Midsize, is this something overlooked? - YouLookFab Forum

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Midsize, is this something overlooked?

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I'm a late adopter of tech and social media in general so the term midsize which has spread on TikTok is only just trickling into my consciousness.

At first I thought it was really odd, videos of youngones saying "I'm midsize and here's how I wear a t-shirt' but perhaps I am missing something so I thought I would ask the opinion of the forum.

Midsize, is it a term you would use and does it have a place in the conversation around body inclusivity? https://graziadaily.co.uk/life.....-mid-size/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/w.....sivity/amp

Body Type

28 replies

Latest reply was from Zaeobi

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Jules, thanks for the article. I'll be back to comment more fully later.

REMINDER: the article expresses UK sizes - not US sizes. Below is a size conversion that might be helpful.

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kkards

Veteran

Jules, this was a term introduced to me by Alison from wardrobe oxygen. She has written a fair amount about it, including this list that she did earlier this year
https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com.....rce=search
and this post which was my first introduction to the term, and which has a link to a thought provoking arrival https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com.....rce=search

I’m all for people calling themselves whatever they want, but am also torn because while I realize all this labeling makes some feel seen and included, it is also, by it nature a way exclude and other

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Thanks KKards, it's definitely something I'm going to have to think on more to crystallise my thought so I appreciate the links.

Is the average size underrepresented at retail? I don't have the knowledge to answer this but if it the case then the term could be useful.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Hi Angie, I've added another link and appreciate this could be a sensitive topic, if you feel it would be better suited to off topic please feel free to move it.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Jules, it's completely on topic, and no worries at all.

rachylou

Veteran

Ok… deleted what I wrote originally because I got confused. I’ve never heard mid size as a term before, but it makes a lot of sense to me. I suppose it depends where you shop. When I was a 14, I never felt at a loss, but I’m not sure that would be true today. There’s a lot more at Ross in 6 and over (I’m now a 4 in Ross terms) - Ross pretty much being the last store standing in my immediate area. When I was at NAS, probably 12 was the largest I saw in designer ready-to-wear.

LJP

Veteran

I’ve never heard the word used in this context before . I also don’t use or watch TikTok despite having the app on my phone . I fine TikT too chaotic , but that’s beside the point . This is all very interesting , and it’s a perfect descriptor for a very big chunk of the market ( no pun intended ) .

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Interesting— I’ve never heard this term used, but completely relate. I suppose I could see using the term, since it would definitely describe me. I’m not on TikTok so no opinions on that, but yes, it’s always frustrating to feel your body type is not represented in the fashion world. I’ll all for anything that makes more people feel included, celebrated, and appreciated.

I’m thrilled that imagery and retail for “plus size” (whatever that means) has gotten traction, but it’s still a very, very rare fashion spread or online catalog photo that features a body I can recognize in my own. And I say that as an averaged size woman in height and size (5’7” and currently a size US 8-10), who is fully cognizant of all the privilege that comes with that!

I’m tempted to now follow some of those “midsized” IG accounts, even though they are all young and gorgeous. Let me know when there’s a good midsize middle-aged icon with wrinkles and gray hair too, LOL. Perhaps age can be the next frontier — again, we seem to see the super young and the “old-for-modeling”, with not a lot in between.

Sal

Veteran

I saw this on TikTok when checking out that platform. That can be a confronting place to be- gulp!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I think of these as cusp sizes, wish I could remember the thread where we talked about them earlier this year (or maybe last year?)

cat2

Veteran

Mid size is where one sizes out of most European designer fashion. I hit size 10 in my forties and it made it really hard to buy professional attire. I think things have gotten better since then, or maybe I have just figured out brands to shop!

Anonymous

I consider myself mid sized. Bigger than the straight size models, but not plus size. I too would like to see more representation across all shapes and ages.

Sal

Veteran

I suspect that YLF meets the need for some of us of seeing clothing on different people in different contexts.

I looked up TikTok to check out a teenager whom I know with a big following. Through the algorithm I then got a feed of eating disorder recovery and pro- anorexia feeds along with skimpy bikini dances and a bit of the mid size discussion. And some misinformed news. Very open, very scary..

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm nodding along with all of you.

As kkards mentioned, Alison from Wardrobe Oxygen is a wonderful resource on this topic, and yes I have heard of the term "mid-size" before. If I remember correctly - the brand Universal Standard mentioned it, and that's where I heard it first. (I am not on TikTok).

Over the years on YLF, we've discussed this size range and its very unsatisfactory inclusion at retail. I think some have called the size a "tweeny".

As cat2 mentioned, the representation has improved now that more regular/straight size ranges are adding larger sizes to their size curves, and plus sizes are adding a smaller size. Some brands merge regular/straight sizes and plus sizes into one assortment.

Still, there is GREAT room for improvement Jules, and the correct labelling of sizes and size ranges continues to be an emotive topic.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I haven't ventured near TikTok to be honest but their videos are shared on other platforms and that's how I became aware of the term.

I currently have one teenager who loves the app and another who calls it ThickTok and refuses to go anywhere near it.

SF, is it not too broad a range of sizes to be called cusp?

MsMaven

Veteran

Interesting and informative discussion--thanks!

I used to read Wardrobe Oxygen, but for some reason I haven't for a long time. I enjoyed her fashion and her general discussions.

Jules

Veteran

I’ve heard of cusp sized, and consider myself in that category. I’m typically a 14, L/XL - sized out of certain brands but not actually plus sized in the brands that actually have it (I guess the brands I’m typically sized out of just aren’t interested in this market) . But as pointed out ‘cusp’ size would imply a pretty small range, so midsize might be a more useful category. I see such categories/ labels not as identities/bopo statements but as a way for influencers (and maybe brands) to explain their niche and for their target market viewers to find them. Some people really do use influencer try-ons as a way to discover new brands and items and filter through some of the noise - similar to how many of us use youlookfab. I would be very interested in a midsize specialty brand but never actually ordered anything when Mango did have a line (can’t remember the name but it was size 10-18 ish I think, and a whole separate brand collection). I would have preferred to be able to go to actual retail and try on lots of items to get a sense of whether the fits were going to be better for me.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

It does make sense that the “cusp” should be the edge, so just a couple sizes, instead of a broad range. I was just trying to connect up to what I’m familiar with. The discussion I recall was about getting sort of lost in the middle, and how patterns are different for different size ranges, so it’s possible for the smallest plus (or whatever) size to be too small and the biggest misses (or whatever) to be too big. It reminds me of my growing son when his feet were size 7 (US). That size seemed to be neglected by boys’ and mens shoe makers. I don’t think shoe size is as fraught a topic as clothing size for most people (though I recall my mom shaming me for mine). lol at your two teens opposing views on TikTok. Ive only got one, and he’s got plenty of opinions.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Interesting topic!I definitely have seen certain instagrammers or youtubers refer to themselves as midsize. On the one hand, labeling has its big problems, but on the other, it is true that midsize is more relatable to many not one thing or the other people (myself included). Like Janet, I have noticed that the prominent 50+ models that I have seen are all very thin with young looking skin. I only go to TikTok to look at specific accounts and not often. Enjoying everyone's thoughts on this!

Bijou

Veteran

It is an interesting issue - should models look like real people or be an idealised version of us - young, tall and impossibly slim. I attended a fashion runway show and was really shocked at how tall and incredibly thin the models were. It was so much more evident when seeing them in person, rather than in an editorial or on screen. I felt like a stocky little terrier standing next to a greyhound.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I keep seeing this term on social media.
A few thoughts on this: several years ago, I lost a significant amout of weight. I started out in plus sizes, lost enough weight to fit into the very tippy top of straight sizes, where I was sized out of all but a few straight sized companies. Lost enough to fit into most straight sized companies and started trying more brands and found that even at my lowest weight, I was sized out of a lot of companies. It was frustrating for sure, each step of the way finding clothes that fit was a challenge.
My other thought is that if weare talking about America, at least, Midsize is not the average size (statistically speaking).

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Thanks so much for your responses and it does sound as though the term could gain traction as a useful descriptor.

LaPed

Veteran

Huh, I didn't realize there was a whole movement around this term. I've definitely run across reels of people stating their clothing size (usually a US 8/10/12, it seems, or at least the ones that show up in my feed?) and then sharing a bunch of outfits, and I sort of gleaned that these are in response to a widespread desire to see clothes on real bodies in real-world contexts, not just poor-quality stock photos on skinny models. (I'm sure clothing labels are happy to outsource some of their marketing to these content creators!)

One big shift that strikes me is people's (particularly young people's) transparency and openness about size and weight. Growing up in during the late 90s/early 00s, I couldn't have imagined a woman or teen girl announcing publicly, "I'm 140# and a size 8 and this is what clothes look like on me." It seems like discourse has definitely evolved in that regard, thanks in no small part to social media.

Sloper

Veteran

I'm not on TikTok, but agree with many of the comments above that the term "Midsize" seems to be being used to say "here is what clothing looks like on real bodies."

And similar life experience as ChewySpaghetti.

Mostly 12-16 in straight sizing, many years in Plus (when I think that maybe a straight 18 would have worked).

And so many times seeing that a brand offers "XL" - oh joy! Only to find out that for many brands, "XL" = 10. Wait what?

Trying to wait for sales but often paying full price because only one or two items in my size are on the rack, or are quickly sold out online.

Dana

(website)

Veteran

The sizes RoseandJoan's article references when you convert them, are sizes 6-12 US. I wear 6-8 sometimes 10 and am 5'6". I definitely don't relate to a size 2 model who's 5'11". I'd really like to know what a garment is going to look like on me when I'm shopping online. Plus, wouldn't it be great for ALL sizes to be represented in the media!

There are a few sites where you can choose your model, but there's a long way to go before it's perfect.

Jules

Veteran

I have to say that at this point I almost only shop online from retailers who show items in a variety of body sizes and/or unairbrushed, normally imperfect bodies. Even for my teen girls, brands like ON and AE offer this (check out Aerie's swimsuit and bra shots for stretch marks, armpit stubble, etc - it's so refreshing and makes browsing online with my girls feel really good, almost bringing me to joyful tears the first time I realized my kids were growing up with much better representation of real bodies of all sizes). I am less likely to order from places that don't offer this. And I have let brands like Land's End know that their pictures don't help their target market make decisions. I also don't back go into stores that may officially carry larger sizes but don't have it on the shelf. Put your money where your mouth is, would be my feeling at this point - we have options.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I remember sorta recently an article/rant/opinion piece about a straight size model being padded to be 'plus size' for a shoot. She realized it wasn't right, but a job is a job. I think it was in Scandinavian. Also as the the article stated, plus models are rarely plus sized, more mid-sized. I think even a US 10 is considered plus in the modeling world.
Yeah, there have been improvements in some brands sizing, but some brands there's no change.
ETA the article

https://www.yahoo.com/entertai.....1&

So basically in many respects there is no seeing clothes on real people in lots of marketing

ETA 2

Also why Sloper said about an XL being a 10. Nordies is very guilty of this when searching by size.

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I consider myself 'mid' sized both in height & width, because I'm a 5ft3.5", pear shaped, UK12 up top & a UK14 below. Since a UK14 is a US10, this means that I'm often either:
A) forgotten on both ends of the retailer scale ('straight' or plus sizes) OR
B) shoehorned into squeezing into or swimming in said retailers' sizing systems...

I'm ok with the term 'mid sized' since it sounds grammatically better to me than 'small fat' (which is often what I've seen plus sized folk encourage me to call myself - sorry but my English teacher training is hard to shake! Even on social media ) TikTok is banned here, so can't weigh in on that front.