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This week in Chicago

Tiffany Tucker, 21

Fat Shopaholic blogger hosts fat-girl shopping days.

By Jake Malooley

Photo: Andrew Nawrocki

State Street between Illinois Street and Grand Avenue

What do you do? I run the fashion blog Fat Shopaholic.

Interesting name: two things with negative connotations. Are you reclaiming them? I see myself as part of the fat-acceptance movement. It’s about saying you’re fat, accepting your body for what it is and working with what you have. Also, I shop way too much!

You self identify as a shopaholic? Yeah. Even the mail lady today was like, “You just a little shopaholic, huh?” I get packages all the time, mostly from U.K. stores. They have the best fat-girl clothes; most of the stuff they sell in their regular line they also have in their curve line.

Buy anything today? I got an orange button-down shirt that I plan to wear with a bright blue blazer. I’m all about color blocking. I’m also excited to get my door-knocker earrings, like old-school huge ones from the ’90s. They’re usually clip-on because they’re heavy. Otherwise, they’d rip your ears off. Oh, I also bought a crop top that says, f*ck flattering—as in how your clothes should fit. Fat girls in crop tops, yay! [Laughs] I love ugly clothes. Occasionally I do fat-girl shopping days.

What does that entail? My girls and I go thrifting for funny-looking grandma jackets, eat lots of food and just generally are fat publicly. ’Cause if you’re fat, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, eating in public. If you’re eating a salad, people are like, “She knows she needs to be eating that!” If you’re eating a burger, people are like, “She knows she don’t need that!” You can’t eat anything!

September 14, 2011

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How awesome to see the always-fabulous Tiffany Tucker, one of my favorite fashion bloggers, featured in TOC! I've followed Tiffany's blog since she first launched it, and her unique sense of style and indomitable confidence have inspired me to take more fashion risks. Overall, I'd love to see more style coverage in TOC that includes options for people who don't fit into straight sizes, whether they are plus sized, petite, tall or whatever.

By M. Gellhorn (not verified) on 9/15/2011 at 9:10 pm

She is so fun! It's nice to see young women speak about their bodies in a positive manner. Fat, thin, curvy, big boobs, small boobs... women always seem to have an issue they they need to fix. I hope that this is a trend. It always seem so foreign to see a fat person in a magazine, on film or on TV and we tend to not view them as real people. I guess if they do not exist in the media, they do not exist at all right? Much luck Tiffany in all of your ventures. I have a feeling your star will shine brighter every day.

By Hannah (not verified) on 9/15/2011 at 11:23 pm

Girl looks good.

By Crash (not verified) on 9/16/2011 at 6:33 am

WONDERFUL! Kicking style and cheers to loving who you are today!!!!!!1

By Amanda (not verified) on 9/16/2011 at 11:36 am

Ugh, as another fat girl, I think it is appalling that someone our size would wear anything so unflattering. It doesn't matter if you are thin or fat, you should ALWAYS dress to compliment your figure. She just looks sloppy. Hipster glasses and a cute necklace won't save an ill-fitting outfit. You can be fat and still dress fabulously. This is not an example of that.

By Anonymous (not verified) on 9/16/2011 at 3:16 pm

I absolutely love Tiffany. I read her blog and love her style, she just makes me feel better about myself as a fat girl. I've recently been looking more and more into trying new ways to wear things, a lot of that is because of reading her blog. Now when I'm online shopping or just out somewhere, I stop, if only for a second, at things that I would have walked right by say a month ago because I felt like I couldn't pull it off. And as for her looking sloppy. Why does he look sloppy? Because she wears what she wants to wear and doesn't give a damn who says what about it? I wish more fat girls were like that. Personally, I love it. I think the colors work well together and they compliment her skin tone. Who cares if they "flatter" her or not? I personally think they do. My point is she loves what she wears, and damn anyone else who's gonna tell her she CAN'T wear that because she's a fat girl. For some reason people seem to think they can manage us as fat girls and talk down to us and tell us what we can wear and can't wear because we're bigger. Even other fat girls do it and I'm sick of it. She inspires me. Not just to dress how I wanna dress, but to be the person who I really wanna be and forget about the rest because at the end of the day I don't answer to anyone else for my life except me.

By JazzyJae (not verified) on 9/16/2011 at 6:20 pm

Hey Anonymous, I'm a fellow fat girl and I applaud Tiffany for not falling prey to rules about "flattering". All it means is trying to make your body look bigger or smaller in the "right" places. She looks amazing and always does. Read her interview: fuck flattering.

By brodielancaster (not verified) on 9/17/2011 at 5:53 pm

I think this is fabulous and anyone that doesn't think so is an idiot. I'm sick of feeling like I have to dress a certain way because I'm fat and I think it's amazing that someone is comfortable enough with their self too not worry about what society thinks. Life isn't about making people you don't know comfortable. Thank you Tiffany! And she definitely has her own swag and I love it!

By Tiya (not verified) on 9/20/2011 at 1:37 pm

Tiffany is my hero. When i see girls like her that are rocking their style no matter their size, it gives me the courage to do it myself.

By Khadija (not verified) on 10/03/2011 at 4:10 pm

Great job at being yourself homegirl :) Would I wear what u do? probably not but that is what makes us all beautiful, our differences and I applaud you for being you! An u dont need me to tell u that u look nice because it resonates in ur photos :).....but u look amazing!!!!

By Carmen (not verified) on 10/10/2011 at 10:31 am

OK... body acceptance for anyone is fantastic. I'm happy she is comfortable in her skin. However, health wise she sets a bad example. These overweight women see her being recognized and think its okay to be overweight because its becoming part of a fat acceptance movement? Seriously? The only reason its becoming accepted is because 60% of the US is overweight! If the majority are overweight, it's not a movement, it's just that an overwhelming number of people are fat. I don't think people understand the price of being overweight and the consequences that follow. (Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension...) Don't praise yourself for being overweight or think it's OK. It's not OK. Get healthy!

By Anonymous (not verified) on 3/10/2012 at 7:09 pm

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