Super skinny models for M&S?

[CheeseDreamz]

I am really struggling to shop online at the moment as it feels like many retailers are using super slinky and very tall models to show clothes that are usually aimed at a more average demographic and body type. M&S being the worst right now.

Before people accuse me of body shaming I am observing the predominant use of what is actually quite a rare human shape - not about whether it is attractive, or healthy or possible to achieve. 5ft 10+ and size zero with very long legs is not that common, especially over 25. I have my thoughts on this, but my question is more around the widom of doing this and the difficulty of shopping.

It's making it impossible to tell what a piece of clothing might look like if you have boobs or bum, even at a size 12. And in many cases the clothes don't even look that great. Also has the model wears size x information now gone on many sites?

Looking over a few sites it seems to be increasing in mens clothing too.

I know that representation of a variety of body types has been adopted (for years by some retailers) but it feel as if that is really waning now - weirdly it seems to be better in brands I would consider for younger people. There is some discussion in the media about "the return of hyper skinny" (though a quick google reveals there are articles on this going back to 2022), so it's a perennial thing. But really, who the hell do M&S think shops with them? It's so off-putting - all I see is that these clothes are not for me.

I agree OP.
I think the issue is the staff who design these ads/ marketing don’t relate to the core customer base.
Another slightly more niche example of this is in the clothing range sold by Cats Protection. I have laughed but also felt a bit sad and cross when looking at their photos of very grumpy looking thin twenty year olds wearing cat t shirts, hoodies etc.
Of course everybody can like cats of whatever age and size but why only use very young and thin models? And why make them look so moody?!

@Lentilweaver I'm nearer 5ft 10 which makes a difference & I have a small frame (size 5.5/6 feet). I didn't starve myself, was very active but my BMI would still have been underweight which was my point...

I couldn't be that weight now post dc in my 40s without restricting food.

The ones on the marks website don't look too bad. They don't look anorexic.
But it's true that must people are shorter and fatter than that. I think they should have a tall person, a short thin person and a short-ish fat person for each garment. And they should always say the height and size of the model.

Also you can often have 2 people of the same weight and height with totally different body shapes ? So even if they had diff size models there’s no guarantee that they’d look the same as you even if they were the same height etc? Seems like you’re just body shaming

And they should always say the height and size of the model.

Yes, even though I'm bigger now, very few people have my frame & proportions in the real world & in the modelling world I wasn't even that tall 😆

Cost really. A model can cost us up to £500 a day, a size 14 would be more.

I’m mid forties and I’m a size 10-12, I think the images are usually representative. The shop models as well are usually this size. Given that frequently these sizes are sold out in store and online, I’m assuming a lot of their customers take these sizes?

@Daisy54 I am 56 and a size 8. I do have breasts and a bum , just smaller and neater than some women

In what way can you consider your body to be "neat"? Do you consider larger women's body to be a mess?

Completely agree, because we have. There are some size 18s in there I would estimate, that is curvy.

The comment about "impressive" breasts had already been picked up on by someone else.

I think attaching any sort of value judge,ent to a body type is wrong

Eh? I can't link now but all the models in the M and S Curve section are very overweight/ obese.

Can you link as I can't see that? Plenty of curve models are not obese because they are tall.

I'm a 14 in my 60s. They'd be bust by Christmas if they used models like me.

It appears that having an opinion on Mumsnet will almost always cause offence.
Regardless of size (and gender), I prefer to see a fit and toned body.

I agree. I agree with the OP, as well, though I am aware that 'normal' models are said to sell fewer clothes. I kind of find this hard to believe and am suspicious that the photographers dislike averagely-shaped female bodies, so do a shitty job of showing them to advantage.

A lot of the current M&S models are literally scrawny. They use normally-shaped women in their lingerie section, so those models do exist!

The stupid thing that M&S do is to make the same frock up to size 18 without any modifications. The bigger sizes need a strap or wider strap to accommodate a bra. So many times I have picked up a very nice dress and thought "lovely, but as I can't wear a bra with it, it isn't an option ". If you are a 12/14/16 and an a/b cup maybe you can get away with a strapless bra. It doesn't work once you are a d cup and proper support is required.

Its the height of them that gets me, Im not short by any means but really struggle with leg length, not to mention nothing is ever in stock

Also you just know that the clothes are all clipped behind the models back, once you get them home they're often quite shapeless

Just googled ' average size of women in UK'

The average size of women in the UK is 5ft 5ins tall, weighs 11st, has size six feet, and wears a dress size 16.

Surely online retailers would sell more clothes if this was the norm for both clothes and models?

We need a return to models looking like models and not overweight and short women.

Bigger boobs are not impressive ( and not all big boobed women are overweight). Smaller boobs are not neater.

This language choice is slyly nasty.

PP who work in the industry have already said nobody buys clothes photographed on average models. They just claim they will.

I abosolutely wouldn't buy clothes on a size 16 because that is overweight in my view.

What's the average purchasing power and purchasing tendency by height and weight though? Different shops will have different clienteles. Shorter octogenarians will never buy as many clothes as taller twenty somethings. Richer women will spend more money on clothes than poorer women.

Surely online retailers would sell more clothes if this was the norm for both clothes and models?

Not sure, people often think they look better than they do so relate more to the model or think I will look like that if I buy X. It's why so many people focus on size eg size 8 is slim, size 14 is fat completely forgetting that someone who is tall looks very different to a shorter person.

Its interesting - I'm not particularly big but I have a full bust. I want to know how something fits me over the fullest part of my bust - eg will the buttons gape open at the front and also that it is well enough cut to go in again at the waist so I don't end up with acres of fabric flapping around there in order to get something to fit the boobs. An A cup model isn't going to show me that and tbh if something is shown as fitting them I tend to assume it won't therefore fit someone my shape so I scroll on.

As one of the leading retailers of bras in the UK M&S should actually be better place than most to know what the average woman in the UK looks like and I imagine that even at very low band sizes many are not an A cup so it is disappointing that they can't find eg a size 10 model who is a 34 C or a 32 D or what ever....

I don't mind skinny models, surely it comes with the gig?
But I do wish they would include more average height models. It's silly to put everything on a 5'9 figure when the vast majority are several inches shorter.