In a study conducted by ModCloth of 1,500 American women ages 18 to 44, results showed that 74 percent of plus-sized women call their shopping experiences “frustrating.” The average size for a woman in the U.S. is a size 16, but the clothing industry has not accommodated their products to reflect this change. Instead, a woman who wears a size two and another who wears a size 12 are both expected to look good in the same style of clothes even though their body types are completely different. It is an unrealistic belief that the same piece of clothing will look good on every person that wears it.
Recently, I have tried to add more business clothes to my wardrobe since I am pursuing a profession that requires you to dress professionally. After trying on numerous skirts and suits that didn’t fit correctly in H&M, Macy’s and other stores, I started to get flustered. The suit jackets were too tight on my arms or they made me look boxy. The skirts fit me correctly on my waist, but couldn’t be zipped up over my butt. My thoughts immediately went to negative thoughts and body shaming. I went home empty handed and upset. I go between a size 10 and 12 for dress clothing and I have the hardest time finding clothes that will fit me. I can’t even imagine how women who wear a larger size than me feel about shopping. It confuses me that in a society which preaches we should all be confident with the size and shape of our bodies, the options available to those over a size 12 are ridiculous.
There is no such thing as “one size fits all.” There are girls who have curves and those who do not, tall, short and everything in between. I wish this vicious cycle of trying to conform and fit into a very limited cut of clothing would end because the stress of not being able to find clothes for your body type is ridiculous. In The Washington Post, an article by Tim Gunn explains in each season of “Project Runway,” there is a ‘real woman challenge.’ While he hated the name, the task is for contestants to design looks for non-models. Each year, Gunn noted, this challenge would receive, ‘audible groans.’ A designer named Ashley Nell Tipton won the competition with the show’s first collection for plus-sized women. Gunn criticized the clothes calling them, ‘hideous,’ not something that every woman would want to wear.
Designers need to step up and realize there is a high demand for flattering, age appropriate clothing, not only for women size 12 and over, but also for women who just have different body types. Everyone can’t fit into the same styles and shapes of clothing. There needs to be a variety to choose from. As we are slowly becoming a society that accepts a wider variety of people, hopefully the clothing industry can do the same.
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