Megan Navarro
I have a love-hate relationship with shopping.
I’ve always enjoyed browsing around stores with my husband, friends and my mom — that probably dates back to when we used to do Target runs when I was a kid; we still do. You go on a Saturday with your fun little drink in hand and you just get to explore the aisles at your own pace, most of the time.
But when it comes to the not-so-lovely adventure of bringing stacks of clothes into the fitting room, that’s another story.
My typical experience is that these retail stores are ridiculously warm in temperature, especially when it’s winter and you are having to take off that bulky coat right when you walk in the door. Then, when you make the trek to the fitting room — because women’s clothing sizes are never the same across the board — you are basically in a pool of your own sweat when trying to find the right outfit.
Early in my pregnancy, my sister-in-law, who gave birth to her beautiful daughter in July, told me that Target was doing a major sale on maternity jeans because, at least her location, was getting rid of that particular section. I couldn’t believe it.
That was until I went shopping for myself a few days later and there was seemingly no maternity section — at least not one in big bold letters — to be found. I ended up having to ask a salesperson twice to help me find it.
It’s also becoming standard for a lot of other retailers, as well, that they are doing away with their in-store maternity section and transitioning it to solely be online.
Don’t get me wrong. I love online shopping as much as the next girl. You know, sitting on the couch or being the lovingly-named “passenger princess” on car rides and browsing what my next buy is on Amazon.
But, as a girl who has been petite, especially in height, all of her life with added on curves, finding clothes that actually fit and make me feel good is a challenge. I want to be able to try them on before I buy, or else I will just be sitting there, second-guessing if I wasted my money, before the package arrives.
Those feelings have been heightened throughout my pregnancy, too. I am one of the lucky ones, where I can somewhat fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes. However, I have still had to go out and buy larger shirts and dresses to accommodate my growing belly, yet they are not labeled as maternity clothes.
So, I just want to know: Where have all of the maternity clothes gone in-store? What’s going in their place? What about postpartum clothes? Why are we being forced to shop online?
This, unfortunately, just feels like another battle that women are having to fight.
My Target and Walmart runs will not stop, of course. I guess I will just be sitting here with my fun little drink at home, like all of the other expectant mothers, doing some online shopping if I need maternity-specific clothes.
Navarro is the executive editor for the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. She can be reached by emailing [email protected].
