A few days ago, a Allistyle, well-known plus-sized fashion line posted a link on its Facebook page to an article where model Robyn Lawley wanted the term “plus sizes” banned.  The article quotes Ms. Lawley saying “there is a need for all women to wear all sizes of clothes and we should cater to that need without putting a label on it…” While I understand where she is coming from and that it would indeed be very nice if designers had a wider range of sizes, it’s also important to emphasize different ranges.  As a short woman, I think it is very important to label whether something is petite or “average” as it really helps me as a shopper.  If I see a something in my size that is not petite and another that is, both from the same company, I will grab the petite version first.  I know that my need for alterations (if they work at all) would not be likely with a petite size.

Ms. Lawley discussing body image on Ellen

I feel that for now, anyway, it is important to emphasize specialty sizes.  At least until the markets and designers take us more seriously.  Without it the emphasis, we as “non-standard” sized women (which I define as between 5’4″ and 5’8″ in height and wearing sizes 2-10)  would just fade into the background and would not be catered to.  Plus sizes have, in the past few years, made great strides in trying to be included.  And they emphasized sizing.  Petites (or, at least, petites who are smaller than size 10) are slowly making inroads as well – Jean of Extra Petite (about 5 feet tall, size 00P) has been appearing in petite-focused ads for LOFT and maybe we’ll see other petite personalities for different companies (I’d love to see J.Crew, Ann Taylor and Banana Republic use real petite-sized women rather than regular models) and maybe even more petite-exclusive clothing lines.

In the article, Ms. Lawley also said that she didn’t want women to be “segregated into particular stores.”  I guess that means departments within a store as well.  However, by NOT “segregating” as she calls it, one might actually have MORE difficulty finding a size.  I don’t want to have to dig around to find MY size based on items cut for people who are in my height range.  This is already an issue at some stores – ones that keep all their jeans (for example) in the same pile, according to style – even if the jeans come in three lengths for any given size.  Why do I have to dig through a pile of regular length jeans, just to find a 24S (size 24 short)?  If there was a short or petite section, then my size would be there rather than being “just another size” and put aside.  I think that if you are NOT considered a specialty size, you’re less likely to be included and body image activists are less likely to think that you have issues (not that they even emphasize petite issues to begin with in the first place, but that’s a WHOLE OTHER ISSUE).  Besides, staff can be more helpful and more understanding with specialty sized sections.

LOFT ad featuring Jean from Extra Petite (showing the difference in fit between regular and petite sizes)

At the same time, I agree with Ms. Lawley that fashion designers and stylists need to “end their obsession with skinny mannequins.”  Actually, to be more accurate, fashion designers have an obsession with abnormally tall and skinny mannequins.  We all talk about female (non-model) celebrities being too skinny, but in reality, they’re proportionately bigger, for the most part, than a typical runway model.  Actresses and singers tend to range around 5’2″ to 5’7″ in height while wearing size 0 to 4.  Models are 5’9″ to 6 feet even (or more) and size 0 or 2.  Big difference in proportion.  I also think Ms. Lawley is coming from a very different perspective.  Being the height she is (6’2″), and the size she wears, she’s proportionately similar to someone who is 5’3″ and a size 4 or 6.  I call 5’3″ and size 4 somewhere bordering thin and “average” (at least for someone in my part of Toronto.  5’3″ and size 4 might be “very thin” in other areas).  However, to say that certain sizes shouldn’t have their own departments or stores is probably a step too far.  As for me, I will continue to describe myself as petite, because that’s what I am.  I might not be a size 0 for the rest of my life, but barring leg extension surgery or a miracle growth drug, I will ALWAYS BE SHORT.  I WILL ALWAYS BE PETITE.