Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Time Runs Out Very Fast

British research shows women's body shapes have changed from hourglass figures in the past 50 years, but the clothing industry has mainly failed to take this into account
I find this very hard to believe, because as far as I can tell the clothing industry never really got the idea that women had breasts in the first place.

I had three purposes in drawing people's attention to this snippet from the Evening Post:

1. Rant about the fact that the clothing industry fails to take into account that not everyone's body is the same shape, and joing the dots to make it clear that this is All Capitalism's Fault.

2. Make fun of the way newspapers report 'research' in such an unquestioning way, without providing the reader with any information to evaluate or understand that research.

3. Beg anyone who knows where I could get a pair of togs which are cup-sized, good for swimming and not astronomically expensive to share that knowledge.

But because I'm getting tired I'm not actually going to do any of those things, just mention that I wanted to.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:47 pm

    I read that article a wee while ago...it was in the Guardian online, about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Anyway, it certainly doesn't *feel* like women's body shapes are changing, what with the same old shitty 'fashion' items being churned out over and over again in the same old uniform sizes of 8-16.

    You're right - in general, the clothing industry totally disregards the fact that women have different shaped bodies. This makes it fucking impossible for me to find a top that fits me and that I can afford. I'd be really keen to know how many other women out there have this problem...???

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  2. It's certainly been a long-term complaint of my wife, I remember it going back at least 20 years. Clothing manufacturers definitely seem to assume you don't swim if you have big tits, that goes back at least 20 years too. And any article in the paper that includes "research shows" usually alerts the reader to prepare to go into full sarcasm mode.

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  3. i've found that now that i've put on weight and am a 10 or 12 rather than a (very unhealthy) 6 or 8 it is easier to find clothes that fit and that they hang better. so despite the fact that models are predominantly at the very petite end of the scale, clothing manufacturers are actually no good at making clothes for that size range either. i have heard of petite women who try children's clothes instead, and i considered it many times except i was too embarassed.

    another thing i find frustrating is the huge difference between the same size in different shops - even in the same shop. i have learnt the hard way never to buy anything at Glassons without trying it on.

    how do we correct this though?

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  4. Anonymous4:09 pm

    Well, some people have decided to do things, such as produce underwear, swimwear and clothes for women who don't quite fit the shit in the shops. An example of this is bravissimo.com

    As you can see, it's an English company. I haven't yet found a place like this in NZ... And as Maia pointed out, places like this aren't cheap. I really think that there are heaps of women who require more options, whether they are larger or smaller than the usual 8-16 in women's clothing stores. Although I realise that there are also lots of women who try their damndedst to fit themselves into these sizes, there has to be a gap in the market. I just don't believe that there's no demand for a wide range of clothes and sizes in NZ. Someone should really seize this opportunity now, and start something up here in NZ...
    But then that's not exactly rejecting capitalism now, is it :)

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