An American living in Australia has made headlines after revealing he believes his move Down Under led to “serious” physical problems.
Kelyn Taylor, originally from Seattle but now living in Melbourne, says on TikTok, which currently has more than 300,000 views, that her move set her on a body image spiral.
“One of the unexpected side effects of moving to Australia was that I developed some pretty severe body issues and body-checking behaviors…which took me years to overcome,” she explained. .
Ms Taylor said the size difference between the US and Australia had something to do with her “brain” and she was currently undergoing therapy.
“I was a solid US size medium, but my clothes no longer fit in Australia,” she explained.
Taylor said her inability to find clothes that fit “triggered” a full-blown “body spiral.”
Ms Taylor said she was able to come to terms with her body after realizing that average-sized women were rarely satisfied in Australia.
“What ended up helping is that the average Australian woman is a (US) size 12 to 14, and that’s often the largest size a brand will offer,” she said. Ta.
US sizes 12-14 are versions of Australian sizes 16-18.
Ms Taylor said she found Australia to be a less “big” place, one she had to learn to navigate.
“This is not my problem, it’s the fashion industry’s problem,” she explained.
Women in the comments section were quick to voice their opinions and share their frustrations with shopping in Australia.
One said Australia’s problem was the lack of size regulations, which caused ongoing problems for women.
“It’s like being a size 12 in one store and a size 14 or 16 in another,” she fumed.
One person argued that because Australia was simply using “different numbers” it shouldn’t really be a problem, but rather a matter of mindset.
“We just use a different number than the US, the same as the UK. Same measurements, but different numbers,” she claimed.
But Mr Taylor responded that it was not a question of numbers, but a question of where sizing stops in Australia.
“Yes, but non-plus sizes in the US go up to AU20, whereas most brands in Australia only go up to AU14,” she clarified.
One Australian said she was so used to non-inclusive size labels in Australia that she almost fainted while shopping in the US.
“When I first went to America, I almost fainted because I realized that brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Hilfiger were all inclusive, but that wasn’t the case in Australia,” she explains. Did.
Another said Australia’s lack of well-fitting clothing showed how pervasive a diet culture was.
“Also, how normalized food culture is here. Just like in my office, the women are all always talking about losing weight and watching what they eat,” she noted. .
Meanwhile, one woman revealed her Canadian partner is forever “shocked” by how difficult it is to find clothing options in Australia.
“I’m an Australian from the age of 16 to 20 and I’ve struggled with this problem forever. My Canadian partner was so shocked by our sense of size.”
A former retail employee said women find it very difficult to shop in Australia as well, as stores often don’t have a lot of stock in plus sizes.
“I worked in retail. If I was lucky, I would get 6&14×1, 8×2, 12, 14, 10×4, 16×1,” she revealed.
Another called the lack of inclusivity in sizing in Australia “ridiculous” and pointed out that the average size was the largest for most stories.
The issue of Australian size is often discussed online. Recently, influencer Brittney Lee Sanders, who owns the size-inclusive clothing line Fate, explained why she decided to offer a wider range of sizes. the life uncut Podcast.
“The average height of an Australian woman is between 14 and 16 years old. Some stores have a wide range of sizes, but that’s only a fraction of what’s available,” she says.
She added that many brands stick to “straight sizing” which is not inclusive, or only offer extended size ranges online.
“What does it say?” she asked. ]
Sanders said she knows some retailers claim the demand for size-up doesn’t exist, but her clothing line sees just the opposite.
“We are living proof that there is a demand,” she insisted.
Psychologist Carly Dover Women explained that the fact that their clothes don’t fit their size has a big impact on them.
“The impact can be very significant and can leave women feeling ashamed, guilty, excluded and abnormal,” she told news.com.au .
“The insidious, internalized message is, ‘Your size and shape are not welcome here.’ Over time, this builds up existing eating disorder symptoms and behaviors, as well as other mental illnesses. It can cause and make things worse.
“Women can sometimes feel like they don’t fit in and can’t relate to people who can walk into most stores or many stores and find what they need when they need it.”