How can a size 6 fit the same as a 12?
This Woman Tried on Differently Sized Pants to Make a Point About Clothing and Body Image
Deena Shoemaker has worked as a leader and counselor for teenage and pre-teen girls for the last 6 years, and she has been faced with the task of helping many of these girls suffering from body image issues. She explains in a recent Facebook post, "I've listened to countless girls tell me about their new diets and weight loss fads. I've have girls sob in my arms and ask me, 'if I were skinnier, would he have stayed?' I've counseled girls who were skipping meals. I've caught some throwing up everything they've just eaten." In a pleading attempt to bring awareness to the fashion industry's flawed sizing system, Deena used six pairs of pants to prove her point about body image. She tried on different pairs in sizes five, six, eight and 12, that all fit her exactly the same.
In the post attached to the image that she shared to Facebook (that generated almost 40,000 shares) Deena begs, "STOP telling my girls that a size 4 is the 'ideal body size' and the 'epitome of beauty' if you're going to change a size 4 into an 8 or a 12 or whatever number you feel like on any given day." Check out the full post for yourself:
She ended the post with these poignant words—and they apply for women just as much as they do for young girls:
"And to you; my dear beautiful girls, my size 2 girls or my size 18 girls, your size doesn't determine your beauty; your life does. The size printed inside your clothes is subjective to the fashion industry's personal taste and it fluctuates rapidly. Stop believing the social normatives about who and what you should be. You are lovely and you are loved. Just exactly the way you are."
While the fashion industry has made strides toward being more inclusive of different body types, it's clear we still have a long way to go before the standard is overthrown.
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This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Kate Friedman
