Why don’t online models have normal shapes grrrr

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Disappointedly wrapping up 4 dresses from John Lewis to return - all looked horrendous on me but lovely on the models and I was excited to try them on. Why can’t some models have breasts, a tummy, be nearly 60 etc. grrr. They could eg have one perfect model and then a couple of other more normal people wearing the dresses. People’s’ return rates must be so high, unless they are a perfect shape.

Because they want the clothes to look the best they can, so they use good looking people to make that happen.

Even if it’s realistic, if the model doesn’t make the clothes look good nobody will buy them.

I would agree that there should be more variety. It seems some brands are doing this but they'll use a size 6 and a size 24 (which I think misses out the majority of the population). I'd like to see a size 6, 10, 12,16 etc. However, I know this isn't realistic and will probably never happen.

The thing is, the returns rate must be so high - and it’s very boring too. Every time I get sucked back into online dress shopping, I wonder why I bother.

A lot of retailers do use bigger models but the clothes don't look that great. I don't think they should use stick insect models who are having to starve themselves to be models, but say a size 12 would be ok.

I agree on returns, it makes me feel very guilty sending stuff back.

However, do you not have a sense of what styles look good on you?

The bigger models are often also not typical size 20 shape though. I learned to guesstimate quite well when I needed bigger sizes. You can often see on cut and material how it will sit.
I do love if they make videos though. That is absolutely great indicator of how it sits and moves on most sizes

They're photoshopped as well so the clothes don't even look like they do on the models in photos as they do in real life. You're right there's probably a tonne more returns because people don't know what it looks like on their body shape, it would be impossible to capture everyone's shape though. I wonder if this might lead to a renaissance in shopping in person so you can try them on.

Lots of returns get dumped as well which is such a waste.

Use a bloody coathanger if a normal woman's body isn't good enough for your clothes then!

And maybe - maybe - you're not very good at designing clothes if you can't make a size 10/12/14 look good in them?

I know it's all part of the marketing, but it boils my piss that the tail is allowed to wag the dog in this way.

I don’t think many folk think they will look like the model if they wear the dress she’s wearing do they? That it will hang the same? Most folks know their bodies and of course there are returns as often things don’t sit well or we don’t like in real life. But I don’t think we think we will miraculously look anywhere close to what the model looks like?

They use clips a lot if the time too to pull in and tweak fabric. Occasionally you’ll catch an unphotoshopped picture. It annoys me no end. I just want to see what it looks like on some different shapes; big hips, muscular, size 12, size 14 etc. Having a size 6 and a size 26 is not helpful.
This is why I dislike online shopping and try to limit it as much as possible.

We should campaign to make it law that every item is shown in same photos on three models - typical tall and slim one, a large dress size one, and a shorty.

Might encourage designers to make clothes to suit something other than tall and slim, which would mean we'd lose the standard response that clothes look better on tall slim models.

They do have normal shapes. They just don't have your shape (which is also a normal shape).

The models don't particularly look like me either but most people have a sense of what will and will not work for them.

There is always the foolproof alternative of actually going to the shops and trying things on before buying, of course.

I think most people can look at a design and know whether it would suit them or not. At least to some degree. When I look at the pictures I'm looking at the dress, not the model wearing it.

At nearly 60 and overweight I know what styles to buy that flatter my shape.

The photoshopping and clipping is annoying though because I'm then not seeing the real clothes.

Unfortunately, most clothes look DO better on a slimmer figure. (Whether people like to hear that or not.)

Also, I don't like slim/thinner women being flagged up as 'not a normal shape.' It's so rude. I get sick of this 'only real women have curves' bollocks, like the size 6 to 10s with narrow hips and/or small breasts etc can't possibly be attractive or physically appealing.

Yes it is annoying that only slimmer women are used to advertise most clothes, but as a pp said, the majority of clothes do look better on a slimmer figure. They just do!

Bit daft really though, as the majority of clothes will be sent back, as they won't look 'the same' on many women who buy the clothes online!

@Figmentofmyimagination I know you're annoyed and that is your right, but YABU for classing slim/thin women as 'not normal.'

I think it’s an issue too because our shape changes as we move through life. It’s all very well to say ‘you should know your shape’ but shopping for dresses for post-menopausal me is much harder. I agree that in-person shopping is probably the answer. I would just like to see some recognition of different shapes and sizes. I do know what I like, and my choices were not wild - white stuff and boden casual dresses. The younger me would have loved online shopping.

I know "shein" is blasphemy on here (and I've personally since stopped using so not looking for lecture/debate 😂).

However one thing I loved about their site is that in the review section previous purchasers were encouraged to upload a photo of them in the item showing how it looked in real life.

I don't know why more online retailers don't do that?

What about naturally slim people? What about people who work hard to maintain a healthy figure? Why can’t a size 6-8 see themselves represented?

And before you ask I’m a size 16 - that’s not a healthy size.

In the illustrations they all stand with either a hip stuck out, or feet at weird angles. Mango, I'm looking at you.

You’re sending the dress back, so if there had been a photo of a woman like you wearing it, you wouldn’t have ordered it. That’s why they don’t do it. They hope that you’ll just keep it once you’ve ordered. And to be fair, I used to work with a woman that didn’t send anything back as she couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

I've voted YABU for the title of you thread alone.... is everyone with a different body shape to you 'abnormal'?

This. I am a petite size 8. I am a normal woman, thank you!

They totally do this! My husband does a lot of photo editing work for some magazines and he always has little notes asking for clips, elastic bands etc to be removed where they are being used to pull in/up clothing to make it look better. He also still gets the make models nose slimmer, make ankles more shapely, remove freckles from back it's ridiculous.

https://youtube.com/shorts/SV-ArDoZelA?feature=share

I love the way https://jessakae.com presents dresses.