With 45% of British women being the UK’s average dress size of 16 or above, why is it so difficult to be body confident in today’s society?
All clothing shops have different sizing, which has proved to be an issue for most shoppers. The size 10 clothing in one shop may be the same as the the size 14 clothing in another. It’s very rare that people will fit into just one size and they will fluctuate depending on the shop. This puts people off the idea of clothes shopping, as not only does it cause a lot of hassle but it makes people feel less confident in their own skin.
“The lack of diversity in the modelling industry has made it difficult to believe that the average dress size in the UK is a 16.”
Imogen Brighty-Potts, a 21-year-old student, said: “My clothing size literally fluctuates from a 10 to a 16 depending on where I am shopping and let me tell you, squatting in a fitting room (my least favourite place) trying to tug on size 16 jeans and crying because they don’t fit is not a good time.”
The lack of diversity in the modelling industry has made it difficult to believe that the average dress size in the UK is a 16. Over the years the main culprit, Victoria’s Secret, have cultivated young women to believe that their models have the ideal physique and it is attainable. The under representation of alternative body types has left people to question how it’s possible that the majority of women are a size 16 or above.
Social media and the magazine industry have also made huge contributions to this issue. The use of airbrushing, which is achieved on ‘Photoshop’ and ‘Facetune’, results in those looking at the perfect images to become fixated on their own imperfections. When people are exposed to these images on a daily basis, it’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that nobody is perfect.
17-year-old Holly Hostettler-Davies said: “There are a lot of influencers on Instagram who sometimes promote a body image that isn’t realistic and therefore is toxic for people.”
She added: “But then equally there’s a lot of people on Instagram now who are trying to promote a more realistic body image and seeing that makes me feel more confident about myself.”
Primark, a leading clothing store with a market share of 13.5%, changed their sizing at the beginning of 2018. They converted to a sizing chart that ranges from 2XS to 2XL to make it more inclusive. A size 10-12 would once have acquainted to a medium, but is now known as a small. However, many complained that it doesn’t accommodate for those in size 8-10 as they only offer 6-8 and 10-12.
“Only following those who make you feel empowered is the best place to start.”
Although TikTok has a predominantly harmful impact on body confidence, some users have taken to the platform to share their weight loss journeys and to encourage others to feel confident in their bodies. Florence Simpson, known as Flo, began documenting her weightless journey on the 5th May. Since then she has accumulated nearly 580,000 followers, who are invested in her attempt to comfortably fit back into a pair of her jeans.
Holly says TikTok has had a big impact on her perception of her body, mainly positive, and it’s great to see a lot of people have followed in Flo’s footsteps after seeing her on the platform.
There is no straightforward answer as to how we can all learn to feel body confident in today’s society, but there are steps we can take to help ourselves. Undoubtedly, social media has the biggest impact on everyone’s perception of themselves. Only following those who make you feel empowered is the best place to start. Hours of the day are spent scrolling through social media feeds, so ensure that what you are seeing leaves you feeling positive.
Katie Wheatley
Featured image courtesy of @billiebodybrand via Unsplash.