American expat reveals ‘huge problem’ with Australia’s clothing stores – and it impacts millions
An American expat has criticized Australian clothing stores for not catering to 'bigger' women, claiming shopping Down Under has caused her to develop serious body image problems.
Kerrene Taylorfrom Washington, moved to Perth seven years ago and has been struggling with Australian clothing sizes ever since.
Millions of other young Aussies have also slammed retailers for not offering 'trendy' and 'fashionable' clothes in plus sizes, forcing them to shop from brands that target older women.
Kerrene recently revealed that she started exhibiting behaviors that led to her seeking therapy – and the main trigger was not being able to buy clothes that fit properly.
“I went from a pretty solid US size medium (AU 14) to suddenly barely fitting into clothes in Australia,” she said in a video.
'It was an unexpected side effect of moving to Australia, and it took me quite a few years to get over it.'
Business analyst IBIS World revealed that only 6.3 percent of Australian clothing retailers sell clothes size 16 and above.
Kerrene added, “(Not fitting into clothes) just did something to my brain, and I definitely internalized that experience in my early 20s.
'I think what helped was realizing it wasn't just me: the average woman in Australia is a size 12 or 14, and that's often the largest size brands offer.
'It's a problem for the fashion industry. Australia is not exactly a country that encompasses everything in terms of size.'
Kerrene Taylor, from Washington, moved to Perth seven years ago and has been struggling with Australian dress sizes ever since
Many others shared Kerrene's concerns.
'There are no measures in Australia!' one complained. 'You can have a size 12 in one store and a size 14/16 in another store.'
“I almost fainted when I first went to the US and found out all the brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger were included there but not in Australia,” another added.
“I haven't bought clothes from an (Australian) store in 10 years – nothing suits me,” one woman said.
Some have encountered opposite issues with size inclusivity.
“I can never find anything small enough, all sizes seem to be getting bigger,” one woman wrote.
“It's getting harder and harder for little people to notice that it's so frustrating,” another added. 'Especially no clothes if you are small and have a size 44.'