Here in Bordeaux, I came across this shop. It’s called “Mary XL: La Mode en Grand Taille.”
Mary XL (Mary Extra Large). A Dress Shop in Bordeaux, France
That translates to Mary Extra-Large: Fashion in Large Sizes. Yes, I’m afraid French women do get fat. Sigh.
Not coincidentally, around the corner, I saw this.
McDonald's in Bordeaux. (At least it's pretty.)
France. On behalf of the United States, I apologize.
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After deconstructing this a little more (hey-I didn’t read Barthes, Foucault, and Derrida for nothing), I began to wonder about the name of the shop. Hmmmm. Mary? Mary is not a French name. That would be Marie. So, what does the name of this shop say:
1. We sell clothes for heavy women, but of course, we would never assume that French women are heavy.
2. If you are French and you are heavy, you might as well be an American. So we’ll call you Mary from now on.
Anyway….It’s not my intent to make fun of anyone….but rather say that weight is an issue everywhere.
P.S.: For those of you who have tried to tweet or facebook me, or have responded to this blog: If I haven’t responded, it’s because WiFi is quite spotty here in Bordeaux. And the next few days, I’m going to be on a march through the wineries. More about that later. But feel free to respond-I’ll get back to you. It just might not be right away. Merci!
Regularly priced at $80, this 
So, what is to be done about it? I thought France was taking some steps to reclaim their health and get back to their “roots” - I read where obesity rates in children/teens has leveled off in France and is even lowering.
As for adults - less processed food, more cooking at home, moving more (walks/bicycle), quality vs quantity, the role of pleasure in our lives, slowing down - ?. Or do we all go on weight watchers
Agree on all aspects-cooking at home, moving, quality vs. quantity….
And in truth, I’ve only seen two “plus size” shops, and both were really, really small…..so it’s still a relatively small population that needs them.