We’ve all been in this situation. You have a little extra money to spend, you’re standing in a store feeling confident about the clothes you have in your hands and you’re headed to the fitting room.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve chosen the size that fits you at most other stores. Then you stand in the fitting room trying to squeeze into the jeans that don’t fit and the shirts suddenly appear like they must have been made for an infant and not a grown adult woman.
Just like that, your confidence tanks and you’re ready to go find a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt because that makes you comfortable. You know your sizes, you’ve double checked the tags and nothing fits. Now you’re forced to ask the fitting room attendant for a larger size (who wants to do that?) or you’re stuck wondering why your sizes don’t fit any more.
For the record, I’m typically a size Medium in most shirts and, most of the time, a size 4 in jeans. Most women consider me small, but I do carry around a few more pounds than I probably should. I don’t work out. You’re not going to catch me in a crop top unless I’m wearing something high waisted – and under those high waisted jeans, you’ll find Spanx. You’re not going to catch me modeling a bikini on Instagram and I don’t look like I’m a Victoria’s Secret model. That’s just not who I am and that’s just not the body type I have. And I’m okay with that – because I like snacks and candy bars and sugar-filled drinks…and I’m not going to give up everything that I like just to improve my body image for society.
All of this to say – I was recently shopping and I purchased 4 shirts. I had tried on all 4 shirts in the store, but had to keep going to back to shelves to change my sizes. After I left and took another glance at what I had purchased, this is what I found:
Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large. In less than 30 minutes at a single store, I went from being considered a Petite woman to being one step away from what the store considered Plus Size.
Why does this matter? It shouldn’t, but this is part of the reason women feel less confident in their bodies. Society dictates a certain size, but every single store has a different version of that “perfect size.”
There are so many women who would have put the larger sizes down just because society has told them that the size is “too big.” But what is “too big” any more? According to this, I’m too big, too.
For all of the women out there struggling with their body because society tells you it should be a certain size, I want you to know – numbers and letters don’t matter. Not the number on the back of your jeans and not the S, M, L or XL that is stitched into the tag of your shirt. Buy what makes you feel comfortable. Be yourself, be the person you want to be. Don’t let society shape who you are – you are beautiful the way you are.