Opinion| Shein, Cider and NastyGal sideline normal body shapes in favour of Barbie style proportions
Online fast fashion retailers such as Shein, Cider and NastyGal have cropped up like polyester weeds in the past five years, much to the delight of savvy Gen Z and Millennial shoppers.
They have replaced high street retailers much like apps have supplanted table service – yet not necessarily for the better.
Despite the opaque production ethics of Chinese fashion giant Shein it remains the go-to for dresses, shoes and clothes.
You can pick up an outfit for £20, or some lingerie for as little as £2.
NastyGal, the higher quality fast fashion brand often has offers of up to 40 per cent discount.
Some clothes fit perfectly, however others seem tailored for an 'ideal' body size that only seems to exist on Instagram. Put it this way, it's not a body shape one often sees on the beach or at the pool.
YouTubers and TikTok stars display their fast fashion ‘hauls’ online, opening hundreds of packages for an eager audience.
A silk wrap top that would cost around £50 in Monsoon can be snatched up for £12.99 on Cider or Shein. It won’t be real silk, but satin-esque will do for lunch with friends.
The boom in fast fashion comes as incomes are lower, rents are higher and greater emphasis is placed on quantity over quality.
It’s appealing to those who want to look good for less, or keep up with the latest trends.
With an ever revolving display of cinched waists and Kardashian curves plastered all over social media, young women seek to emulate the neat, classic styles once reserved for more pricey brands – and fast fashion has dutifully answered.
However, despite the appeal of TikTok ‘hauls’ these garments smack of Shakespeare’s gilded butterflies.
A size ‘L’ on Shein which is meant to be a UK 12/14 can come as small as a UK size 8.
NastyGal jeans in a 12 arrive overlong and with a waistline suitable for an eight-year-old.
As a UK 10/12 I’ve had to shop in the ‘Plus and Curve’ range on more than one occasion to source out a size 14 or 16 to fit my frame.
Cider’s largest size outside of their ‘Curve’ section was advertised as a UK 12 but needed a corset to fit my waist (and even then it didn’t do up).
When shopping in high street stores such as New Look or River Island the measurements are far more reliable. M&S have exacting and trustworthy sizes, that can be ordered online with confidence.
Normal and average body shapes are now being treated as sub-sections of sizing, in an industry where unrealistic waist sizes are favoured and modelled.
Models often have a dipped in waist, a large bust and curvy hips – complete with washboard abs. Not to mention the lingerie models that seems to have lost their crotch when standing in teeny v-shaped thongs. A friend once said to me in tears: “These clothes are making me feel obese and that I need to lose weight.”
In 2020 EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa blasted Zara for their “offensive” sizing after she couldn’t fit into a “large” size-12 pair of shorts. In a society where body positivity is celebrated fast fashion should reflect that – instead of contradicting the sentiments they use to sell their products.
And of course all these ultimately discarded cheap items have to end up somewhere – and they do, polluting the environment.
