When I was 11, my then-best friend Imogen and I fought it out over a pair of (very) questionable bootcut patchwork jeans for the school disco. As the jeans threatened to ruin our friendship (founded on pink, Groovy Chick and Kenzie from Blazin’ Squad) we decided that the only solution was for us both to wear them. But while she looked like a goddess with her long lithe limbs, I looked more like her dumpy friend drowning in swathes of denim.
READ MORE: We Try On Everything In The Topshop Petite Section So You Don’t Have To
Fortunately, since then, the likes of Topshop, ASOS and Miss Selfridge have cottoned on to the needs of us petite girls. But our sartorial struggles are far from over. Here are 10 things that my fellow statured women are all too familiar with when shopping in the petite section…
[Sidenote: don’t be too depressed. Most dry cleaners have excellent in-house tailors who can help adjust almost anything to fit your stature and frame.]
**Boobs and bums are inconvenient **
Most petite clothes are rarely designed with curves in mind. Apparently, pocket-sized ladies don’t have T ’n’ A (since when did petite equal dainty?) And spare a thought for the curvier girls among us, with clothes rarely stocked (often up to) and above a size 16.
Leggy models will inexplicably model in the petite section
It’s the petite section, so why are clothes being modelled by Amazonian-esque women whose legs could rival Miranda Kerr? Trust me, there’s only so many times you can try on clothes after an ASOS splurge before thinking, ‘Why doesn’t it look the same on me?’ and sobbing uncontrollably in front of the mirror.
You’re often made to feel like you are 14 years old
We get that 14-year-olds shop in the petite section, but that doesn’t mean we all want glittery crop tops in a sickly shade of pink. As for slogan tees with ‘Lover boy’ brandished on them? We banished them back in ’07 when ‘That’s hot’ shirts were the pinnacle of cool.
There can be an irritatingly limited choice
Like a tenth of what’s available in the regular lines will be available in petite. While it’s worth celebrating that petite girls have their own section in many stores, there’s still barely any choice compared to the main collection. And it’s not just variety that’s a problem, there are barely any seasonal ‘on trend’ pieces. Five-foot-three Tuesday Bull agrees: ‘Petite dresses, trousers and skirts can be quite boring. It’s as if petite people like me don’t need to follow trends or wear patterns.’
Online shopping is at best, risky...
...And at worst, downright traumatic. I once spent a now memorable New Year’s Eve holding up the waistband of my too-big leather leggings – best avoided unless you’ve tried them on in store. And don’t get me started on that time I bought a regular-sized jumpsuit and the crotch came down to my knees…
But you know what? It can feel like a bespoke experience
The moment when you slide into a custom-made blazer or perfectly fitted playsuit makes up for all those traumatic shopping experiences – wide-leg culottes and too-long floral dungarees, I’m looking at you.
And you’re totally privy to one-off exclusives
Lucky for us small folk, stores stock many unforgettable exclusives. One Christmas, Topshop brought out a divine bejewelled cape fit for narrow shoulders and short torsos only – cue envious looks from my leggy friends the entire holiday season. Definitely makes up for still having to show your ID to watch a 15+ film at the cinema.
You’ve got a fail-safe excuse under your belt at all times
If you’re one of those people that hate friends borrowing your clothes (or like me are forever scarred thanks to the incident where my 5ft 8in friend ripped my white lace playsuit after borrowing it on a night out), you always have the excuse that it can’t fit them, without losing friends.
Hotpants are actually do-able
Petite people look great in hotpants. Need I remind you of Kylie Minogue in Spinning Around? OK, we don’t all have her teeny bum, but we’ve got a much better chance at being able to pull off hotpants than a ‘regular’-sized chick. And thanks to skorts this season, we can wear them during the day without the fear of being arrested for public indecency.
And bikini shopping is so much easier
Given that bikinis seem to be made about three sizes smaller than *all other types of clothing, *this works well in our favour. It’s possibly the only time we petite girls don’t have to break into a sweat or worry about never finding our size. Tiny tits? The string bikini is your BFF then. Try Triangl Swimwear and revel in (rather than weep over) the fact that one thing you don’t have to worry about is falling out of your top on the beach.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.