SAN DIEGO — Sports Illustrated put a plus-size model on the cover of this year's swimsuit edition. It’s a sign that, as a society, we are moving in the right direction when it comes to accepting different body types. Well, sort of.
While plus-size women are getting more opportunities these days, men say they are being left out. DXL in El Cajon is one of the few stores across our county that actually caters to big guys. Large men joke that they have so few shopping options that they can look at another big guy and know exactly where they bought their outfit.
“I think the biggest misperception about bigger guys is that we're lazy and that we're sloppy and uncaring about our appearance and that's absolutely not true,” said Tevin Evans, who is known to his 11,000 Instagram followers as @FatChuckBass.
“I'm not afraid or ashamed of using the word fat. I don't think that it's as much of a negative thing as some would have it be,” said Evans
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But when Evans looks at men's magazines, there’s a problem. He sees guys wearing cool clothes but not guys built like him.
“Society has made it for so many of us to feel like we're never quite enough,” said Evans, who suffers from a medical condition that affects his weight.
But on his Instagram page, Evans' message is clear: it's time for society to accept big men too. Evans proudly posts pictures of his body and doesn’t try to hide his 387 pounds.
“I've spent my entire life being a bigger guy and being ridiculed for it and being cast aside and enough is enough,” he said. “There's no reason I shouldn't have the same privilege as somebody else.”
Evans' social media presence is the exception. Most men are reluctant to talk about body image, a serious mental health concern. He says he has actually received private messages from men around the world thanking him for sharing his story. And for letting them know that they are not alone.
Evans said that outreach means a lot. “We all deserve to feel comfortable and confident in who we are and confident within our bodies and to know that our bodies are amazing and that no one can take that away from us. It's our body.”
Evans hopes his hard work will inspire designers to create more fashionable options for bigger guys and finally end what he calls a “clothing drought."
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