Mastering mid-size bodies: the madness and mayhem of fitting neither standard nor plus-size clothing

By Bethany Robson

In recent years, the push to create inclusive clothing lines have revolutionised the high street. But as I, and many other women, have come to find, inclusivity for mid-size clothing is almost non-existent. In fact, many mid-size models are used to model plus-size clothing – both erasing the need for our own range of clothing, whilst diminishing the importance of plus-size representation in fashion.

Mid-size clothing typically covers sizes 12–18 (although sizes 10–16 can also be considered mid-size too, depending on the individual). With the average size of a woman in the UK being size 16, the concept of mid-sizeness exists to, in theory, represent the average woman; neither super-slim nor super-curvy. However, the reality is that many women find themselves feeling ‘size stranded’ by brands who don’t accommodate the often-overlooked cusp sizes.

A major influence in my style change has admittedly been TikTok and Instagram. Hold on before you click away! Social media, for all its faults, has actually been a brilliant tool in finding people who look like me and are learning how to style my body in a way that is still fashionable. Finding women with the same soft tummy, jiggly arms and thick thighs, and seeing how they exude confidence and beauty gave me the courage to try styles I would never have dreamed of. They, although perhaps not always the most secure in their shape, showed me that there was more to life than hiding. That I could wear halter-neck tops (gasp!), bodycon dresses (still working on this), and short skirts (now a staple in my wardrobe), without feeling shame.

If any of you reading this have, like me, spent so much time trying to cover your curvy bodies, fitting neither body and clothing standards, and have cried in fitting rooms because of sizing struggles, hear this: some fast-fashion brands just won’t cater to us and that’s ok. There are plenty that will, and it’s about pushing yourself to try them. There is more to life than cowering at a number on a label, thinking just because you’re in the double-digits that clothing items are off-limits to you. They aren’t. Be kind to yourself, and just bloody wear them