Midsize Bodies Were Finally Going Mainstream—Then GLP-1s Came Along
The first time I saw the term midsized on social media, it stopped me mid-scroll. Here’s a simple seven-letter word that somehow absorbed a lifetime of conflicting emotions about my body, which often falls between so-called straight sizes and plus sizes, and put a label on it. Midsized it seems so neutral, so concrete‚ and that’s exactly the mood of the movement inspired by the term, which also encompasses experimentation and style inspiration. He shouts (albeit in the void of the Internet): This is my body and I accept it. I’m going to enjoy my wardrobe and my life.
Some of the average-sized bodies that have come across my feed look almost like mine, which is more than I can say about the models I saw in store windows and in magazines growing up. “Women created the mid-size niche because they didn’t look like models and also didn’t fit right into plus-size, but they still wanted great fashion,” says Blue Jasmine, mid-size content creator. “It was about people in the industry finally being seen and feeling good about themselves.”
There is a bit of debate about what constitutes an average size. Some say the term refers to sizes 10 to 16, while others think it covers sizes 8 to 14, and many athletic or curvy size 6s also identify as average. Regardless of the exact definition, the brand has a lot of meaning for us “in-betweeners,” who are not what society typically considers petite or plus-size and who have long felt invisible in the fashion industry. The brand also addresses the minor frustrations of mid-size shopping: Even though many of us wear straight sizes, that doesn’t always guarantee a flattering look or comfortable fit.
Although we don’t have recent data on what sizes people wear in the United States, a 2016 study found that the average American woman wears a size 20. So it’s no surprise that the #midsize hashtag saw more than 4 billion views on TikTok. Scroll through the messages and to try to escape the rabbit hole. Watching honest-to-goodness trials of mid-rise designers is like being in a dressing room with a best friend, laughing at the ridiculousness of having to do squats to see if the jeans have enough flexibility to fit your stomach and thighs. These influencers share GRWM (“Get Ready With Me”) videos detailing how different brands fit, answer style questions, and show how they customize trends for their bodies, often down to their favorite shapewear or mega-support bra.
Many of them have a zero-F attitude as they tuck their apron belly into jeans or twirl in swimsuits to give us a rear view before completing their look with the perfect accessories. When I see this content, I think, Wow, she’s so confident, she really pulled off that outfit, or, she looks amazing – maybe I could wear it too. I literally never think she could lose weight. Yet I don’t need to tell you that despite some of the progress we’ve seen in body representation and self-acceptance over the past few decades, there has recently been a seismic shift in our culture when it comes to how big people think they could or should be. GLP-1s played an important role in this regard.
