Sarahishungry420:
I personally think BBW starts when you can't shop in mall stores anymore, when you are a size 18+ and stores don't carry anything for you other than online
Munchies:
What stores are you shopping at?
American clothing sizes at the mall are quite diverse these days.
Ignoring stores that specifically cater to plus-sized women like Torrid, you can find clothes for the size 18+ crowd. JCPenny, Belk, Kohl's, and Dillard's have clothes up to size 24. Places like Torrid have up to size 6X.
Letters And Numbers:
I think you're both right, but stores like Kohl's and JC Penny are more department stores than "mall" clothing stores like H&M, Forever 21, etc... that have focus on the juniors section and top out before the bigger plus sizes. That being said, I think those stores have bigger sizes than they did a generation ago just because Americans are bigger, and obviously plus size specific stores are a thing.
If you are going to talk about places like H&M and Forever 21, I wouldn't use them as a benchmark for BBW-dom. I'm a thick and curvy woman. I rock a size 12, and I have DD cups. I am too small to wear plus-sized clothing.
Yet I avoid those stores because I know the clothes will be too tight in all the worst places. My thighs are thick, my hips are wide, and I am one flex away from shredding some of those sleeves.
I don't think anyone would categorize me as a BBW.
