Big Girls Browse isn’t a plus size site. It’s for any woman who doesn’t fit the model norm. It aims to bridge the gap between mass-market fashion and specialist stores for those who’re somewhere in between. It’s for woman who’re fed up of pulling on a pair of trousers to find they gape at the waist and pull on the hips. It’s for any woman who has to wear a modesty cami under every top because it’s not cut for women with boobs. It’s for tall women, short women, women with bellies, women with boobs, women with chunky ankles and women who won’t go out in the evening without their magic knickers! It’s for you, the average, normal, everywoman who’s fed up of being made to feel bad about her curves!

I’m Gemma Cartwright, and I’ve worked on fashion, beauty and lifestyle websites since my teens. When I was 18, I created Catwalk Queen, which grew, over the years, into one of the UK’s leading fashion blogs. I’ve now moved on to pastures new, and as well as editing this site, I edit The Nod, a new celebrity shopping site.

Big Girls Browse is a labour of love for me. Working on Catwalk Queen, it struck me how often I felt far too big for the fashion I was writing about, even if it came in my size. That’s where the name of this site came from. Though I’m not drastically overweight, I’ve always felt like the big girl.

On leaving CQ, I wanted to create a blog that didn’t just feature tiny models in high fashion clothes that wouldn’t translate to real life. Rumour has it the average UK woman has the measurements 39 – 34 – 41, making her about a size 16, depending on the shop. I’m that woman, minus an inch or so, and I find I’m often limited when it comes to shopping. Not always because the clothes don’t fit, but because they don’t fit properly. Despite the fact I represent this average British woman – and I’m not technically plus sized – clothes just don’t seem to be created for women like me.

We all know the cold hard truth is that high fashion clothes hang best on very slim models. But so few women look like those models in real life. The result is that clothes look great on the catwalk but are impossible to wear in real life. Even when the high street interprets them, they skimp on fabric or don’t cut to accomodate our country’s famous childbearing hips. Too many companies are alienating the majority of their consumers because they’re not cutting to fit them.

I want to change that, and Big Girls Browse is my first step. The site will act as a resource and directory for sites that cater to the specific problems so many women face. There will be plus-size sites featured, but also size 12 and 14s, specialist lingerie brands for larger cup sizes, brands that cut for curvy hips or wide calves, brands for tall women and brands for women with larger feet…and that’s just to begin with!

If you have a brand or product that you think is suitable for this site, email me on BigGirl@BigGirlsBrowse.com.
I’ll happily feature products and services from around the world, but please note I am based in London, UK.

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