Hey there Style Lovers, can we just get real about store mannequins situation? Even though we do alot of our shopping online with our favorite fashion bloggers now, these still get in our face. When we walk in to a store, see a look displayed in all it’s glory, go to work to find the pieces, and then we see it on. And you wonder, what the heck? Maybe I just don’t measure up.
UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
If you haven’t seen my post from my Instagram at the end of April, you might not have seen this little tid bit I shared. The average store mannequin, according to a Refinery29 article I read, is 6 feet tall. SIX FEET TALL LADIES! That is FAR from the height of an average woman, am I right?!
Not only that, their Bust, Waist and Hips measurement is significantly smaller than what the article describes as the average woman. (click on the link to the article and you’ll see a fantastic side by side image of a mannequin, and the “average woman”, and even read why stores choose the mannequins they have). No wonder we think we have to lose a few pounds to look good! I mean, GEEZ! NOT TRUE.
WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET
For years, I have felt that mannequins are disproportionate, and selling an image that is hard to come by. Not only that (here comes the sarcasm); but, I mean, their posture is all wrong! Who stands like this?! And can someone get these girls a sweater….they look cold….ALL THE TIME. Sheesh! But what you see, isn’t what you get. Have you noticed the clothes in the stores don’t fit them either?! Everything is pinned and cinched up to show how the garment is supposed to look.
HOORAY!! THEY AREN’T PERFECT! You should no longer feel discouraged! Mannequin’s, it seems, can’t shop “off the rack” either! Which is why I believe, with a little education and some intentional shopping, your perfect wardrobe exists.
YOUR PERFECT WARDROBE EXISTS
What I want to encourage you about is you are NOT defined by what the store mannequins, social media highlight reels, or anything that tries to tell you what you should look like. I have worked with a number of women who get frustrated when the outfit they love on display, doesn’t translate in the dressing room.
Method39 is here to help you shop for, and create outfits, with items that fit and flatter your current shape. Mannequin’s, and their intent to sell you a dream of being long and lean and unrealistically proportioned, do not get a say in how you shop! Try things on. Tuck it in. Untuck it. Roll up the hems. Add a belt. Roll up the sleeves. Layer it. Find a great tailor that can hem lengths and take in the sides of certain pieces. Try many different brands, as sizing can be drastically different between them. Know what you want so you don’t get distracted by what’s out there, even I find it overwhelming at times and I love to shop!
YOU ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN A PLASTIC MOLD
My sweet friend, I’m not sure if you need to hear this; but just in case…..you were created in God’s image. He makes no mistakes, and you were NOT created to feel inadequate. No one compares to you, my friend. You are perfectly imperfect, and that is exactly as it was intended. You have freedom of choice, so you can choose to change your shape if you want, or you can choose to love yourself, no matter what you look like. Either way, I believe you and me, as a team, can have you looking and feeling like your best self, no matter the occasion!
xoxo Taryn