Melissa McCarthy Rolls Out New Clothing Line, Takes Stand Against Term 'Plus-Size'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actress Melissa McCarthy has defied the odds stacked against heavier women in Hollywood and now she's trying to buck the "plus-size" label as she rolls out her new clothing collection at retailers nationwide.

Her Seven7 line features trendy pieces available from size four to size 28. It launches this month at the Home Shopping Network (HSN), Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Lane Bryant.

"Women come in all sizes. Seventy percent of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that's technically 'plus-size,' so you're taking your biggest category of people and telling them, 'You're not really worthy.' I find that very strange," she told Refinery29. "I just think, if you're going to make women's clothing, make women's clothing. Designers that put everyone in categories are over-complicating something that should be easy."

Typically, sizes above 12 are relegated to a different "Plus Size" department, and, even, a separate floor in most major department stores.

The "Mike and Molly" star told Refinery29: "I don't like the segregated plus section. You're saying: 'You don't get what everybody else gets. You have to go shop up by the tire section.' I have a couple of very big retailers that I think are going to help me chip away at that in a very meaningful way, and I'm really excited about it. I'm not ready to announce them yet, but they agreed to just put me on the floor. I said, 'Run the sizes as I make them and let friends go shopping with their friends. Stop segregating women.' And they said, 'Okay.'"