https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:46:31 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last/page/2#post-886000 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:32:03 +0000 Suz 886000@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I wonder why it is so controversial? Hmmm.&nbsp;<br /><br />I, too, get annoyed about all the pinning and clipping. Who knows what the clothes look like on a real body - <b>any</b> real body - when they do that?&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last/page/2#post-885972 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:12:09 +0000 krishnidoux 885972@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Really good points here!&nbsp;<br /><br />Mandy, that is just so hilarious!<br /><br />Ceit and Isabel, yes, the pinning is most bothersome. It's like the salespeople setting the windows actually re-invent new clothes they aren't actually selling&nbsp;&nbsp;and it is borderline dishonest.&nbsp;<br /><br />Thistle, I cannot agree with you more.&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-885435 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:49:21 +0000 Isabel 885435@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I laughed at Diana's astute observation that they don't have heads most of the time !<br /><br />I like the idea of variation in sizes. The real problem that I have with clothes hanging on mannequins is how the clothes are clipped and safety pinned and so on so that they shape looks very different than how they actual piece hangs. But with that said, I don't get why this is so controversial.&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-885425 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:37:14 +0000 Thistle 885425@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well, I will never, ever be the size of the current mannequiens. Frankly, I am tired of being surrounded by images of a body type I will never have. There is a reason why I don't subscribe to beauty magazines or their like. <br /><br />I would like it if retail establishments that are trying to get me to spend my hard earned dollars with them would cater to me. That includes giving me images of what <b>I </b>would like&nbsp;in their clothes.<br /><br /><br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-885304 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:06:12 +0000 Anonymous 885304@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I could be a skeleton and I am still not going to fit below maybe a size 6 or 8.<br /><br />I don't mind mannequins who don't look human at all -- more like stylised clothes hangers. I do find it makes it more difficult to see how something would look on a real person, since they pin and tuck and do all sorts of wizardry. For a change I think seeing clothes on forms which attempt to approximate real humans would be great.<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-885247 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:26:55 +0000 Mander 885247@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't view mannequins as a realistic representation of what people are supposed to look like in the clothes, either.&nbsp; In fact it bugs me when they try to make them too realistic -- I find it creepy!&nbsp; I'd rather see something like a dress form that shows a styling option but does not try to look like an actual person.<br /><br />One of the stores here often poses mannequins on the balconies near the elevators, leaning on their elbows and looking like couples having a chat or taking a break to gaze down at the other shoppers.&nbsp; More than once I have bumped into one and said "excuse me", or else looked over the balcony to see what they are looking at... and only then realized that they are plastic! <br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-885222 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:06:03 +0000 krishnidoux 885222@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Me too, Mo. I am size 2 or sometimes 0, yet my body looks plumper than the models shown above! But my BMI is normal. Go figure.&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884981 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:58:58 +0000 Mo 884981@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <i></i>I&nbsp;<i>am</i> a size 4, but I look a whole lot more like the lingerie mannequin than any other mannequin I've seen in stores. &nbsp;To me the shape is more realistic, regardless of the size. &nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884888 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:12:41 +0000 proudsize14 884888@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Really, Lyn* ??&nbsp; You would go home and throw away your favorite dress if you saw <i>me</i> in the same one?&nbsp; Yikes!&nbsp; You are aware that clothing size depends as much on bone structure and genes as it does on fat, aren't you?<br /><br />Wish I could&nbsp;write more, but I've gotta go.&nbsp; The aquarium just got a new shipment of krill in and I've got to get home before the rest of the whales eat it all up! https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884562 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:13:02 +0000 ironkurtin 884562@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ TBH I never thought plaster store models were meant to be body ideals.&nbsp; Are mannequins really supposed to show the shopper what is desirable in the bedroom, as you say, K?&nbsp; Because to me they're utterly sexless.&nbsp; They don't even look anorexic, they look fake - so fake there's not even an uncanny valley.&nbsp; In fact, the only use I have for mannequins is as visual clues as to what kind of clothing is in a certain spot (Oh there's underwear!).&nbsp; I don't judge my body by them.&nbsp; I'm actually surprised to hear that many women dislike them or feel inadequate because of them.&nbsp; <br /><br />Frankly, if I saw actively real-looking sexy-looking plaster models modelling lingerie, I would be super intimidated and turned off.&nbsp; Mostly because if those models don't look like me, I am going to assume those items won't look, on me, like they do on the model.&nbsp; So I'm not even going to try them.&nbsp; <br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884390 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:26:56 +0000 krishnidoux 884390@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Mander that doctor is doing way more&nbsp;damage&nbsp;by their comment than the size of a mannequin I would say! Thank you for the link, it is most interesting.&nbsp;<br /><br />Astrid, good question! I'd love to see that. I bet the windows would be more inventive and fun to look at.&nbsp;<br /><br />Junebug, I wonder why retailers have not caught on... or is it that they bet on the impossible dream as something that would sell more ?<br /><br />Lyn, so true about seeing an item you own on someone else! LOL! I remember buying a French dress in Morocco and feeling all cute until I saw it worn by an African woman, on whom the true beauty of the dress revealed itself. Every dart, every seam, every piece of extra fabric took on their true vocation on her. As a comparison, they seemed to be falling sadly on my non-existent curves! But if I saw a variety of sizes and shapes represented on the mannequins, I would be more&nbsp;inclined&nbsp;to try them myself, even if they wouldn't all fit me. It would help us better know what does fit us, don't you think?<br /><br />Gaylene, possibly that is the reason, but even so it is a reason to&nbsp;rejoice&nbsp;because it means that now, it is not the scrawny body of an anorexic that is considered desirable, at least in the bedroom. Notice that these are neither "pornographically" curvy, just normally curvy. By this I mean it is not just the sexual organs or shapes that have been enhanced, but the whole body as well. So if it is thought that these bodies would better sell lingerie, then good!&nbsp;<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884272 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:06:30 +0000 Gaylene 884272@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Mander, that is a fascinating link. And it just reinforces what my MD kept telling me when I was losing weight--that BMI is only a rough guide as to what is a "good" weight for a particular person.<br /><br />As for the mannequins, I suspect part of the reason for using a more voluptuous shape is that lingerie is often enhanced by showing it on a curvier form. Since store mannequins are supposed to be just clothes hangers, I'm not sure that real-life body shapes would be as easy to work with when designing window displays. But, then, I've always considered these displays as more akin to runway shows than to real-life dressing: aspirational, dreamy, and more than a bit over the top, in most cases.<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884257 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:51:00 +0000 lyn* 884257@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think it's weird. I know that I'm not the same shape as the old mannequins. It would be like trying to go to McD and buying a hamburger and expect it to look the same as the promo pic - it never does!<br /><br />I think the size 4 one is okay; but the other one skews my perceptions of all of the clothes. I was at a "plus size" store the other day (no retail stone unturned!) looking at their pretty accessories, and I found that I wasn't attracted to any of the clothes at all. They were stylish and would look very nice on the right person, but it became very clear that I wasn't the right person (and the sales people told me they had nothing that would fit me because they started at 14).&nbsp;<br /><br />I think it may make me a terrible person, but a dress I recently bought was a size 4 and I saw someone else wear it in a size 12 or 14. It completely skewed my own perception of the dress and I went home and purged it that same day, even though it is something I really love. The current line of clothes I usually buy from is only UK8 to 14.&nbsp;<br /><br />I'm sure there's a happy medium where there is a size that is larger than 0 that is hard enough to dress (sometimes the clothes just sag), and a size 14. I like the suggestion of a range of sizes. I must admit that on Modcloth, I am less likely to buy articles of clothing modelled by a "larger" lady - even though she might look great and that dress is totally up my alley.&nbsp;<br /><br />Medically - it also depends how you carry you weight. More weight around the middle ("apples") in terms of comparison to your hip circumference puts you at risk for more diseases and their complications (diabetes, cardiac risk factors, etc).&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884218 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:02:47 +0000 JuneBug 884218@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't usually pay attention to the mannequin, only to the clothes they have on and not the fit..but I will be paying more attention if their sizes were this real! I think it would help retailers sell a lot more of their merchandise simply by having people relate to the mannequin more!&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884212 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:53:38 +0000 Astrid 884212@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The mannequins don't look odd to me, but I don't feel better because of them either. I agree with Belle, it's more important to have more sizes and cuts available than to have these kinds of mannequins. I wonder what would happen if they had to put clothes they sell on them, not just lingerie. Would they be able to style them like they usually do?<br /><br />Mander, thanks for the link to the BMI project. It was very interesting! I had to laugh when I saw the 'morbidly obese' cat. If you take the BMI I'm 'overweight' too. I'd have to loose 15 lbs to be in the middle range of 'normal'.<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884094 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:55:19 +0000 Mander 884094@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I saw an article about this which quoted some doctor or other as saying it was a terrible idea because it would encourage obesity. Sigh. Unless you are 2 feet tall, size 12 is not obese. &nbsp;I just have to wonder if people who say things like that have ever met a truly obese person, or have any concept of what people of various clothing sizes look like.<br /><br />But I do agree with Angie -- the body you have is a real body. I don't like the idea that very thin women are somehow less human or womanly&nbsp;any more than the notion that very large women are not.<br /><br />Incidentally, have all seen <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/7.....199008819/</a> </a>Kate Harding's BMI Illustrated project? It is very informative. https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-884075 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:28:28 +0000 krishnidoux 884075@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am happy many of you responded and responded positively to this!<br /><br />Ornella, your post is moving because firstly, you are SUCH a beautiful woman with a&nbsp;beautiful&nbsp;figure, and to think that even you would feel affected by these mannequins makes me sad. At the same time, it seems that you are consciously&nbsp;fighting it&nbsp;off. Thank you for sharing your discovery about yourself in such an honest compelling way.&nbsp;<br /><br />Dianthus, you've nailed it: the surprise we are so used to accept when an item is tried on. The expectation created by the mannequin&nbsp;is a set up for disappointment and distracts us from trying the items that would look good on our actual bodies.<br /><br />Jjsloane, Kalli,&nbsp;wouldn't a variety of sizes and body shapes be the best? If I finally saw my own body type reproduced, I think I would be more willing to buy - anyway, to try on the item.&nbsp;<br /><br />Ironkurtin, La Belle, Diana, good for you to be able to&nbsp;ignore the mannequins' shapes! I don't know how you do it, but I guess there are many types of brains. Mine is more the type to detect why something look good on a mannequin, why it doesn't on me, and subsequently&nbsp;despise&nbsp;my own body for it. But if you can see it for what it is, then you are very lucky.<br /><br />La Belle, I agree that not only the mannequins'sizes should be varied, but also the actual clothing sizes! I suffer lack of available sizes&nbsp;when I shop, and suspect that with the advent of online shopping, it will not get any better...<br /><br />Modegekkie, what a great point you bring up. Isn't it funny that when we think about something that harms or ill-treats us, we try to put it in perspective, diminish its impact; But when we transpose that same treatment&nbsp;onto loved ones, like our daughters, we become concerned! Yet it is the same treatment. It's just we have been trained not to care for it when it's done to ourselves. So yes, be it only for our daughters, these&nbsp;subtle&nbsp;yet potentially negative messages should change.&nbsp;<br /><br />Angie, so true, and so wise: We ALL are "the norm". More shapes and sizes would make for more interest.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br /><br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-883238 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:15:43 +0000 rosee 883238@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ yay! &nbsp;saw this on facebook.<br /><br />I wouldn't mind looking like those mannequins - they are larger than what we are used to seeing, but still have a very lovely figure. https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-883142 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:51:08 +0000 Angie 883142@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We ALL have real bodies. Whether you are a size 00P or a size 38T - and everything in-between. The "real body" term is 100% tainted. <br /><br />I like the idea of mannequins representing all body sizes. That's a goodie! <br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-883043 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:07:58 +0000 Diana 883043@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmm, I have to admit I've never thought of mannequins as even trying to approximate real bodies, so I have no issues about wanting to look like one.&nbsp; They're like glorified clothes hangers.&nbsp; I mean, for goodness sakes, half the time they have no heads.<br /><br />That said, these mannequins actually look quite a bit like me in terms of body size/shape.&nbsp; I have to admit I'm getting a little bit of an uncanny valley vibe but I'm sure I would get used to it.&nbsp; I think I'd like it since it does help visualize how the clothes look on a body.<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882987 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:24:51 +0000 ModeGekkie 882987@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am happy to see that some people out there want to do something more real. <br />As a mother of a 3,5 year old girl, I am already worried about the body image issue and I say to my daughter that she is always beautiful no matter what she wears. I have a difficult time accepting my body myself and that is hard, so I want to spare my daughter this. <br />And I think that if the mannequins in the shops(or the girls in the magazines) where representing real bodies (and I mean by that not only model bodies), we would be heading to the right path to make this world beter, because not all women (daughters, mothers, sisters of ours) cannot care about the mannequins. I really wish we all were so confident we would not care, but that is not the case.<br /><br /><br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882962 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:08:51 +0000 Kalli 882962@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Normal is misleading I agree with the ladies above that they should have them in ALL SHAPES and sizes. <br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882960 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:06:48 +0000 Mary Beth (formerly LBD) 882960@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Now you see... I don't worry about the mannekins.&nbsp;&nbsp; Those are just frames, to display an item, so that I can see the details of it, and how it might look accessorized.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To my mind, it's like the frames for artwork.&nbsp; &nbsp; My eye goes past it to what is being showcased.<br /><br />To be honest, the mannekins I see in these photos, still don't represent me.&nbsp; &nbsp; But I don't really care.&nbsp; What I care about is the clothes the store offers.<br /><br />Want to impress me?&nbsp; &nbsp; Make clothing that fits a better array of sizes and heights.&nbsp; Make clothing that fits the short, busty gal, and doesn't look like something my elderly neighbor going on a golfing vacation in Florida would choose.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Don't put a bunch of money into new mannekins designed to make people feel momentarily better about their own appearance - put that money into additional clothing inventory that a woman can try on and immediately feel thrilled that she found something that <u>fits</u>.&nbsp; That's a happiness factor that will last.<br /><br />And for crying out loud, mainstream lingerie shops, would it kill you to offer bigger bra cups with a smaller band size?&nbsp; &nbsp; Given that the 30 and 32 DDD and larger cups always sell out fast online?&nbsp; Most DD or DDD offerings start at 34 or 36 and go up from there.&nbsp; <br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882946 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:47:03 +0000 ironkurtin 882946@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Eh. &nbsp;I am not all that affected by mannequins. Just like I'm not affected by most fashion magazine models. &nbsp;They're all hugely fake, you know?<br /><br />I imagine this might make it easier on the mannequin dressers, though - less pinning. https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882915 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:56:24 +0000 Jjsloane 882915@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I generally ignore mannequins (although I'm sure&nbsp;subconsciously&nbsp;I do not) because they do not help me see the clothes as they will be on me. I am all for a multitude of sizes on mannequins (and models)! https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882911 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:46:32 +0000 cheryle (Dianthus) 882911@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think it is a vast improvement.&nbsp; I also wonder if it will improve sales as women will see what the clothing looks like on a "regular" body and not be as surprised when it looks so much different on her body.<br /><br />Even with those super small mannequins, the clothes are usually pinned in inches along the back to give them shape.<br /> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882873 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:33:45 +0000 Ornella 882873@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am the first one to admit this looks unusual and even strange.&nbsp;My eye needs to adjust to it. So does&nbsp;my mind.<br /><br />I am also the first one to be genuinely&nbsp;annoyed when I look at the shop manequins because I cannot relate to them at all. I actually never look at them in detail&nbsp;any more.&nbsp;I will&nbsp;<i>never</i> have sales assistants take the garment off the&nbsp;mannequin&nbsp;because that is the last one in my size.&nbsp;Those figures&nbsp;are as small,&nbsp;slender, thin and&nbsp;see-through as they are&nbsp;colorless&nbsp;and&nbsp;expressionless. <br /><br />When looking at averages, I am a big woman. Tall, not dainty, not thin, with more curves than I'm comfortable to be noticed. So why does the sight of the bodies resembling mine so much more look ODD - to me? It had just hit me just how poisoned my mind really is, and I consider myself to have rather healthy body image.&nbsp;<br /><br />Thanks for the link Krishni. This consumer's psyche had been affected, for sure. It's like you've just illuminated a huge area of just how unfair retail industry is on regular women. It's a&nbsp;minefield&nbsp;of negative subliminal&nbsp;messages&nbsp;which seem to be&nbsp;aspirational but for all the wrong reasons. I did know it before, but I really never truly <b>saw</b> it. Wow!<br /><br />Perhaps you can add it to Inge's weekly links roundup too? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882862 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:12:37 +0000 Anonymous 882862@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am all for this too! https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882855 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:06:30 +0000 Raisin 882855@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Exactly what Joy said. &nbsp;They <i><b>should</b></i> come in all shapes and sizes, just like people.&nbsp; https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/normal-size-mannequins-at-last#post-882848 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:56:09 +0000 Anonymous 882848@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ A variety of shapes, ages and sizes of mannequins would be a breath of fresh air. &nbsp;