Picture this; you walk into Topshop and see the most amazing pair of jeans. You pick up your usual size and take it to the fitting room. But sadly, after holding your breath, jumping up and down and pulling your stomach in they just won’t zip up. This can only mean one thing; you have to try the next size up. When the dreaded button doesn’t fasten should we feel disheartened and immediately run to the nearest gym to shed the pounds? Should we start that horrendous one lettuce leaf a day diet and starve ourselves until we can fit into those skinnies? Realistically, we should just choose the option of trying on the next size- up and if it looks good, gladly go ahead and spend our student loan. But, when trailing from shop to shop, jumping from size to size, it’s not difficult to turn buying a pair of jeans into a dress size drama.
There are many women who feel less attractive if they don’t manage to fit into their usual dress size and therefore feel less self-confident. But, there are other women who don’t shy away from the bigger numbers and are extremely comfortable with whatever size they fall into. Why, when having to increase the digits on the dress confidence decreases for so many women?
Fashion magazines and the media significantly influence our image of The Perfect Woman. They not only photograph women with stomachs as flat as an ironing board but they add some airbrushing in too. We shouldn’t be manipulated into thinking that we should all try and look like Kate Moss and that the only way to look and appear confident is to squeeze into the single number sizes.
After doing a little research on the dress size debate it’s clear that we shouldn’t be so trusting of the reliability of that little number on the collar of the shirt. You could be a size 10 in one shop and a size 14 in another; surely this doesn’t mean you’ve put on weight in the space of walking from one end of the street to the other, unless there is a McDonald’s in-between. Despite there being a British standard for clothing sizes there is no requirement for retailers or manufacturers to use it; with chain stores basing their sizes on their target customers rather than a national average. So, really you shouldn’t let the worry and frustration that comes from moving a little up and down the dress size ladder as you pop from shop to shop ruin any confidence in your appearance. Dress size should not be such an uncomfortable matter; after all, don’t we tell white lies about our dress sizes to friends and partner sometimes anyway?
Whether a secretive size 10 or a confident size 16, do you really take the time to look at someone on the street and guess what dress size they are? No, of course not. What we notice is the overall appearance of the person; the style, confidence and personality, not the number on a label. Personally, I think self-confidence comes with achievement in whatever it may be that you want to achieve. So, whether wishing for a first in an online assessment or desperately seeking the perfect pair of jeans; when you achieve your goal then you will be abundant in self-confidence, no matter your size.
