Plus-Size Shopping in the Wild

Samyra Miller’s quest to find clothes at the mall that fit.

- Nina Frazier

For Samyra Miller, shopping for her size-24 to 26, or 3X to 4X-in stores isn't just daunting; it's damn near impossible. Just ask the 26-year-old's 2.3 million followers on Tik Tok and Instagram who double-tap the videos chronicling her searches in Los Angeles to find anything that fits and looks good. We tagged along on a recent Sunday, spending five hours shopping at three popular malls: Westfield Century City, the Beverly Center, and Beverly Connection. Ten stores later, the haul was unsurprisingly light.

We start at Nordstrom. At the Skims section, an employee assures her that all styles are available up to 4X. Then, she tracks down a pair of employees who direct her to the Topshop and Free People sections, telling her the ASOS line that Nordstrom previously carried—which had more plus-size options—is now … gone. After going through several racks, she grabs one of the first XL items she sees. “Now this is the kind of thing I would go up to and be like, Will it stretch?”

A Free People denim jumpsuit catches her eye: “This is cute!” Alas, there’s nothing larger than an XL.

Things found at Nordstrom: two different Skims bodysuit styles in a 2X. She doesn’t buy either.

Miller spots a Free People store in the mall and goes in to ask about the jumpsuit she saw at Nordstrom. Employees tell her the largest size the shop typically carries is XL. They can ship her larger sizes that are available online, but the jumpsuits only go up to XXL. (She can fit into a 2X, which is larger than XXL and commonly mistaken as the same thing. “I don’t wear an XXL. I’m just lucky I can squeeze into it,” she says.)

Things found at Free People: zero.

At Zara, an employee says the largest size in stock is an XL but that Miller can order larger sizes online, where many items go up to an XXL. She’s out the door in 90 seconds.

Things found at Zara: zero.