Liz Black is the creator of the website P. S. It’s Fashion and a lead plus-size fashion writer for Refinery29.
In a recent piece with You Do You titled 'What Is Sample Size?' she modelled sample size clothing as a way to highlight the ridiculousness of the size of the clothing. Sample size clothing worn by models on the catwalk tends to vary from a US size 0-4 which equates to a UK size 4-8.
Liz highlighted the fashion industry’s infatuation with thin models on the runway showing ‘the average woman’s body attempting to breach those sample size garments, reminiscent to how the plus-size movement is attempting to breach the fashion industry today.’
In a piece on her own website, Liz acknowledges that the fashion industry has changed since she was a teenager and that there are so many more options that exist, but that other things have remained ‘stagnant’.
She also discusses the reasons for designers using such small measurements such as feeling forced to comply to the industry standard, wanting people to see the clothes rather than the woman and for cost-cutting purposes.
The take away sentiment is, as always, that the fashion industry needs to diversify and become more inclusive.
In an interview with People, she added ‘It doesn't mean that we have to lose that body type, and I'm not body shaming people who are naturally thin, but very often these models are being instructed to keep their bodies smaller than they would be naturally to fit into these sample sizes.’
Photos by Kristiina Wilson
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.