Since I can remember, growing up chunky was always a bad thing. As a teenager I always felt like I needed to lose 50 pounds to be as pretty as my friends. And even worse than the number on the scale was the number on the tag of all my clothes. Plus size clothes were always more expensive (still true), never as cute, and I was always embarrassed that I couldn't shop at the same stores as all my friends. It was hell, and I am sure I wasn't the only plus size teenager who felt this way. But recently, in the past year or so, the anxiety of shopping as a plus size woman has been eased, as the plus size fashion industry has developed and expanded. Now that I can shop without having an emotional breakdown, I thought I would share some of my favorite plus size stores and all the information you need to know about them.

1. Torrid

This store is, hands down, my favorite plus size store to shop at. Size ranges from 12 to 28, which is your average plus size store size range. It's a bit pricey, but it's definitely worth it because the quality of the clothing is great. The clothes, shoes, and accessories are always up to date with the latest trends, so plus size women don't have to feel left out anymore. My only complaint is that their models are always on the slimmer side of thick. I'd really like to see a size 28 model on the website modeling clothes. But they make up for that by featuring customers in their Torrid outfits on the store's website, and even sometimes in the actual stores. For example, if you visit the website right now you will see their hashtag "#OwnIt" on their homepage with pictures of women modeling their Torrid bathing suits. Torrid really does a great job at creating a community for their customers.

2. Lane Bryant

Lane Bryant is great for the more sophisticated plus size woman. It reminds me of New York and Company, if your familiar with the store, just with bigger sizes. Size range If you're a plus size woman looking for a nice suit, this is definitely the place to find one. They also carry awesome jeans with special tummy smoothing technology, which is just great, really. I know that wearing jeans can sometimes be intimidating as a bigger woman. Having to worry about rolls and muffin tops and things of that sort. Well fear no more because these jeans are magical! Leave the muffins and rolls to the bakers! Lane Bryant also carries their own intimates line, Cacique, which carries really amazing quality bras and extended sizes, like F, G, and H. You can also get measured and sized for free at any store! Lane Bryant also had a few hashtags of their own, including "#ImNoAngel", a hashtag used to redefine the word sexy.

3. Ashley Stewart

Ashley Stewart is great for women who are bigger than a 28, but still want to look fly and fierce. Because everyone deserves to look fly and fierce, no matter your size. Ashley Stewart's size range is 12-32, which is a really awesome range. The store carries a lot of fun, funky pieces, but also a lot of classy, cute, business pieces as well. They also carry intimates, and their famous butterfly bra. The butterfly bra really is some kind of magic, I would know, I used to own one. Created by Jill Scott, this bra has two separate closures, one to secure the bra, and another that secures the bra and helps smooth those pesky back rolls your bra sometimes creates. It's like a waist trainer for your chest! I loved mine and eventually wore it out, but it lasted longer than any other bra I've ever owned. I really don't have anything bad to say about this store except for the fact that there don't seem to be many physical store locations. There is one near my home and it's about an hour away, so most of my shopping I do online. Which is fine, because who doesn't love online shopping?!

4. Forever 21

Forever 21 has a plus size section that is really on the come up. There are some stores that now have a whole floor dedicated to their plus size clothing. The size range isn't the best, but most stores that aren't strictly plus size don't have the biggest range. Your options are 1X-3X, and not everything is always true to size, so I'd advise trying everything on, especially if you're a 3X. I'm between a 3X and a 4X on top, and some 3Xs at F21 fit me perfectly, and some don't fit at all. So it really just depends on the piece, and your personal body type. Other than that though, the clothes are always really cute and cheap! As for quality, you get what you pay for- the more expensive pieces will last you longer than the cheaper ones.

5. Target

I feel like Target is one of the most convenient places to find cute, plus size clothing because people already go there so often for other things like groceries, or home decor. Target has always carried cute clothes in straight sizes, and it's no different for their plus size clothing! It's all just as trendy and fabulous. Target features a handful of different brands designers, so there are lots of different style pieces to choose from. Prices range from cheap to not so cheap depending who the piece is by. If you feel like your local target doesn't have what you're looking for, don't be afraid to go online. Target's online selection for plus size clothing is MASSIVE. And online you can search through the different categories, or even by brand if you find one you really like.

Remember, all my curvy ladies, you are beautiful! You owe it to your beauty to dress yourself in clothes just as fabulous as you are. Don't let anyone tell you different, especially not a store that doesn't carry your size.