Today, I cried.

This is more of a statement about today's women's fashions than anything else.

Yesterday was Christmas. Our family has a bit of a tradition where we go watch a movie on Christmas. It gets me out of the house, and makes the day a bit more special. Yesterday, I went to pull on a pair of jeans only to discover they were all too small! This is no biggie. I tend to gain a bit during the winter, and shed a bit during the summer months.

So, I put on a very light pair of pants that breathe. In other words, they have very tiny holes in them that air goes right through. In the winter, the cold wind cuts right through them. Honey decided that in addition to the new coat I was getting for Christmas, I also needed new jeans.

We decided that since today is the start of the end of year sales, and we won't get a chance to go again until they are over, that we'd head over to JCPenney. Now, this place was quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shop.

We found the best coat ever! It is gorgeous, and so warm. In fact, I keep asking my husband to take me out somewhere really cold just so I can wear it. It's like being wrapped up in a giant teddy bear!

Then came the task of finding jeans that fit. Size 14M (M being for medium length) were too long so I decided to try 14S. (I never thought of myself as short. I am 5'7" tall!) Those were the right length, but way too tight. Then we noticed something.

All of the jeans were stretch, or "skinny" jeans, or low cut jeans. These are great for slim/trim college students but I am a woman of the real world, and don't wish to look like a stuffed sausage or trailer trash. I literally left in tears! There were absolutely no jeans that would both fit me, AND look good on me. There were none that would accentuate my good points while obsuring the flaws. Every single brand, every pair, instead made all of those flaws glare out.

One woman twice my size looked at me and says "What's wrong with skinny jeans? Why don't you like them?" I told her "Honestly, I am a bigger woman, and they don't flatter my figure very well." She replies back with "I love them! They make you look so thin! You should try them!" It was all I could do to not vocally compare her to an overboiled hot dog.

We even enlisted the help of not one, but two of the sales people. Both of which were thin as rails, and looked anarexic. Of course, they couldn't help us find what we were looking for because it didn't exist in that store. As I started to tear up, I told them both "If I want to look like trailer trash, I'll just keep what I have now. It's a whole hell of a lot cheaper!" The floodgates started to open, and my husband whisked me away from the store quickly.

I had resolved that I was going to practice a lot of portion control, exercise 5 hours a day, every day, and eat a ton of greens, fish and chicken. I was also going to cut sugar out of my diet. For my last "hurrah" I drowned my sorrows in a Monte Cristo sandwich.

My husband and I started looking around at the women surrounding us. Every single one of them that were wearing jeans were wearing jeans that were way too tight, and low cut so that bellies hung out over them. I started asking random people questions.

"Hey there. I'm going shopping for some new clothes and I'd love to ask you, what drew you to your jeans? What about them do you like?"

For the most part, we heard a lot of "this was all that we could find." I found two women, of at least twenty, that actually liked how they looked and felt in these things. One was the woman at JCPenney, and the other was outside of the Liz Clayborne outlet store. Everyone else just flat out couldn't find anything else.

We saw that there was a going of business sale over at the Liz store and went on in. The sales people were extremely helpful in helping me to find jeans with a proper fit that I looked good in, and felt good in. I got $600 worth of clothes for only $115. One of the managers told me a secret though you ladies might be interested in.

Apparently, different stores have different sizing standards which we all know. But most stores add three sizes to their clothes! So, if it would normally fit a size 8 person, the tags will all say size 11! I thought she was just trying to make me feel better about my size until she told me "Hey, we're going out of business here. I have nothing to gain from telling you this at all. Now, if you really want to feel great, go over to Old Navy, they downsize their clothes by three sizes!" So, at Old Navy, if you normally wear a size 11, (as she does) you'd be a size 8! Wow! What a difference!

Okay, so that last bit was a bit off topic. My real rant of the day is about the choice of products in stores these days. Okay, I can see places like Wal Mart and Target catering to teenagers and college kids. But department stores such as JcPenneys and Sears used to cater to everybody's tastes!

If nobody would buy these god awful things, then they wouldn't be forced upon us. At the same time, now that there are no other options, we have to wear something! What happened to class and style here? Granted, I haven't bought new clothes for myself in over a decade, but still, when did class and style get exchanged for "hoochie mama" clothes? And more importantly, how do we get the stores to start stocking clothing that fits everyone's tastes, instead of the select few?

I mean, come on now... If somebody wants to wear it, that's fine. It's not for me to judge them and their choices. It is what makes them feel good. I shouldn't be forced to make their same choices though. I should have my own choices to make. And I sure as hell shouldn't be made to feel like a giant whale because a department store has nothing to fit me!

Oh, and men, look out! You're next. Guess what I saw over in the men's section? That's right! SKINNY JEANS!