All bodies are different, and everyone prefers to present themselves in their own way. However, the clothing available to us cannot always satisfy our need to wear something without having to think twice about it.
The fact that clothing sizes differ in many ways – including noticeable differences between types of clothing, brands, stores, and countries – is, in my opinion, simply too much to keep track of. Owning a variety of sizes as a result of this may also have serious impacts on how we view ourselves.
Notably, there are brands that sell clothing advertised as having a smaller size relative to its fit – this is a method of sizing referred to as vanity sizing, which could potentially lead to better body image. This is because clothes are often going to stretch out over time, and the acknowledgement of this can eliminate the worry about the size tag, improving the way someone feels about themselves!
However, this is not as all-inclusive as it sounds.
In most cases, the commonly applied one-size fit seems to be based on a rather petite frame. To give an example, American retailer Brandy Melville takes this approach towards the clothing that they sell – and most items in their stores are, in fact, extremely small. I, for one, don’t own anything from that brand, nor am I planning on buying from there, but it is upsetting that some brands are seemingly too ignorant to consider the range of women’s bodies existing in the world.
Women’s bodies remain to be a topic of discussion to this day. As societies continuously put forward all kinds of ideals that consist of the look people should aim for, there is a certain pressure on women to adhere to the beauty standards that are prominent at a given period in time.
However, as there is not one standard sizing applied to the garments we want to wear, the size of a piece of clothing should actually not matter too much. Focus should be on how well something fits your body, how you actually feel wearing it – regardless of the number on the tag. Personally, I do not enjoy shopping at all. I feel like it can be rather overwhelming having to look for things that you might like, and to then try it on only to feel frustrated by how – in some cases – it is different from what you expected.. and there is nothing you can do about it.
Importantly, though, you should not be the one going out of your way to fit your clothing. Your body is not the issue, clothing is meant to fit you. Although you may have heard this before, it is still worth emphasising – for constantly being made aware of numbers (whether it is with respect to a size or your weight) can unfortunately lead to unhealthy or even obsessive behaviour, such as body image issues and problems with disordered eating, thereby damaging your overall wellbeing.
Lastly, everyone can struggle with a negative body image from time to time. Sometimes, that is just the way you feel about yourself – you might have days where you want to avoid any confrontation with your body whatsoever. However, even in those moments (when positivity feels rather unattainable) it may be helpful to at least acknowledge what your body does for you: it keeps you alive.
That counts for more than whatever society, and the fashion industry in particular, puts out there in the world.
“Brandy Melville Lincoln Road Mall South Beach” by Phillip Pessar is licensed under CC BY 2.0.