Nope, that’s not a hot new show that is a mashup of the Inbetweeners and The Tweenies, that’s a fashion term. It’s what us girls between ‘straight’ sizes and ‘plus sizes’ have found ourselves being called. Personally, I fluctuate between a 12 at my lowest and a 16 at the highest. I have wide hips so I often find myself needing a 16 in trousers, but they are usually baggy around my waist and tight on my bum. The struggle is so real.
At the moment, I’m looking at a 14-16. I’ve had trouble with my IBS and other chronic conditions, plus I’ve been on holiday which has led to me gaining weight. I’m trying to enjoy food at the moment as I will be going on the medical low FODMAP diet in July, which is very restrictive and means that I can’t enjoy my favourite foods (bye halloumi and pizza!) whilst the dietitian works out which groups of food my stomach doesn’t like. I read a post from Hannah Gale earlier in the week where she discussed her journey with food and her body, and it inspired me to write this post.
If you were to ask me which ‘influencers’ I identify with, I’d have to say plus size. I love Felicity Hayward, Body Posi Panda, Grace Victory and a few more. Their positivity about their own bodies inspires me to feel more comfortable about mine. I know I’m not plus size – but my belly, my hips and my legs are parts of my body that I hate. I do also follow a lot of ‘straight’ size influencers and fitness bloggers – my faves from this area are Chloe Plumstead, Retro Flame and Gemma Talbot. I follow these gals because I love the clothes they wear and the pieces they write. In my line of work, I come into contact with A LOT of bloggers and I can sometimes find myself going home at the end of the day and feeling deflated, because all I’ve done is look at images of gorgeous, toned, tanned, fashionable women, and I look in the mirror at my body and I feel sad. I’m on a journey to try and get myself out of this habit – I have to remember that Instagram isn’t real life.
If you’re an inbetweenie like me, you might recognise some of these struggles:
Comparing Yourself to Others
I am the worst for comparing myself to others. I can scroll down my feed, see a beautiful girl in a fab dress and think ‘why can’t that be me?’. I’m lucky enough to have an amazing boyfriend who loves me and my body, but I find myself constantly asking why can’t I look like those girls.
Shopping ‘IRL’ is a Nightmare
I HATE shopping. It used to be my favourite activity but now I hardly ever shop in real life. I hate spending hours in the changing room, under those god-awful lights examining every inch of my body. I hate the way that sizes vary so much – I’m a size 16 in H&M, but I can be a 12 somewhere else. I’m just waiting for the day that Primark launches a website as that’s the only reason I go shopping properly these days. I don’t even look at the likes of Zara, as those pesky Spanish sizes ain’t for me.
You don’t fit into plus size clothes
Sometimes, I spot something in the plus size range which would be perfect for me. However, they don’t fit. I appreciate that I could probably find something in the standard range, but sometimes, it’s a bit annoying to know that if I was just a size or two bigger, I’d find clothes which flatter me more easily.
Swimwear.
Oh god. Swimwear. I have to start swimwear shopping about two months before I actually go on holiday because it’s that traumatic. I need a 14 in the tops, a 16 in the bottoms. I need bottoms which cover my hips, and I need tops that hold up my boobs. I don’t want to wear a swimming costume because it enhances my stomach, but all of the bikinis were made for girls of Love Island proportions. I lust after the cute bikinis on PLT, but in reality, I know they will never work on my body. Please, can brands consider us inbetweenie girls when they’re designing bikinis? It’s not rocket science. We want them to cover our bum and hips, support our boobs and look pretty.
You’re never out of the Post Office
It’s always a case of trial and error when I shop online, especially when I order from somewhere new. My safe bets are generally ASOS and Missguided, occasionally Boohoo. I’ve ordered from SheIn this week and I am fully expecting that I will need to send the items back to wherever they came from, but I’m praying to the body gods that this doesn’t happen. I think my local Post Office and Collect+ shop know me by now. Last year, when I was looking for something to wear for my work’s Christmas party, my local Collect+ store had a running joke of betting when I’d next be in.
You can’t shop in cute little boutiques
I have a couple of cute little boutiques near my house who promote their wares on Instagram. I pop in with my eye on something only to find that the biggest size is a medium, and there’s no way in hell that’s going over my ass. I end up leaving either empty handed or with a pair of shoes or a bag. At least I know accessories will never let me down, right?
At the end of the day, as much as I hate being an inbetweenie, I have to check my privilege. I can shop in Topshop, I can find clothes for holidays that aren’t designed for middle-aged women and my body shape isn’t slaughtered by the press day in, day out. However, I definitely identify more with plus size girls and I’m totally with them when it comes to inclusivity – I’m loving how more retailers are showing things like stretch marks on their models, but I just wish that brands catered for everyone. Rather than having a plus size range and a normal range, just have one range for everyone. And standardise your sizes, for god’s sake. No girl wants to walk into a store and come out feeling sad because of the number on her label. I’d also love to see more inbetweenie and plus sizes on TV – Love Island, I’m looking at you hun.
If you’re an inbetweenie gal, please let me know in the comments your trusty places to shop – we gotta stick together! x
Fashion and Faces 