Welcome the Plus Sizes

Debenhams—the UK department store chain that set up a gift registry for people getting divorces—is again on the cutting edge. They’ve announced they’ll be the first British department store to showcase fashions using UK size 16 mannequins. Another major retailer is taking account of their customers wanting more! According to an article in today’s UK Telegraph, nearly all clothing shops in Britain use size 8 or 10 mannequins.
     Retailers like Lane Bryant and Rochester Big and Tall have homed in on the larger market for decades, and many women’s fashion departments have special sections for plus sizes. But the Debenhams move is mainstream. Recognizing that about 20% of the women shoppers at Debenhams are looking for size 16 and that the majority of women in the UK now wear either size 14 or 16, the store’s new additions are showing what the clothes look like on typical customers.
     Acknowledgement of the growing consumer market applies beyond clothing. According to a February 18 Sacramento Bee article, car companies are positioning pedals farther apart for bigger and wider feet. Toilet seats are getting bigger, and a few airlines—like United and JetBlue—allow upgrades—at a price—for more elbow and leg room.
     I realize that profit awaits stores that help their customers achieve physical comfort when using purchases. But the measures to achieve that are not always the same as measures taken to make customers feel emotionally comfortable about shopping for larger sizes. Overall, consumer psychology findings suggest that women enjoy seeing clothing modeled by women who are somewhat thinner, but not dramatically thinner, than they themselves are.
     Debenhams realizes that what they’re doing is a test. Next to the size 16 mannequins are small signs reading, “I’m a size 16. Do you want to see more of me?”