Raise your hands if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by clothing? I’m going to go out on a limb and say, 90% of you have. Shit, I could even say 95%. Clothing sizes in Australia have got to be as inconsistent as the Prime Ministers.
This last few weeks, I’ve been lurking around on Instagram and I’ve noticed a lot of ‘influencers’, when plugging an activewear brand or even just a clothing brand, they make mention of the size they purchased. Now, I have questions.
1. Why is your size relevant to the brand?
2. Do you believe that all of your followers will be the same size as you?
3. Why is it necessary to advertise the size of clothing you are able to fit in to?
4. Do you take into consideration that this sort of mentality could quite easily create even more insecurity in your following?? Because lets face it, we don’t all look like you!
Now, I know that a lot of us mark our success by the size of clothing we started in and the size that we now fit. It seems to be a badge of honour. I’m definitely not taking aim at anyone who uses their clothing size as a trophy, because I do it too. It’s nice to be able to go and buy a smaller size and feel that instant feeling of elation and accomplishment. What gets to me is why is it so important? Why is our focus ALWAYS on the way we look and what size and even what fucking brand of clothing we wear? I can tell you why, because we have been conditioned to believe, as a female, that our worth is determined by our size, our body shape, our chest size, our waist, our looks. Are you seeing a pattern here?
There was a news story that broke earlier this week, where a young woman had her drink spiked at a club in Western Australia. She did the right thing by contacting the establishment to let them know what had happened and to consider their security levels. The owner, an older man with 3 sons, fired back at this young woman asking her why she thought she was special enough to be drugged…… I’m not going to down the rabbit hole of his misogynistic manner because I would be here all day. My point is, he deemed this woman not attractive enough to be drugged. Why? Because she was curvy, because she wasn’t a fucking supermodel in his eyes. Again, a woman’s worth determined by her physical appearance. That shit does my absolute nuts in..
Whilst I digress, I do have a point and it does go back to the power that social media influencers hold in their hands. Young women, even older women and everyone in between look up to these people for inspiration. They look to them for guidance. They look to them to make changes in their own lives. So, why can’t we start seeing a more positive use of this platform? Because size and sex appeal is what sells. I’m waiting to see someone showing their next workout without the need to see their ass popping out in booty shorts. I’m waiting to see practical sports bras that are perfect for people with natural big boobs, not just fake ones that sit exactly where the surgeon left them. Women are eating this shit up thinking their own success will be when they can fit the same size as their favourite influencer.
I go on a unfollowing spree at least once a week, because I get sick of seeing someone who I honestly admired to begin with, selling out to the pressure of Instagram and the need to wear less to get more. I just want to see at least one fucking person stay true to their original message. Your size is not important, your mental health is. I would love to see everyone go through the accounts they follow and do a little experiment. I want you to watch their stories, go through their feed and ask yourself these questions:
1. Do they inspire me with their message?
2. Does their content make me feel empowered?
3. Do I feel inadequate because of their content?
4. Do I feel like I will be worth more if I look like them?
5. Am I comparing myself to them?
If you get more no’s than you get yes, please. Unfollow them. You owe it to yourself and your own journey to not have the hangup of constantly worrying that you’re not good enough because you don’t look like someone who’s job it is to look that way.
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