Cut the Tag

THE EXPLOITATIVE NATURE OF A FASHION INDUSTRY NORM

By Clara Padgham, Contributing Writer Graphic by Mac Gale, Staff Graphic Artist

Recently, I tried on the dress I wore to my sophomore year homecoming. My junior year, my body began to change as I started growing into a more “womanly” figure, which I hated. Suffice to say, I became so obsessed with fitting into that homecoming dress that I went to unhealthy lengths to do so. Somehow I convinced myself that the day I could zip up that dress is the day I would be happy with my body. Finally, the day came that the dress zipped—and I felt nothing but shame. I stood there weeping until I had an epiphany: I had to alter my mindset rather than try to create an “ideal” body.

I began to learn more about women’s clothing sizing and how it essentially means nothing. Many fashion brands rely on “vanity sizing,” a tactic that includes purposefully altering the measurement specifications so the size on the tag is smaller but the clothes can fit on larger bodies. Vanity sizing is why jeans of the same size fit differently at every store—size six jeans can have waistbands spanning a difference of six inches.1

The idea is to make shoppers feel “skinny,” or as though they fit into an “ideal body type.” Victoria’s Secret, a lingerie brand, makes their sizes larger so people trying on their bras feel as though they have larger breasts, ultimately meeting the beauty standard for women. The company sizes their bras three times larger than what would commonly be someone’s fit.2 The issue behind vanity sizing is that it works––the psychological tactics used to sell these clothes make sales.

Vanity sizing generally aims to have consumers picture themselves as a smaller size. Since there is such societal pressure on women to be thin, companies want their customers to feel like the commodified body size in their clothes. If a customer can picture themselves as a smaller size, they will subconsciously want to buy more clothing from the brand.3

As companies continue to associate smaller sizes with larger measurements, there are still groups of people that

1 Eliana Dockterman, “One size fits none,” TIME, accessed April 2022 ² Sami Jilek, “Vanity sizing and how it impacts women’s body image confidence,” Illinois State University, Oct. 19, 2021. ³ Erin Mayer, “Which brands use vanity sizing,” Bustle, Dec. 4, 2014. MODA | 34

cannot find their size in the majority of retail stores. This feeds into the privilege that people have to fit into straight sizes at stores, which are the standard industry sizes. It is easier for a woman who fits into straight sizing to find options for clothing.

Continuing to force clothes on women that make them feel smaller excludes larger bodies. About 70% of women wear a size 14 or larger, but only about 20% of apparel is made in these sizes.4 Vanity sizing disproportionately affects larger bodies because they are continuously left out from major retailers, perpetuating ideas of what a woman should look like.

This is not to discount that anyone of any size can have insecurities, but to say that companies wrongfully exploit said insecurities. Brands should want to be inclusive and strive to sell to the majority of women.

Studies found that when women buy what they perceive as smaller sizes, their self-esteem is boosted.5 Also, when consumers purchased larger sizes, they were compelled to shop as a form or “retail therapy” to make up for the loss of self-esteem from buying clothing deemed “large.”6 Consumers will never win as long as retail companies continue to profit off of insecurities.

The size on the tag does not matter, and if I can offer any advice, it’s to be mindful of that whenever you’re trying on clothes. Repeatedly tell yourself that the size of your clothes doesn’t matter, as it’s all fabricated. There is no “right way” to wear clothes and there is no “right size” for billions of different bodies. As hard as it is, we cannot let our self-worth be determined by a superficial number.

When I tried on the sophomore year homecoming dress a week ago, it didn’t fit, so I took it off and went about my day. After all, four years later, I should hope the shape of my body has changed—and this change is no longer something we should fear. ■

4 Beth Ashley, “What happened to plus size?” Vogue Business, Dec. 11, 2020. 5 JoAndrea Hoegg, “The flip side of vanity sizing: How consumers respond to and compensate for larger than expected clothing sizes,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, July 26, 2013. 6 Ibid.

Photographed by Luc Marchessault, Staff Photographer Videography by Ethan Risch, Staff Videographer Makeup by Riley August, Makeup Director Modeled by Tracy Pham

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