As a society we put everything in categories no matter how much we try to break out, and sizes are no different. Most people recognize two size categories, “normal sizes”, or “straight sizes” and plus size. However from personal experience and being around friends, I know there is another category, midsize. According to ModelingWisdom.com, plus size in the modeling community starts at a size 8 (That is so crazy to me!) to a size 12. However, in the real world, plus size according to Bistromd.com starts at a size 12 or 14. As a midsize girl I range from a size 10-12, and at my heaviest, a size 14. I know the struggle of being neither “normal” or plus sized. A lot of my friends are also similar sizes and know the exact struggle of being midsize. Most girls who are midsize have an identity crisis basically every time they shop. When I walk into Forever 21, I struggle to find anything over a size 6 or anything bigger than a small, but when I walk into a Torrid or Lane Bryant (don’t even get me started on the prices of these stores!) trying to find a large or extra large is near impossible. The same thing goes for plus size sections, the selection is very limited, they only every stock 2 or 3xL’s and the price is nearly always inflated. Shopping used to be fun when I was younger, but now I very rarely go out to shop because the odds of me finding my size in person is so small.
Another midsize struggle is the backlash. If you tell your friends you’re plus sized or bigger, the comments range from, “You’re not plus sized,” “You’re too skinny to be plus sized,” to, “Stop talking bad about yourself.” There are so many things wrong with those comments; being plus sized has no negative connotation and it’s just a size. If I took their advice and only shopped in straight sizes, half the clothes wouldn’t fit my curves the way plus sized clothes do and I’d be left feeling self conscious and confused. I could complain for hours, but I hope to one day stop categorizing sizes; no more straight sizes and no more plus sizes. Someone should be able to walk in a store, find a cute pair of pants or a pretty top, choose their size and go about their day. No more struggling to find out which store cuts off at a size 12 or 14 and having a panic attack when you absolutely have no idea where you fit in. So if you’re a midsize gal or just a girl struggling with shopping for their size, just know you are beautiful and valid!