Shelf after shelf and rack after rack, a long and grueling search for your size. This is a struggle that many plus size Americans have to experience, constantly having to ask, ‘Do you have this in a larger size?’ Many people struggle gaining the confidence to even ask for a larger size and many fashion brands don’t carry sizes past an XL. There are brands exclusively for plus size people, but many of these brands cost more than most fast fashion brands that don’t cater to a plus size demographic, adding to the lack of availability and clothing options for plus size people.
It is evident that the fashion industry was not created with the intention of being inclusive to all sizes, for most nations the overall beauty standard doesn’t include plus size individuals. If someone doesn’t fit into what is considered the “Beauty standard” then why would the fashion industry be considerate of them? This is a very common thought process for various fashion company executives. They want to make the decision that they believe will make them the most money rather than making the decision that makes everyone feel included, regardless of their size or financial situation. According to Statistica, during the 2023 autumn and winter fashion season in New York, London, Milan and Paris, 95.6 percent of the sizes shown were zero through four, 3.8 percent were sizes six through twelve, and finally 0.6 percent of the sizes were 14 and up. A vast majority of the models featured on the runway were under size six, the average dress size for women has been increasing since the start of the 21st century, even more so in the past decade.
It is fairly obvious the importance of staying healthy by exercising and/or eating healthy, but it is also important for people to feel represented regardless of their current size and no matter what their current fitness and health goals. The profits for the plus size clothing industry are also significantly lower than the rest of the clothing and fashion industries in the world, so with less profits and less representation, the plus size clothing industry will struggle and continue to struggle until the worldwide fashion industry begins to be more size inclusive for everyone.
Now, a short history lesson on how women’s sizing has changed over time. When compared to the modern day, sizes in the past were much smaller. Take the 1950s for example, a size eight in the 1950s would be considered a size double zero in today’s sizing system for women. But why such a drastic change? It has to do with the increasing food portion sizes in the West, and changes in women’s bodies and the way fat is distributed across the body, it is likely that sizing will continue to change over time because of these same factors.
A primary issue with women’s sizing is the generalization. In the past, people would often tailor or make their clothes with their own direct measurements providing a more comfortable fit, although it is also important to acknowledge that the mass production of clothes wasn’t commonplace yet, so people had significantly less clothes than the average person in the modern day, this is all due to the rise of fast fashion post the industrial revolution.
It is important to understand why there is a profound lack of size inclusivity and how sizing has changed over time in order to advocate for better size inclusivity and increase the amount of plus size models in the modeling industry so more people can feel represented and begin to feel more confident in their bodies and perception of themselves.