Why are all clothes modelled by stick thin 20 yr old women?

[Ineedacupofteadesperately]

Haven't needed a smart outfit for years, but need one now for a wedding so have been looking at dresses online. It's just depressing that even the supposed 'mother of the bride" outfits are modelled by stick thin teenagers / twentysomethings. Given they presumably want me to part with my cash, I don't get it. I want to see what an outfit looks like on a more middle aged woman like me. Someone who's had kids and hasn't had a personal trainer afterwards.

The only company I've found that has one older model is M&S (Twiggy, modelling 3 or 4 of their dresses), they also had a younger 'plus sized' model. Obviously no larger AND older models. But still, well done M&S. I'm so fed up I may find someone to make a dress from scratch from a pattern.

Luckily, I'm very happy with all my saggy bits since they're the result of my two wonderful DDs but it does concern me for their future that there will just be this monolithic wall of advertising basically saying that there is only one body shape that is acceptable / catered for in the fashion industry. An alien from outer space would conclude after looking at these webpages that middle aged and older women or any women larger than size 8 are vanishingly rare. Just makes me so fed up / depressed. I shall just have to resume my general attitude of not giving a stuff what I look like and ignoring all advertising asap.

I can think of lots of older women I think are beautiful. Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, lots in real life. Where are they reflected in fashion advertising? Some have bodies similar to younger women, others don't. Where do they buy their clothes?

Yes, Driggle, Mimi's post upthread touched on precisely this issue.

The psychology of it is fascinating. I've seen TV programmes where they take women who're dieting and present them with a row of women of gradually increasing dress size and ask them to pick where in the line-up their body fits - and women generally think they are fatter than they actually are. Yet at the same time, women don't want to buy clothes on a model the same size as themselves (who presumably, if the line-up experiments are correct, actually looks to them as if she's thinner than they are). Our perceptions of ourselves are very weird things indeed.

It's because a straight up and down body means the clothes hang better/more attractively; also, they are banking on aspirational purchases - "maybe I will look like that if I buy that dress"; and thirdly because there are such variations in women' body shapes and sizes particularly above the 6-10 sizes as women's bodies store fat differently that they won't ever cater for all shapes and sizes on one or two models.

So they might as well pick the model/clothes dummy in store that the clothes can drape off which show off the lines of the clothes the best, uninterrupted by tummy fat/shoulder fat/muffin top and all the other places that women's bodies tend to store fat that isn't used up as energy.

Not every women have a bigger tummy or large breasts or a bigger bottom, pre-or post-menopause. Some have one of these features, some have all, some have none.

I have a big bum but am slim on top. I don't get mad when I see models that don't have big bums, in slim fit trousers. I accept that my body shape is different and I don't suit slim fit trousers because I have a chunkier bottom (and thighs). I don't want there to be big-bum models just because I have one.

Prickly - I've seen those programs and always thought there was some false modesty going on. It would be embarrassing to pick someone slimmer than you and be told you are bigger. Far better to pick someone slightly bigger or definitely bigger and then get the feel-good factor of a) being modest "See! you aren't as big as you think!" and also b) Someone else is fatter than me, I'm not as fat as she is, fact". I think there has to be an element of erring on the side of caution when those women pick people out.

You've effectively answered your own question...
Why don't they advertise on people they're designed for-
-why have they put short cap sleeves, no one ways wrinkly skin on show

Says who? What happened to being happy in skin you're in? If the model was 50 she would be the best 50yo model about and would rock a cap sleeve anyway. If she should cover her arms because of age it's a different message

Commercially the better the fit the more attainable the image. I bet she looks good and presentable rather than 'hot/sexy' and therefore not out of suitability etc

Don't be so offended. So you like the look of the dress? Wear it?
Clothes still hand better on people than mannequins!

As I get older, I want clothes that accommodate my changing shape, rather than assuming I'll alter it with shapewear or altering it for me with "supportive" bits.

This is truest for the more formal end of fashion.

You can get good bargains at the more formal end of fashion, which I find is still full of stick women displaying clothes that are useful to no one of my age.

I've bought a well structured dress that does work and nights in equal measure. I'm happy with my age and ageing though.

I read a brilliant article a while back about tailoring and women's clothes and dressing older women and stuff.

I'll see if I can find it.

Because advertisers think that unconsciously people won't be attracted by things advertised by older people. They've probably tested it with focus groups and so on.

It was all about how in days gone by clothes were more structured, the way women's bodies changed as they aged and went through life was catered to more, clothes were cut to suit an older woman's more robust frame for example while still flattering...

It conjured up images of miss marple in a beautifully cut tweed suit, if you get my drift.

It was really interesting but of course I can't find it now!

I agree that most models seem very young but I’m not sure if that’s because I’m in my 40s everyone looks young to me now. But I do think that using very tall, slim, straight up and down doesn’t always wear clothes well. I’ve seen plenty of outfits make the model look like she’s wearing a sack, it’s hardly appealing. I would prefer a return to using pre 90s type models who were about a size 10/12 and looked fit and healthy.

And,I would like the UK high street to stop slavishly following fashion and sell more basics, flattering clothes. I want more clothes to have long sleeves but I’ve had it with weird sleeves.

misskelly my vote would be for less clothes to be sheer / transparent / got holes in / see through....

I see loads of stuff I like and hold it up and you can see through it - why? Surely a minority of women are comfy having everyone able to see through their clothes?

I agree, I find it really odd that so many potentially flattering topes I’ve seen have either been see through or so thin they outline the seems on my bra.

I find it really odd that so many potentially flattering topes I’ve seen have either been see through or so thin they outline the seems on my bra.

Apparently this is on purpose, they are "designed to be layered" ie "we think we can make you buy and wear three tops at once rather than just one actually opaque one".

My daughter organised focus groups for plus size women who all asked for some of the clothes to be displayed on women larger than size 16-18 ,as they felt they were under represented.Clothes were available in sizes 14-32.
The company then began to advertise some styles modelled by size 20-24 women.
The styles modelled by the size 16-18 models outsold the larger size models in all sizes.

Were the same style clothes shown on both body types?

I've seen brands claiming this same result, but notably the fun, fashionable clothes were on the slimmer models, and the drab tent like stuff was on the larger models, so of course those didn't sell as well.

So, you've helped me unpick my thoughts on this. There are 2 issues, one is the lack of range of body shapes, the other us the lack of older women.

Both are issues, and as far as body shape goes as i said upthread plenty of brands design for and advertise pregnancy clothing which shows it is possible (but possibly a pregnant belly is acceptable whereas an otherwise identical old age belly isn't?)

To just talk about the latter: many have said their shape didn't change as they aged / had children. M& S's older model (modelling 3 out of 237 dresses available) is Twiggy who has a similar figure now to when she was younger - she's the type of body shape that many on here have said is easier to design flattering clothes for. So, am sure there are plenty of older models like this - why aren't they modelling the other 234 dresses (most of which clearly aimed at an older demographic)? I'm just using M&S as an example - they are better than most other brands in at least having one older model and so I don't want to bash them too much!.

Regarding marketing - I do find it difficult to believe all older women are deluded enough to think they'll roll back the years by buying a dress modelled by a young women. Most people do try stuff on first. It's not going to look the same. Perhaps marketers have an unconscious bias against older women and aren't asking the right questions.

Anyway, they're not getting my money, I'm going to employ a Mum trying to juggle making a living from making up clothes and looking after little ones. She'll get all the profit and the marketers / advertisers get nothing other than my disrespect 😊