#standard sizing

An interesting article from Cosmopolitan magazine. It begs a very valid question.... does the Australian fashion industry need to introduce standard sizing and cater to the changing shape of Australian women? 

"Marissa is 161cm tall and 71kg: the average Aussie woman’s size. Cosmo took her shopping to find out why she finds it such a struggle…

It’s a Friday afternoon in a Zara changeroom, and I’m trying to find the best way to break the bad news to Marissa – I can’t zip up the dress she’s trying on.

“No, I’m sure you can, it’s a large. I’m definitely not a large,” she insists. We’re both playing it cool, but after one more valiant attempt I give up, and the dress ends up on the floor. “It’s weird sizing, it’s not you,” I reassure her.

We find few size-14 pieces among the hundreds of outfits across Zara’s two levels. But this turns out to be a huge choice compared to the next place we enter: the brightly lit Kookaï store, also in Sydney’s CBD.

There’s nothing here bigger than size 2 (equivalent to a size 12) and not just because they’re out of stock – they simply don’t sell bigger sizes. “These clothes look like they’re for kids,” says Marissa.

Marissa looks as if she’s about to cry. This gorgeous model, who mostly wears a size 14 or 12 depending on the clothes, says: “I’m really going to try hard to be a 12. It’s too hard to be a 14; 12 is just more acceptable.”

This conversation, and the shame and guilt that go with it, is doubtlessly being repeated in changerooms around the country. Except this afternoon we’re not just two friends shopping, we’re on a mission to uncover whether retailers cater to the average Australian woman – let alone anyone larger. And so far things aren’t going well…

Size matters

Marissa explains that incidents like this are the reason she prefers to shop alone. “I don’t want my friends to see what size I’m buying,” she says. I thought it was crazy such a beautiful girl would feel that way, but by the end of the afternoon I understand her discomfort – in some stores there are only one or two items in her size.

In Bardot she tries a pair of size-14 jeans, but they cling in all the wrong places. “As much as we’re told size doesn’t matter, it never feels good to have to buy the biggest in the store,” she says.

Sportsgirl, Dotti, Portmans, Forever New and Witchery come as a welcome relief. Their clothes go up to a 16, with several styles that don’t necessarily require model-like legs or a flat stomach. Marissa is lucky to find a dress in Seduce – “We only get one size 14 and one size 12,” the sales assistant tells us. Sheike also had a size 14 dress that fitted well.

Out of 13 stores and 41 try-ons, the only other items to fit and flatter were a skater-style dress in Sportsgirl and a skirt at Witchery. Everything else has some kind of issue: too short, too clingy, or too much cleavage." (http://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/fashion/what-to-wear/2013/6/why-cant-this-average-aussie-woman-find-clothes-that-fit/)

You can sign the Cosmo petition for Australian retailers to bring a wider range of sizes to their stores: http://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/fashion/what-to-wear/2013/6/cosmocommits-to-sexy-at-every-size/

I don't know, It's really hard to pick what people do and don't like. I'd think it would depend largely on the head sculpt. Making your BJD a standard size (probably look at Volks sizing for the most standard sizes) will probably help though. People do like to buy artist dolls though, so hopefully they'll like yours!