Jenice Armstrong: Handy tips for the plus-size people

WHO AMONG us has never wondered if she looked fat?

Even if we know we're not, we worry about whether a certain pair of jeans flatters us or whether a new dress adds pounds. We could just try to shrug it off, but anti-fat prejudice is

real, and shows no signs of going away any time soon. Lately, it even feels as if it's getting worse.

The sad reality is that even though overweight Americans are in the majority (two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the latest government stats), studies show that plus-size people make less than their thinner contemporaries and have a tougher time getting hired.

That's why a new hardback by style maven Charla Krupp is going to sell a gazillion copies. It's called "How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner - Without Dieting!" (Grand Central Publishing, $26.99) and taps into fat angst. It's not all our fault, especially since we live in a world where fat has all but become a four-letter word. Obesity may be a legitimate health concern, but when did having pork-chop arms become a mortal sin? (One of Krupp's quick fixes for that flaw is shape-wear for the upper arms called Tres Sleek De Quart Sleeve).

I'm not one for a lot of rules when it comes to what someone should or shouldn't wear. So I asked Krupp, who was in Philadelphia yesterday, if she wasn't adding to the country's already over-the-top obsession with being thin by devoting an entire book to the subject.

Wouldn't it be better if instead of evaluating our clothes for their fat potential, we devoted ourselves to being healthy?

"I don't want women to obsess about looking thin. It's way too much pressure," said Krupp, who has spent 30 years writing about style and fashion and whose last book was on how not to look old. "We don't have time to work out seven days a week for an hour every day. I think three times a week is pretty damn good. Women are busy right now . . . You can do yourself a favor. Don't beat yourself up over the weight. Just choose the right clothes."

Yeah, but that is easier said than done, as even Krupp will tell you. It's easy to get it wrong, especially in the summer when there's an even higher margin for mistakes than at the more layer-friendly winter months. "Thunder thighs," as Krupp calls them, don't melt away as the temperatures rise.

As we were chatting, Krupp talked about how she regularly has to weed out her own bad clothing purchases. Just this weekend she gave away two baggy tunics that overwhelmed her 5-foot frame. She's big on tossing out. (Among the "fattening" clothes Krupp thinks should be tossed are baby-doll and Pucci print dresses, gladiator sandals, and ballerina skirts.)

"It's all about having the right eye and being brutal about what trends you can wear and what you can't," she said. "White shorts are impossible. If you're not thin, don't even go near those things . . . White pants are tricky. But they can look really good in the summer. You just need them to fit perfectly."

How can we be sure they fit? As Krupp writes in her book, "If you have to ask someone, 'Do I look fat in this?' you already know the answer."

Send e-mail to heyjen@phillynews.com. My blog: http://go.philly.com/heyjen.