Meet Miranda Sharp | Plus size artist and fashion designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miranda Sharp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miranda, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe wholeheartedly in community building both on and offline. Finding a niche for my art was something I struggled with but once it clicked everything fell into place. I became frustrated by the lack of positive representation of fat bodies in art and fashion. Almost every gallery show I went to featured only thin people or dehumanizing portraits of fat people to represent society’s ills. As I gained weight I found it harder to express myself through clothing as my options became more limited. In 2018 I decided to only depict fat bodies in my artwork and by 2020 I realized this was a business that was sorely needed. People need diverse art in their homes and fat people are just as deserving of alternative clothing styles. We shouldn’t be limited to cold shoulders and business casual! When I began to create my fat positive artwork I found a community that was ready to embrace me and they’ve helped grow my business to where it is today. Whether it’s through an online following or vending at plus size exclusive events, I’ve loved creating art for this often overlooked community.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is all about increasing positive representation of fat people. Fat does not mean lazy, stupid, sloppy etc. Its a neutral descriptor of someone’s body just like the word thin is. Myself and other’s in the fat positive community are aiming to reclaim this word. I contribute to this by creating artwork of fat people as ethereal beings such as fairies, mermaids, sci fi babes and other fun characters. Rarely do we get to see ourselves portrayed this way. It makes my day when someone tells me that they feel seen by my art. I often get people messaging me to say that my artwork made them tear up or healed something in them. Reactions like that make the act of creation feel all the more worthwhile.

How did you get to where you are today professionally:
Upward mobility as a queer alternative fat woman who is also creative is hard to come by in the traditional job market. I had numerous jobs where I was succeeding in helping other businesses grow but was not being adequately compensated for the value I brought. I picked up necessary skills along the way until I finally got to the point where I had outgrown what these jobs could offer me. I decided to take a chance on myself and to see how far I could go without the constraints of a normal 9-5. Although my business is still very young (having been in operation for almost 3 years) I’m turning a profit. A part of that profit goes towards new fashion development and promotion though I mostly rely on slow and organic growth.
Building up a plus size brand is not easy. There’s a lot of customer education involved because fat people are not used to having their bodies catered to! Most people don’t even know their measurements or what size they are because there is no universal standard sizing. It can also be a struggle to convince some fat people that they are worth investing in. Because society is so cruel to fat people many struggle with confidence issues and don’t value themselves enough to invest in a closet that they actually love. I make lots of videos for my channels to educate on topics like these and to boost others confidence. Of course being a fat person on the internet can be a minefield to navigate as anytime a post goes viral in come the trolls. If you look at the comments (usually a mistake) you’ll find responses ranging from fat jokes to death threats. Luckily my self worth is high so I’m able to shrug it off and thank them for the boost in engagement. If I’m feeling generous I’ll troll them back haha.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This question is so fun!

Chinatown and Little Tokyo are my two favorite LA neighborhoods for food and shopping. Luckily they’re so close to each other! We’d start in Little Tokyo and grab coffee and a steamed bun at Yamazaki bakery. Then we’d have some fun shopping making sure to stop at Q Pop, Anime Jungle, BOOKOFF, Kools, Space City Vintage, and Monster Patrol. When we want a sweet snack we’ll stop by Honeymee for delicious honeycomb ice cream. Once we’re good and hungry we’ll go to the best sushi spot in LA (imo), Hama sushi for lunch. For some afternoon happy hour we’ll hop over to the Mermaid bar for tiki drinks and if we need a little caffeine boost we can stop by Tea Master Matcha cafe for their out of this world matcha ice cream.
Once the sun starts to go down its time to head over to Chinatown to catch all of the beautiful neon lights! Seriously I love how the plaza looks at night its so majestic. If Leimin Space is open we’ll take in some contemporary art and then hit up Salt Box records around the corner. Then its time for some dancing and drinks at Melody Lounge. Once we’ve danced our feet sore we’ll hop over to Hop Woo, my favorite late night spot to eat. They’ve got a huge selection of Chinese food and everything I’ve tried has been delicious.

For an art filled day we’d start off in the Arts District of course at one of my favorite galleries, Corey Helford. They’ve always got an amazing show going on with all of the pop surrealism greats and omg a free parking lot (a rarity)! From there we can grab lunch at Wurstküche which has delicious brats with unique flavors. On our way out of downtown we can hit up Superchief Gallery to view some contemporary underground art (their show openings are always a riot). From Downtown its off to Hollywood to peruse the show at La Luz De Jesus gallery. I used to dream of visiting this gallery while reading Hi Fructose and Juxtapoz Magazine as a teen! La Luz is in the back of Wacko Soap plant which has an amazing art book selection so we’ll definitely be spending time there. I’ve gotten some great deals on books at Wacko (such as my favorite Pierre et Gilles book). If Tiki Ti down the street has room at the bar we’ll stop for drinks at the iconic vintage location (make sure to have cash on hand). If you need any art supplies Blue Rooster is where I shopped when I lived in Hollywood. We’ll be close by to Los Feliz which is another favorite neighborhood of mine. We have to stop by House of Pies for the kitsch and tasty treats duh (I love banana cream or key lime). Then thrifting at Squaresville which is always well curated and doesn’t overcharge. For late night eats Thai Town is my fav in the area. They have a bakery Bhan Kanom Thai that stays open until 12am! Jitlada’s food is heavenly but the wait is looong so if we’re starving we can also hit up Crispy Pork Gang (but seriously Jitlada is worth the wait).

I have so many more great things to recommend! I love planning trips and I love LA but I’ve probably rambled enough haha.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout the other fat women in my community! I have received so much help and guidance from other plus size women. There has been no gatekeeping and everyone has just wanted to see me thrive. They’ve helped boost my confidence, carried my work in their stores, shared my art with others, helped me find suppliers and answered my questions about business. I love fat women! <3

Website: https://shopsoftcore.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsoftcore/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShopS0ftcore

Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsoftcore Tumblr: https://shopsoftcore.tumblr.com/

Image Credits
2nd photo taken by Jayna Finucane All other photos taken by me