According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 9 million kids age 6 to 19 are considered overweight or obese. Sixteen percent of adolescents age 12 to 19 are overweight, up from 4.6 percent in 1965. "We should be alarmed about this epidemic because we know the consequences," says Yale-New Haven Hospital dietitian Lisa Tartamella, a coauthor of "Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children From the Epidemic of Obesity" Such as? Well, death. Last month, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association established that while smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, excessive weight and obesity now represent a close and gaining second. Also last month, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (called "excessively gloomy" by an accompanying editorial) went so far as to assert that the rise in obesity, especially among young people and minorities, could reduce life expectancy in the United States -- this century -- by at least two years. To be sure, weight itself is not universally toxic; many plus sizers are quite healthy -- possibly more so, in fact, than the skinnies who live on Whoppers "because they can." But being overweight has been linked to all manner of serious problems, from heart disease and type 2 diabetes to cancer -- not to mention the ill effects of trauma and depression caused by, say, evil taunting schoolmates. And, says Dr. Stern, "If you're obese as an adolescent, you tend to be obese as an adult."

Fat teens aren't thinking about being fat grown-ups, though; they're thinking about surviving being a fat teen -- an experience that's basically hellish and, by most accounts, getting worse. Researchers recently repeated a 1961 study in which fifth and sixth graders were asked to choose which kid they liked best from a series of drawings of children with various disabilities and disfigurements, plus one who was visibly chubby. In both years -- and by a much greater proportion in 2001 -- children "liked" the fat kid least of all.

Cool clothes really do make a difference, it turns out -- at least in terms of how much an overweight kid likes herself. "Having fashionable plus-size clothes is great body-image therapy. It removes a really distressing stigma for overweight girls -- that of not looking good in clothes and having only alternatives that are big and baggy and hide their bodies," says James Rosen, professor emeritus at the University of Vermont, a clinical psychologist and an expert in obesity and body image.

Jessica Weiner, author of the memoir "A Very Hungry Girl," has worked on self-esteem issues with girls around the country for years. "The biggest complaint I've heard from plus-size teens has been the incredible lack of fashionable clothing. They've had to buy men's or boys' clothes, sew their own, and just get resigned to the misery of not finding anything amazing in their size. That affects their whole personality. It makes them feel like an outsider," she says. "But walking around in trendy clothes made to fit your body raises your self-esteem because you feel included in the pop-culture fashion world -- and that's what it's all about for that age. That's the purpose clothing serves; it's a uniform. It communicates an image and an identity. And if there's nothing for them to dress up in, they feel nameless and faceless."

Torrid fans bear her out. "Torrid helped me come into my own," says Rachel Vickers, 15, a high school junior in Kansas City, Mo. "I was your average 'fat girl,' the nice one. The one who you could always ask for a pencil, shy and mousy. I was actually surprised that I wasn't invisible by the time I was a freshman. I was wearing Wal-Mart average stuff that every fat girl tried to wear: preppy things, or at least trying to fit in with the crowd. But after I started buying Torrid clothes, people started to notice 'Rachel,' and now I'm in 11th grade and lots of people know me! I am nuts about Torrid, and I will always shop there as long as they are near."

For some girls, even one piece of clothing can mean the difference between enjoying a party and hiding in a corner, or not going at all. Erica Santiago, a 17-year-old with orange-streaked hair, giant rave pants, and zipper-pull earrings, was shopping recently in Torrid's Staten Island store. While fielding calls on her pink cellphone, Erica, who says she feels "really comfortable" with herself at about 185 pounds, described the thrill of finding a trendy bathing suit that fit. "Before, I wouldn't even dare try them on. I would just guess, get home, have them not fit, and then return them," she says, noting that those that did fit were hideous. If forced to go near the water, she'd wear a T-shirt over whatever abomination she'd settled for. At Torrid, however, she found a suit she loves, black with star-shaped studs near the neck. She's now done away with the coverups, she says. "I feel more confident -- really good. It feels great to be able to go to a pool party and actually wear a bathing suit." (Torrid also does big business at prom time and Halloween.)

Of course, Torrid is hardly the only purveyor of teen-wearable plus-size clothing. The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy all offer extended sizes, as do J.C. Penney, Sears, Nordstrom and many others. (However, as only two of my messages to such department stores -- in which I specified my topic -- were returned, I have to wonder how much they want people to know about it.) Ann Taylor and Talbot's now have larger lines -- as do designers such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Liz Claiborne -- which works for teens with plus-size allowances and grown-up taste. Hip-hop star Nelly, he of "Shake Ya Tailfeather," has launched Apple Bottoms. There's also Avenue (but it's considered a little square) and Fashion Bug (but it's called "Fashion Bug"). And with online shops such as Alight and Beauty Plus Power, the Internet is a gold mine for cool plus-size clothes (but could someone please find J.Lo an actual plus-size model?).

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