Having lived in Arizona for nearly two decades now, I always have such great joy when the temperature starts to turn downward and the leaves change color after enduring months of brutal summer heat. This summer was especially difficult due to lack of rain and record high heat. I’m hopeful this winter will be cooler than usual, but you never know here in Arizona. Either way, I love winter for not only the colder temperatures, but the fall fashion as well.

Cable knit sweaters, leather jackets, and warm gloves are great things to have in a woman’s fall and winter wardrobe. Yet there is one fashion item I can never go through fall/winter without: a pair of tall boots. In 2007, I had to ditch 99% of my boots because the heels were too big, the ankles were ripped from wear, or the shoes simply didn’t offer enough support. In the two years since then, I have only acquired one pair of boots. So, this year, I am trying to find that perfect pair of boots that I can add to my wardrobe. Thus far, however, hasn’t been too successful!

My feet are extremely picky; they have minds of their own, it seems. I can only wear a low wedge, and rarely a true heel. That limits the styles of boots I can wear by a lot. Luckily for me, though, designers are coming out with some beautiful and comfortable flat (or low heel) boots. However, I still have one problem: finding these boots at a reasonable price!

I was browsing Jildor Shoes yesterday when I thought I had found the perfect boots. They were pure suede, in a beautiful black finish, precisely the look I wanted, and in stock in my size. Then I looked at the price: $535.00 (USD (United States Dollars))! What average American woman would pay that much (or more) for a pair of boots? Every site I visited – from Zappos to Shoebuy – I found that the boots I was most attracted to were always extraordinarily expensive. Thus, I set a price limit for myself for one pair: $99.00.

At first, I didn’t think I would find anything that would be in my size or look the way I wanted them to. Yet as my research went on, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. Even designer sites and high-end shoes stores like Steve Madden and ALDO had some great deals on beautiful boots. I think because of the economy, designers are realizing that they can’t charge the outrageous prices people once would pay for their products. Across the web, I am seeing pairs of designer boots $120.00 to $200.00 off. For someone like myself, this makes boots that I never would have thought of buying within reach and budget.

Even though it’s still above 100F degrees right now, I am anxious to get myself a pair of boots. I have quite a few I am deciding between getting – all under $100.00 – and it is becoming difficult to resist buying them all! I just wish it would get cold already so I could actually wear them!

I am not ashamed of my weight. I dislike that I am overweight, but I am not ashamed or embarrassed of that fact. I am pretty comfortable with my overall physical appearance and outward attitude. Yet I am finding it more and more difficult to maintain that attitude these days due to the lack of fashionable clothing that is reasonably priced for women like myself.

According to the American Obesity Association, 62% of women ages 20-74 are overweight. About half of that 62% of overweight women are actually considered obese by medical definition. You’d think that with that high of a number of overweight and obese women in this country, there would be affordable, stylish, and abundant clothing choices for plus size women. That has really not been the case in my view. Being someone who is a large plus size in womens clothing, it is next to impossible to find reasonably priced clothing these days that feel good and look good.

Since I am heading back to school tomorrow, I am in need of some properly fitting and stylish clothing for someone of my age range. I want to be updated, modern, colorful, and confident. I don’t want to be overly conservative, homely, or inappropriate. I want to look like me. Unfortunately, being the plus size that I am (as well as petite), it is extremely difficult to find clothing that I would want to wear. An overwhelming amount of the stores I have been to – both online and offline – have very neutral clothing. T-shirts in solid colors, long skirts that are straight and boxy, or boring floral dresses that an old woman would wear overcrowd the clothing options for plus size women. To add to all this, I am a college student; I don’t have the largest budget for clothing in the world. Anything stylish or fun I find that I would possibly buy are outrageously expensive. It’s utterly ridiculous.

In my weeks of trying to find clothing for school, I have discovered that most clothing lines and stores geared toward young women my age don’t carry clothing over a size 12/14. I am very frustrated that the American fashion industry feels that the only women who can wear anything interesting and fun are less than a size 12. I am also frustrated by the fact that most of the plus size clothing out there in this country is very bland and yet still overpriced. I am not about to pay $80 for an off-brand knee length denim skirt that happens to be plus size!

Every women should have the right to properly fitting and stylish clothing. I don’t think it’s fair in the least for anyone to assume that all plus size women are frumpy, boring, and have no taste in fashion. We still want to be relevant, in style, and modern just like the rest of the world. I would like to see some fashion designers prove their true talent to the average American woman by creating clothes that look good on plus sizes as well as misses sizes. Now that would impress me!

To all the retailers who provide stylish plus size clothing, I applaud you. It takes a lot of time and energy to create clothing that fits more than a size 12, but it is definitely appreciated by the 62% of American women who are overweight. I only wish that more retailers would stop discriminating against women my size and start making some fun clothing. Perhaps, one day, I will start to see things change. Until then, I guess I have to make do with the crud that is out there.