queen latifahIt seems like Queen Latifah has done it all -- star in tons of successful flicks and TV shows, put out best-selling albums, and serve as a successful spokeswoman for major brands like Cover Girl and Jenny Craig. Now, she's the latest celeb to take a stab at peddling on HSN. Specifically, the multi-talented actress plans to sell clothing and accessories as part of a "lifestyle brand" called Queen, which will launch in August.

The line will feature sweaters, jeans, leggings, T-shirts, handbags, and clip-in hair extensions for women of all sizes, not just plus-sizes, because as Latifah says:

 We all want to wear beautiful, fly clothes no matter what size you are, and so for me it was important to match with a company that understood and respected that ideal.

Now, I don't know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word Queen is ... Prince William's grandmother. Then, a rock band from the '70s.

Finally, the largest size of nylons you can buy at the drugstore.

I know it's also Latifah's name, but there's an innate problem with what she's going after here. Thinner women just aren't going to think twice before dismissing the brand as "plus-size." If for no other reason than  because they associate the brand with Queen Latifah and figure that her clothing line will be more in line with Latifah's own body type.

Whether that's true or not, thinner and more petite women likely won't see themselves being anything like Latifah size-wise. They'll simply assume the clothes would not fit them correctly, or be the right styles for their body type. I know -- it's a shame. But personally, at 4'11", I wouldn't bother even browsing through her styles unless I heard she had a "petites" section. (Then again, that's a prereq for me no matter where I shop!)

That said, I really do appreciate that Latifah is creating a fashion line that won't slap a cringe-inducing label on clothes over a certain size. It really is progressive, and she's taking a step in a direction I think more fashion designers could stand to move in. (Especially considering that the average American woman's size is the technically just-below-plus size 14!)

Whether or not women of all sizes will respond is a different story altogether. But given that she's the Queen, hey, she very well could pull it off.

Would you check out Latifah's "Queen" brand on HSN?

 

Image via Daniel Boczarski/Getty