Why Do Plus-Size Women Have to Keep Asking for Space?

There are little things that can turn an ordinary day into a reminder that your body wasn’t considered.

A restaurant chair with arms you can’t sit comfortably between. A clothing store that doesn’t cater to your size. A lingerie shop with nothing above a size 16. A hotel towel that won’t wrap around you.

Individually, they might seem small to someone who has never had to think about them. But when you keep encountering them, the message can start to feel familiar.

This wasn’t made for you.

The things we can’t always take for granted

Going out for dinner should mean looking forward to the food and the company. Yet for some plus-size women, there’s another question: will I be comfortable in the chair?

A holiday can mean worrying about an airplane seat or whether there’s enough room in a toilet cubicle. A beauty appointment can mean wondering whether the treatment table will accommodate your body.

Even trying on clothes can be difficult if there’s no seat in the changing room when you need to sit down to put your pants on.

Plus-size women have different abilities and access needs, too. Some of us use wheelchairs, and a doorway that doesn’t allow wheelchair access can prevent us from entering altogether.

It’s tiring to keep doing that extra thinking.

Size inclusivity belongs in everyday life

When we talk about size inclusivity, clothing is often where the conversation starts.

That matters to me. As a plus-size woman and the founder of Mama Mane, I know how meaningful it is to find clothing designed with your curves in mind.

But inclusion reaches beyond our wardrobes.

It’s also being able to use a bathroom, travel, attend an appointment and enjoy public spaces without repeatedly encountering things that weren’t designed to accommodate you.

Being welcome means being able to participate fully, with the same access as everyone else. Comfort is part of that, but so are dignity, choice and the ability to take part.

It can affect what we choose to do

When you’re unsure whether a place will accommodate you, that uncertainty can influence your decisions.

You might check photographs of a venue’s chairs. You might contact a business before booking. You might decide something feels like too much effort and stay home.

And that is what I find so disheartening.

We deserve the opportunity to enjoy everyday life without our size becoming another obstacle to work around.

Our bodies shouldn’t have to become smaller before our options become bigger.

Being considered shouldn’t be an extraordinary request

I’m not suggesting every person needs exactly the same chair, towel or space. I’m asking for options that recognise people come in different sizes, shapes and abilities.

Chairs that accommodate a wider range of bodies. Accessible doorways. Seating in changing rooms. Larger hotel towels. Clothing and lingerie available in more sizes.

Clear information about access and treatment tables can also help people plan without having to explain their bodies or needs over and over.

Listening to the people who encounter these barriers is a good place to start.

We shouldn’t have to keep proving we belong

What wears me down is the feeling that we must keep explaining why our needs matter.

Why we want clothes we love. Why we want to be comfortable. Why we want to be visible in photographs and welcome in public spaces.

It’s 2026, and I still find myself asking why something so ordinary needs defending.

We are part of the world. We work, raise families, travel, celebrate and spend time with the people we love. We deserve to participate in those things with dignity.

Making room for us

At Mama Mane, I can’t change every restaurant chair or airplane seat. But I can listen to the women in our community and consider their bodies when I design.

I can show different women wearing our clothes. I can create a space where your experience is heard, and where you don’t have to apologise for the room your body occupies.

And I can keep talking about the everyday details that are too easily overlooked.

Because being included should mean more than being told we’re welcome.

It should mean we have the same opportunity to take part when we arrive.

Rebek x