats descriptive IMO.

As is calling my dad a bastard, because he is .

the higher up the more you get! managers get so much that mine wears things about twice and ebays/car boots them!

Aaaah maybe the uniform thing is because my friend has worked there so long then. She would never sign a new contract that enforced that. Sorry pink.

I'd much rather someone described me by a positive personality trait, or perhaps my hair colour/style or something like that, than call me porky!

I'd like to see how Evans could possibly force one of our local store's assistants to wear their clothes - he is a very slim man

now that would be wprth seeing Miss

Crime isnt defined by the victims perception though, is it? A person could easily find something innocuous offensive, that doesnt bother anyone else in the world, that doesnt MAKE it offensive

no worries :)
miss que our old boss was a slim man! he had to use his uniform allowance in burtons (all part of arcadia)
but they dont let the slimmer girls wear topshop/dp's - very odd!

Jaqueline some people are offended by just about every bloody thing...that doesn't mean something is necessarily offensive. It just means their own insecurities lead to a sense of humour failure.

Offensive imo is taking the pee out of disabled people or people of other races...because that's their identity, it's who they are/how they were born.

A fat person taking offence at someone calling themselves a porker in good humour is totally different. If anyone is that offended then surely they'd be better putting their energy to good use and becoming slimmer if indeed that's what they want to become.

how is porker descriptive?

You think that you look like a pig?

and you are ok with that? As someone else said earlier, i think there are some self esteem issues here.

Im not outraged and i certainly don't take myself too seriously. I just think that it is perpetuating the abuse of anyone in our society that doesn't fit an aesthetic blue print drawn by the fashion police, to continue to use such terms.

Haha, for men I think they have to wear uniform from the same group. I think Arcadia own Evans, so clothes from BHS, Burton, Topman... :)

I think I have similar fat coverage to a pig. Is noone offended for the poor pigs, afterall we're suggesting that they look like some obese munter?

Poor little piggies....

:(