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Hi there! Though I’ve featured many H&M items in outfit
collages before, but I’ve never actually owned an item until this fall. H&M
was always too far away for me to bother going (think two hours + too much
tax), but I’ve always loved their designs, so you can imagine how happy I was
when it was announced that the store would be opening at my local mall.
Because the prices are pretty reasonable for what it is, I
wasn’t that disappointed with the quality because, like my mom always says, “What
you pay is what you get.” I swear, it’s like her little life motto or
something.
Aside from the quality, something that really bugged me
happened in the change room. I’m pretty petite, so I’ve always reached for the
extra-smalls or the smalls at most unless I want something to be super baggy or
whatever. When I was shopping at H&M, I figured it’d be the same thing
because I had no reason to think otherwise. Oh, boy was I wrong.
I have never been to a store where there were such big
differences between its sizes and another stores. But why is that? Why is it
that H&M’s sizes are minuscule compared to its competitors?
H&M’s target audience consists mostly of teenage girls and
young adults (give or take) and that group is already so vulnerable and their
self-esteem is generally already lacking, so this is really quite the blow to
one’s self-esteem. If you’re already struggling with your size or aren’t very
happy with it, the harsh change room lights and the bigger size number doesn’t
exactly help. Why H&M does this, I don’t even know. They’re supposed to
appeal to average people and accommodate everyone, not super skinny girls
either blessed (depending on how you see it) with a fast metabolism or models.
Don’t get me wrong, I love H&M’s clothes, but the sizes bother me nonetheless. Unless they decide to change it, of course and
make everyone feel a bit better about themselves.
Have you had the same problem with H&M? Why do you think
their sizes are so small? Any complaints/comments/suggestions? Share your
stories below!
Thanks for reading!
- J
I think I've heard that they use european sizing for their pants which are not equivilant to the pant sizes we are used to in north america.
ReplyDeleteHm... that's a possibility... - J
Deletemaybe that's it because i find the sizing on Zara clothes very different compared to north american brands (like club monaco for example). H&M clothes do fit quite small and i find a lot of them are cut for people are a bit on the shorter side.
DeleteEven though they are foreign brands, they have made their way into an international market, so they really should try to do a good job of ensuring that their sizes are equivalent to those of whatever country they are selling in. - J
DeleteActually, there's no size 2 in EU/UK sizes so that's definitely US. But I get what you're trying to say here some people take sizes very seriously and H&M's clothes, which seem to run very small might hurt their self-esteem or worse. I'm in the same boat with you. Usually I go for small/extra small but at H&M Pants have to be at least size 4 and tops size 6. It's not that bad, but for someone size 8 or 10 who may have to go up to 12, they might feel very had. :( Maybe their sizing is really off because they're just slapping on the US equivalent number despite the measurements being different for the actual sizes. :(
ReplyDeleteChristine from Invisible Blush
It personally doesn't bother me very much, but it's still not very... considerate, let's say of H&M. It's a shame because their clothes are awesome... Glad to know someone understands what I'm trying to say. :) - Juliana
DeleteI'm a pretty big girl and I actually use smaller sizes in H&M compared to other stores. Maybe as Christine said, it's has something to do with not being translated to the proper size. I'm from Denmark, so I don't know though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hope they're not doing it intentionally and it's all just a careless size translation issue. - Juliana
DeleteHello, the same goes for UK. All other shops show e.g. Euro size 38 to equate to size 10 UK. Only in H&M it is UK size 12....i don't get their logic!
ReplyDeleteSo true!! I know they list the European size, but also a US equivalent. None of it makes sense. I'm a size 4, maybe 6, in pants. This is usually a 27/28 European. When I try these sizes on at H&M, they don't get past my thighs. I need to start at a size 10 to make anything happen. Something is definitely wrong, and it makes shopping there very annoying.
ReplyDelete