Women’s fashion is an odd phenomenon; size 0 mannequins with unrealistically long limbs advertise the clothes we buy, and yet (with the exception of Victoria’s Secret models) very few of us sport similar proportions. So, there’s no surprise many females struggle to find clothing which complements their body type. With petite women learning to hem their own jeans (because apparently the average woman descends from the Amazons) and anyone who wears more than a C cup always having their breasts on display (we’re tired of being hypersexualized), women have settled for the discomfort of clothing because we don’t fit into society’s expectations. To further explore the complicated relationship between body type and fashion, three girls from HCCU volunteered to wear the same outfit and reflect. Keep reading below to see what we have to say.
Lanaya
While I am 5’4 and labeled as petite, my athletic build makes finding clothes that fit me nearly impossible. Shopping for pants is my worst nightmare, and I find most of my pieces at thrift stores. I can squeeze into sizes 2-6 (XS-XL for my bust) and incorporate hems, folding, and bobby pins in most of my outfits. I liked wearing this outfit because each piece hugged my body in the right places, but I would prefer to wear more colors. By adding accessories I felt more confident, but I try to avoid turtlenecks on days when I’m feeling bloated. Luckily today was a great day for me and the outfit definitely helped with that. Plus I received many compliments!
Mariana
According to Mariana, her “body type is pretty standard for Hispanic women: tan complexion, round face, and somewhat curvy.” This outfit is pretty on-par with what she normally wears since it fits her personality and keeps her warm in the winter. Mariana dresses for her dream job; she likes to “emanate class and sophistication” by pulling her hair back and adding dangly earrings – turning her into what she envisions as an “archetypical English major.” She goes on to say “when I wear this sort of style, I have always liked tucking in my shirts or wearing crop tops to accentuate my waist, or with a band t-shirt over the turtleneck to make it more casual.” Today Mariana felt smart, feminine, comfortable, and stylish. Sounds like we found the perfect look to balance her personal style and body type (which is like winning the lottery in girl-world)!
Julia
Like many women, Julia defines herself as midsize; she is 5’7 and wears sizes 10-14. Especially because she has an all-black dress code for work, she tends to wear outfits like this quite often and sticks to a dark color palette because these shades compliment her body shape more than lighter tones. Her turtleneck was thrifted, she’s sporting her Doc Martens, and is wearing Old Navy jeans. When asked about her opinion of the outfit, Julia said she was comfortable, except her pants didn’t fit well at the waist and, “found myself constantly having to pull my pants up even with a belt.” Oh the wonders of womens pants. Overall, Julia liked wearing this outfit and looked great too.
Shopping is not easy for me. I have torn pants at the crotch because of my thighs, turned crop tops into bras because of my boobs, and found myself crying in dressing rooms because dresses and skirts are too long for me. And yet, by wearing the same outfit as Julia and Mariana and discussing, I realized everyone else is in the same dilemma. Because of our different body types, we came to the conclusion that all women (unfortunately) have to wear different clothing to suit their personal needs; but that can be inspiring and give you creative liberties while getting dressed in the morning. What we’ve learned is a simple turtleneck and dark jeans might just be what we need as an outfit starter.