One Size Fits Most.

So I read this article on BuzzFeed earlier this week. And yes, I know BuzzFeed isn’t very journalistic, but that’s not the point. The point is that when did sizing get so whack? There is no such thing as “one size fits all,” or “one size fits most.” What this apparently all-inclusive size does is exclude. So do most size ranges at stores marketed to young women.

Let’s look at one example, Abercrombie & Fitch. I cringed as I typed that name. I can’t believe that I was one of those preteens that got sucked into the “cool and skinny people only” marketing bullshit that this company promotes.

Flashback to 2013 to when A & F’s CEO Mark Jeffries was called out for his stores not offering any sizes over a size 10. Jeffries and A & F made a half-ass attempt at apologizing for not being inclusive, but really what they implied what that the brand targets a certain demographic. However, the company did create plus sizes, presumably to appease tweens’ and teens’ moms.

Wait… what? Jeffries, since when is size 10 a plus size? So, basically the store (well, the online store only) provides an actual size range now. Not really, adding a size 12, and maybe a 14 to select (minimal) styles is not really solving the problem.

If you had a chance to read the article I posted above from BuzzFeed you’ll know that the American retail chain, Brandy Melville, primarily offers sizing that is “one size fits most.” And you’ll notice that as the lovely BuzzFeed infographics show, basically one size means anything under size 6.

I think that’s pretty gross and unacceptable, Brandy Melville.

Statistically speaking the average North American woman is around a size 12. The sizes that are offered at most chain retailers don’t match up with the size the average woman is.

I don’t want to focus too much on the specifics, the numbers, because sizes do vary among stores and brands. I try not to not get fixated with numbers personally, but it’s easier to say than actually follow through with. Our society is number obsessed. Weight and the size on a tag are somehow important determiners of a young women’s worth. And the “cool and skinny people only” marketing model needs to go away. Go away for good.

Oh, and maybe stores should sell sizes that are more relevant to the population they’re serving. Just a suggestion.

After gaining a healthy 30 pounds, I had such a hard time accepting the size(s) that fit my body. But the sizes I needed were at least available in-store. Who wants to buy their clothing exclusively online? I don’t want to. And I don’t think it should have to be that way. I mean, buying pants online seems like a total nightmare. I have a hard enough time finding a good-fitting pair of pants after trying on a dozen at a store.

Anyways, enough of my rant and back to the real point of this post. One size fits most is not a thing. Offering a minuscule size range ostracizes potential customers. Obviously some stores are still going to market to who they want to market to. And wishy-washy attempts to change the perception of a brand as inclusive to all body types should be reconsidered. And size 10 is not a plus size.

Let’s face it, the only pieces of clothing that should be one size are, as my coworker put it, “scarves, hair elastics, maybe bobby pins.”

Regardless of size, all bodies are good bodies. I don’t think we tell ourselves this often enough.