A new fashion moment is happening over on TikTok: the midsize movement. And it's making many of us feel seen for the first time, ever.
The trend appears to pay zero attention to the curated, filtered perfection of Instagram, instead focusing on providing an equal playing field for everyone hoping to gain some traction in the social media space; anything and everything is discussed on the platform, including the much-needed exposure of the new body inclusivity term “midsize.”
Hands up if you have spent most of your life struggling to find clothes to fit you while hovering between a U.S. 6 and a U.S. 10! My hand is firmly raised.
Society, specifically the fashion industry, had drilled into my head that I just wasn't physically desirable because I wasn't “straight-size” (the industry term for sizing that falls between a U.S. 2 and 6). It was also hard for me to find clothes that fit me correctly—tops were too tight and highlighted the “problem areas” I was conditioned to hate, and jeans/trousers felt suffocating.
Due to the confusing lack of offerings for my body, I was then forced to go up several sizes, and soon I was walking around in clothes too baggy and ill-favored for my curves. But those were the clothes that I thought were specifically designed for me, so as a U.K. 14 (U.S. 10), I considered myself “plus-size.”
And I would exclusively shop with “plus-size” retailers, who catered to a U.K. 18 (U.S. 14) and above. Friendly reminder, I was a U.K. 14 (U.S. 10).
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The disparity in sizing hit me only in the last few years, when I focused on my health and fitness, and after dropping a few pounds, I suddenly found myself in the “straight-size” category. Shopping just seemed so much easier now.
Clothes seemed to fit the way they were meant to—or where they always meant to fit me? No matter what my body type. Where was the middle ground?
I haven't been the only one feeling like this. The average woman in the U.K. is a size 16 (U.S. 12)—and disturbingly just 20% of apparel is made for women who fall in between the U.K. 12 and 18 (U.S. 8–14) size range.
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But thankfully, these women have rallied together and given way to the new midsize movement that has taken over TikTok because of its raw algorithm of giving people what they want.
Just one click on the #midsize tag on the platform, and we are inundated with women calling out the fashion industry for setting impossible standards, and opening broader conversations about body inclusivity.
You can scroll for hours of videos in which women who share the same body type as me champion their figure, give tips and tricks on how to dress where retailers have failed them, and speak about the vital balance between nutrition, exercise, and indulgence.
I'm sure, just like so many other women, I am grateful to see these body-positive warriors band together and call out the fashion and media world for the ways they have failed us.
Midsize model Ali Tate also reiterated the need to champion women of all sizing, telling Vogue: “If we’re asking for inclusivity, let’s not leave out midsize. We need to see the full spectrum of what it is to be human. I was a U.S. size 10 and massively struggled with eating disorders and body image issues. Folks are still dealing with these issues, even being midsize.”
This article first appeared in Glamour U.K.
