At the beginning of the fall semester, my mother offered to buy me new jeans at American Eagle. I grabbed my regular size and headed to the dressing room. I pulled the jeans on and couldn't get them up. Instantly, I convinced myself I had gone up a size. With tears in my eyes I asked my mom to grab the next size up. They didn't fit either. For ten minutes, I sat on the dressing room bench and cried. I'd never felt so big in my life. And here I was wondering if I'd ever wear jeans again.
When I exited the dressing room, an employee asked me if she could help with anything. I then proceeded to tell her I no longer fit in the size I used to and it was just a little sad. I thanked her and went to leave. She stopped me and told me that the sizes have gone up. If you were a size 8, you should now be looking for a ten.
I was a ten.
What she was telling me was I should now be looking for a 14. Imagine how that made me feel. I looked for a 14 in the style and wash I was looking at, and they didn't carry them in store. I instantly felt my heart drop. Girls who, like me, had curves that refused to be defined by a size could no longer try jeans on in store. Instead, they are forced to order online. Girls who wear a larger size will now be labeled plus sizes and girls who were considered plus sized can no longer wear jeans from the companies that shifted their sizes.
We have always lived in a world that defines us first by our body type and then by our clothes. Women in our society are made to feel like objects. Our bodies are a subject of desire and society only likes them a certain way. So when a company makes a change like shifting the fit of the jean sizes, what are we supposed to assume is the reason? There is no other explanation except that, like a lot of designer companies, American Eagle and many other companies have joined the long list of companies that want a certain type of girl wearing their clothing.
In moments like this, I stop and wonder: what does money mean to people? Obviously, it must mean enough to companies like this that they forcefully shove curvier girls out of their clothing. It's a ridiculous concept to make sure people no longer fit in their jeans. Not only does it neglect the most common body type in America, the shift promotes poor body image among even the healthiest people.
The shift that has been created tells girls who are a size zero and double zero that they no longer fit in the smallest size. Now a size two and four, the drastic size shift allows these girls to feel as if they are no longer as small as they once were. Striving to be a size that they once were and often creating unhealthy habits.
If you have taken the time to read through this article, then I have no doubt that you care. So if that is the case, I urge you to consider this a call to arms. As women, we must stop letting the world tell us what we must be. We should reclaim the right to feel good in our own skin. Encourage everyone to spread this very important news. It's time to move forward from this kind of body shame and bring each other up.
