Asos and Pull&Bear under fire for describing size 10 as ‘large’

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 18, 2017

Asos and Pull&Bear hit the headlines on Thursday in new case of unrealistic expectations for women’s bodies in the fashion industry. The brands have been criticised on social media for listing a size 10 crop top and short co-ord as “large”.

A Twitter user shared on Wednesday a snapshot of the product and its sizes on social media, prompting a new discussion about body shaming and the promotion of unhealthy beauty standards within the fashion industry.
“Stuff like this knocks me sick. What message are they sending out!?” wrote one Twitter user.

Asos sells products ranging from size 2 to size 30, with size 10 generally considered an “S”. Meanwhile, a size guide from Spanish brand Pull&Bear matches a European size 36 with an “S” and A European size 40 with an “L”.

Asos has apologised for the listing, blaming an internal error. “We understand that this was a technical error that ASOS has now updated,” said a spokesperson. “The sizing listed did not correspond to those on Pull&Bear’s own platform.”

The backlash comes as more and more consumers stand out against the fashion industry’s unrealistic portrayal of women’s bodies. A study from Liverpool University has recently estimated that virtually 100% of female mannequins used in high street stores represent a severely underweight body size. Additionally, there is a general feeling that sizes are “getting smaller”, with many brands artificially manipulating sizes as a marketing tool.

To address inconsistencies and help shoppers find their right size, the International Organization for Standardization updated its series of standards earlier this year to provide a universal set of size markings for clothing manufacturers.