evolution of shopping; covering the variety, Cost and the availability of shopping for the average plus women size 16 to 18

evolution of shopping; covering the variety, Cost and the availability of shopping for the average plus women size 16 to 18

Retail therapy is known to reduce stress across America,” A new study, conducted by TNS Global on behalf of Ebates.com, has found that more than half of Americans admit to engaging in “retail therapy.” This echoes a previous study published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing. Researchers Selin Atalay and Margaret Meloy found that 62 percent of shoppers had purchased something to cheer themselves up and another 28 percent had purchased as a form of celebration.” (Yarrow, 2013) Unfortunately, not for one large population of the world. “The study by the international journal of fashion design, Technology and education found that the “Average” woman  is 5’3 and wears a size 16 to 18.” (Christel & Dunn 2016) I, myself, being a plus size woman in the United States have been given the chance to observe the difficulty of finding clothes that fit me. This essay will discuss the evolution of shopping; covering the variety, Cost and the availability of shopping for the average plus women size 16 to 18.

The “Average” size woman, often times referred to as a straight size wears a size, UK 10 that is a size 8 in the US and Canada based on the standard size charts. “These charts used in the fashion industry to refer to models who are the standard industry size, and below a UK size 10. “Straight size” models are a UK 8 – that is the dress size designers usually send out as samples for photoshoots.” (Macmillan, 2015) In the early 2000, the plus size woman could walk into Target, for an example and pick up clothes back; at this time, Target did not provide enough variety. Even though they may have had separate departments on the showroom floor, which was a small little area. The plus size department would be picked over and not cleaned which would make the department area look unappealing to most young consumers whom were plus size.

“The study by the international journal of fashion design, Technology, and education shows that the average woman is 5’3” in height and wears a size 16 to 18.”That’s not my case I am not average height,  I am 5’11” and I am a plus size woman, so that means I am  taller than the average woman and the fact the I can’t find plus size options I have now have to find clothing that comes in longer length options for myself. The lack of fashionable options in the early 2000 has and even into today has been a topic of discussion. Every teenager wants to try to keep up with their friends that are a lot smaller and shorter. Imagine wearing everything bedazzled and rhinestones everywhere because this is all that was available for you. This as you could imagine was not ideal for me in high school it was not something I looked forward to often, because I could not find anything to fit my personality or me as a whole.

Another big discussion about plus size clothing has and always will be about the cost. I have always found it to be very hard to think that being a plus size tall woman that I would have to pay more money for the same items that a straight size shorter woman would have to pay for. “Regular 16 size clothing is less expensive than plus 16 size clothing. This is primarily because it takes longer for designers to make plus size dresses and extra material is needed to produce this line of clothing. Fashion experts estimate that plus sizes are 10 percent more expensive than standard or regular size clothing because designers require additional fabrics and patterns to come up with appropriate designs suited for women with plus sized and curvaceous bodies.”(Liam) That is just like going into a shoe store and having to pay more money for shoes because you have bigger feet or having a wider foot. Now I do understand that some people do wear kid sizes and the cost is different from that of an adult size but that is just hard to believe that we would have to pay more for the same type of clothes. Now the fashion industry has said for years that the plus size community pays more for the fabric and some people say the quality but neither is something we should have to pay more for. Now let’s get on to the topic of the fabric, a lot of big companies say that  the plus size community  has to pay more money for the quality of the items but how good is that quality of the fabric that they are using this raises many questions. It is more about how much more fabric has to be used on a particular item. After 2-3 washes, the fabric starts to break down or the buttons come off and your thinking I paid roughly 40 dollars for the top that the company has marketed as good quality and sometimes it costs more to repair, if it is even repairable.  With the growing demand of the plus size community, are retailers able to keep up with the growing demand? As of 2020, the fashion industry has been able to keep on trend however; we are still having face the same issues as we have in the late 2000’s. Walking into Victoria Secret for an example to get a sweat suit and Many are not able to go online to the same company to get it either because it is not offered in my size. Now they have it in sizes starting from large down to the size of just an XL, which is an 18 on a based on the average size chart. However, the size can vary depending on the companies’ manufacturing company.  As well as the fit of the item, many clothing items are cut differently to try to fit the customer’s body but many companies miss the mark. Plus size does not always relate to weight, Curvy woman are now following under the plus size department. “A curvy woman is not necessarily a plus-size woman. The designation of curvy has to do with body measurement and the differential between the size of the waist and hips. Curvy refers to a waist-hip differential of .75. If a woman has a waist size of 27 inches or less and a hip size of 36 inches, she is considered curvy. A hip size of 46 inches and a waist size of 34.5 inches or less is also considered curvy.” (Ross- Coleman)Now we have more than one option as far as the retailers go to choose from and we have the ability to order items online where they have a better variety of sizes, options, and items that are more fashionable or in style.  As well as depending on the person’s size, you also have to keep in mind if the consumer does not like how the item fits or the cut of the item you have to return it to the company and start the process all over. We are now in a place where the demand is higher for the most fashionable and marketable items, but companies are not able to keep up with the demand so they are now putting you on an email list, which is nothing but a wait list for the item until the item is back and in stock and ready for distribution. Now we have more than one option as far as the retailers go to choose from and we have the ability to order items online where they have a better variety of sizes, options, and items that are more fashionable or in style.  As well as depending on the person’s size, you also have to keep in mind if the consumer does not like how the item fits or the cut of the item you have to return it to the company and start the process all over. We are now in a place where the demand is higher for the most fashionable and marketable items, but companies are not able to keep up with the demand so they are now putting you on an email list, which is nothing but a wait list for the item until the item is back and in stock and ready for distribution.

In conclusion, from my personal experience as being a not so average, tall plus sized woman trying to shop for myself. This process is very difficult to say the least with the lack of variety in straight size stores, down to the retailers and as well as the availability and lack of demand items all the way down to the cost having to pay more for the same clothing item as a straight size consumer.  Shopping for the plus sized community is a headache all around because of the small and limited amount of resources. With the evolution of how things are changing and the new resources and companies who are now willing to cater to the plus sized community it makes the shopping experience a little better than it was years ago. Most companies are now competitive and some work together to help accommodate the plus sized community. The evolution of the shopping experience has now evolved and more companies now offer clothing for women who make up the plus sized community and who are larger based on the standard size chart.

Works Cited

“Average American Women’s Clothing Size: Comparing National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (1988–2010) to ASTM International Misses & Women’s Plus Size Clothing.” Taylor & Francis, 5 Aug. 2016, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17543266.2016.1214291?journalCode=tfdt20.

“STRAIGHT SIZE (noun) Definition and Synonyms.” Macmillan Dictionary | Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2015, www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/straight-size.

Yarrow, Kit. “Why “Retail Therapy” Works.” Psychology Today, 2 May 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-why-behind-the-buy/201305/why-retail-therapy-works

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/differences-between-size-16-plus-reg-16/