Why does the fashion industry hate petite women?

[Anonymous]

I see the whole fashion industry change right now, its all about body positively and being individual and unique. There's plus size models everywhere and so many different unconventional women out there being shown in fashion media put you rarely see petite women.

I know it may sound a none issue but as a 5ft, 136 pounds young woman I really struggle to find women like me modeling clothes and it makes me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about my hight sometimes. I really struggle to find well fitted clothes as well and usually have go into childrens sections when I want something that fits well.



I used to be a model in my pre teens but as my body changed and my hight didn't I stopped getting bookings and it made me feel really insecure once I was dropped from my agency like I wasn't good enough. Petite, average, healthy sized women are just as beautiful as any other woman but it feels like we are being left out to permote either two very different unhealthy beauty images one being the extremely skinny, tall girls and the other being the over weight girl. Maybe I'm moaning about nothing but I just find it crazy there's a fashion movement for everything else besides small people, small people are being left out

[Yamismol]

I'm 4'11 and 80 pounds and all I see is women around my size... maybe a little more towards the average weight but, I see more stick thin models then bigger ones and a lot of "body positive" promotions just show women who are slightly curvier then usually.

I also have to shop in kids area, but if you're bigger then me and sizes XS and small should fit you, especially places that market towards smaller women (H&M has a great clearance section with clothes that even fit me, Forever 21, Ross, I like Goodwill but, it depends on your area, Romwe is a cheap app with really cute clothes that run pretty small, same with Shein and even if you need to go for the kid sizes a lot of the kid clothes on this app are adult like or the same as the adult clothes).

[btbc92]

It's not that they hate petite women. But that they have this "One size fits all" mentality and they use that excuse to save money on sales. Plus they look at demographics. Since its a lot of people who are at least over 120 pounds, they will cater to people who are over that amount, no matter the height. Where unlike China and Japan where the women are shorter and Skinner, but the prices are far more expensive. Usually us petite women like me at 5'3 will have to shop in the Junior section or older kids just to get a decent outfit. It's worse when most clothes are too sexualized. It's also getting harder to find the petite section and some stores that do cater are sadly closing down. 🙁

[btbc92]

Charlotte Russe was sadly one of those stores.

[spooky_shampoo]

It is indeed a huge problem today. People made a big deal about fat people getting called fat so they coined the term fat shaming and told everyone it was bad to do it. Bandwagon ensues. The media latches onto it hard, and then suddenly there's a huge push for people to like and accept fat people and tell them that it's completely okay to be morbidly obese and risking a heart attack by standing up, if they can. I feel like it shouldn't be a hugely accepted thing because being fat isn't healthy by any standard.

[andreasderjuengere]

You can always put on an elephant's skin and tie a belt around.
The other way round is not possible. Enjoy this advantage.
I think, most clothing - if required - can be adapted to a smaller size.
This also makes it looking more 'individual'.
The media: who cares? THEY don't tell ME what I like and what not.

[TheWillOfPhil]

The way I see it, clothing sizes are catered to the general population within a range that is easy to mass produce. The reason plus size body positivity is getting all the attention is because they have the loudest voices, and the most exposure for their issues. Where as the smaller more petite women are largely ignored. Likely due to not complaining as much, and going to the kids section to find their clothes if they can't find it in the adult section.

[Faint]

I honestly rarely see that. I see more clothes geared toward average and small sizes. It's kind of hard to find fashionable sizes for bigger men and women. That goes for most brick and mortar stores I come across, they are now finally opening up plus size sections in popular places. In the past the stores geared to specifically plus size had outrageous prices any of those that are still around do still.

[TallAnon]

Let's be honest here, they don't. Any industry goes after the highest amount of profit they can earn. May that be specialized shops for higher prices or general shops for average prices. The average weight is going up, more people will buy things at these sizes, so marketing and production for these items go up and in other areas they go down.

[gabbybookworm]

Well usually female models “need” to be at least 5 ft 7” because that’s the size designers automatically make their clothing, and also because the taller models will display the outfit “better”, though I don’t quite agree with the last part.

[gabbybookworm]

Also if you look at the plus size models, they are all over 5’7”. Regardless of the size, you need to be a certain height, and petite means short

[DeeDeeDeVour]

I wouldn't say the industry "hates" petite women. I'm only 5'2" but managed to land a few "gigs" in my younger years, though short-lived because I'd easily lose out to the taller girls back then.

[Mädchen]

Almost every big online Shop has an extra collection for Petits women. Zalando, bohoo, ASOS you just have to aply the Filter And even If they don't the sizes usually go from xs-xl.

[MrOracle]

I don't know - I know very little about fashion - but I have always loved petite girls, and they are just as deserving of being served by the fashion industry as anyone else.

[ImagineSketchy]

Because you're short. Models tend to be taller... They don't hate you, they just don't want to have you as a model. 🤷
The fashion industry has never been one for sparing feelings.

[BeMuse]

Gay men that make clothes and direct fashion trends like big ass bitches that look like trannies and skinny dudes that look like gay twinks.

[AngelLily]

You do know most models are still petite also just because there showing different people and accepting new things doesn't mean they hate skinny people.

[Ianto]

I've always assumed that fashion models were selected by media types who actually preferred gangly adolescent boys.
Hard to explain the androgynous look otherwise. I'd much prefer to see shapely, feminine women of whatever height.

[EleanorRigby]

People do the movements for things that are important to THEM. Fat chicks make movement for fat people, you do movement for yourself.

[MissDawn7961]

they don't ! I am petite 5 ^ 1 tall and I find clothes every where I go

[nerms123]

Yeah this is a real problem. It’s hard for really small women to find clothes

[_SOARER_]

In the end the shortie win because they are by default cute.

You can be the change, you can start the shorty fashion positivity trend

[Thatsamazing]

"but as a 5ft, 136 pounds"
"petite"

Uhhhhh... I'm confused.

[Asker]

Petite lard arse

[Thatsamazing]

Okay, so...

[KacchanExplosion]

I got a question for you why does it hate guys that aren't fucking twigs

[Asker]

I see loads of skinny male models

[KacchanExplosion]

I mean guys that are bigger then super skinny

[MDollarBill]

They have no use for anyone but the average 80%, because it costs too much to serve with the other 20%. The first firm to figure this out will make a fortune.

[October808]

Because petite women require less material which in retail is all about volume, volume, volume.

[Sandwich_]

At least in America, most people are overweight, so that's where the marketing goes