A Spectrum of
What is one of the most arbitrary concepts of the last 75+ years? Women clothing sizes.
They make no sense. Size 2s are 4s for one brand, while size 10s are 3s for another. And the worst part is, instead of doing what they were intended to do – make shopping easier, they actually create a subconscious internal struggle that makes a simple action complicated.
Here’s the typical scenario:
Girl walks into department store. Girl throws her rationality out the door. Girl puts all things cute into her shopping cart and moves on until she’s out of racks to search. But in the process, girl also slowly loses her self-confidence.
Let’s reminisce on your last department store visit. Did you start at the rack that you considered the “right” size only to go down and down until you’re 8 sizes up?
This has happened to me time and time again. Note, I’m pretty petite – all 5’0” and 105 pounds of me but I still always find myself starting at the 0s and ending at the 6s. The higher I go, the more and more negative thoughts I begin to have on my own body image.
“Oh… it’s not THAT cute. Do I look fat in this? Maybe I shouldn’t go to that rack, it’s not my size.”
But the truth is – none of that matters.
1. No one ever knows what size you really wear – nor should anyone care
2. Everyone has a different dimension to them, no matter if they are categorized in the small, medium or large bucket
3. If you like it and it fits – WEAR IT
Clothing is supposed to make us feel confident. Make us feel sexy and vibrant. But the process of shopping for clothes can cause a schism that fundamentally affects how we exude ourselves to others.
In an age where the consumer experience matters, how can we improve on the current process of shopping for clothes? More importantly, how can we help women remove negative connotations before even trying on a new wardrobe? How can we make all women fall in love with themselves? How do we improve the confidence of each and every woman who is walking into the classroom or boardroom?
Here’s my shot at cracking that puzzle – create a spectrum of categories that empower the customers to say “yes, I’m going to look great in the clothes over there!”
The idea is to group all clothes that are similar in measurement (i.e.: 36” waist, etc) in the same category instead of putting all the random size 2’s together. These categories would then be labeled as something much more appealing than numeric sizes. For example, the categories could be flower types (i.e.: roses, tulips, etc) or anything else that have low negative associations to them. In the end, this new system is meant to create a sense of connection and belonging for all those that walk into a store. No more feeling self-conscious because there is a disconnect between the sizes you think you should be wearing versus just wearing clothes that fit well.
Yes, you can argue that there are many impediments in making this a worldwide phenomenon where all retailers and fashion designers adopt a new categorical sizing system.
That’s not what I’m arguing for. I’m arguing for one store to try a new tactic in order to have customers feel more confident about themselves. Imagine, instead of being led to the “x-large or size 16” section, you’re led to the “carnation” section. How much better would you feel about yourself? How more would you be willing to try more clothes off that rack? How much more of this newfound confidence would transcend to other aspects of your life?
Clothing styles and designs have evolved, so should sizes.
