By Isabella Popo
“But the fact of the matter is, standardized sizing doesn’t really work well for anybody, because some of us have a standard body, and the standard body is a racist construct,” said Lauren Peters during the opening panel of Fashion/Media Power and Possibility Symposium.
SMU’s fashion media program hosted a two-day symposium Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, that featured fashion historians from across the country.
Friday’s opening session in the Gene and Jerry Jones Atrium of the Owen Arts Center featured three panelists: José Blanco F., Kimberly Jenkins and Lauren Peters.
While all speakers touched on the importance of inclusivity within the industry, Peters’ research focuses on one of the most prominent problems that affects every individual, regardless of gender or race: body image.
Peters earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Washington University in St. Louis before pursuing her passion for fashion studies. In 2010, she joined the inaugural cohort of the Master of Arts Fashion Studies program at Parsons School of Design, where she deepened her understanding of fashion’s cultural and historical significance.
“When I was getting my masters between 2010 and 2012, it was a really transitional moment in fashion media,” Peters said. “What I noticed and what I wanted to explore was why there were suddenly plus-sized models everywhere, why plus-sized fashion blogging had started to pop off during that time, and why it was such a new thing.”
But, while there have been moments of increased visibility for plus-size models and influencers, Peters notes that the industry often treats these movements as trends rather than permanent shifts. After brands realized that a lot of their new “plus-sized promises” weren’t profitable, they backslid on these promises because “it wasn’t sexy to feature plus-size bodies on advertisements and billboards anymore,” Peters said.
This is, in fact, true. The fashion industry keeps saying it values inclusivity, but the numbers tell a different story. Vogue Business data throughout 2023 fashion month reveals that the Autumn/Winter season saw little improvement in size inclusivity on the runway. Out of 9,137 looks presented across 219 shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, only 0.6% featured plus-size models (US size 14+), while 3.8% were mid-size (US size 6-12).
After graduating in 2012, she continued her academic journey at Stockholm University’s Centre for Fashion Studies, focusing her doctoral research on the early history of plus-size fashion and the industry’s treatment of larger bodies. In 2018, Peters received her Ph.D.
“My longest research was really trying to understand the origins and evolution of sizing,” she said.
In Stockholm, Peters worked to understand the basis for inequity in the fashion industry. She studied both the birth of positive representation of plus-sized embodiments in the media, and then what role the actual industry played in stigmatizing larger bodies in terms of manufacturing and sizing.
“I think that the shortcomings of plus-size fashion are ultimately a product of the shortcomings of mass manufacturing,” Peters said.
Standardized sizing has long contributed to Eurocentric ideals in fashion by enforcing a rigid, narrow framework of what constitutes an “ideal” body. Mass manufacturing, with its reliance on standardized sizing, is built on efficiency rather than inclusivity. This one-size-fits-all approach forces individuals to conform to an arbitrary set of measurements rather than the industry adapting to the diverse range of body types that exist.
Peters’ research shows how sizing in fashion isn’t just about clothes—it’s about who gets to feel seen and valued. When the industry only caters to one narrow ideal, it sends a message about who “belongs,” affecting everything from self-esteem to cultural norms. Real change starts with brands designing for all body types, rethinking outdated sizing systems, and actually listening to the people demanding better representation.
Cover image by Chloe Casdorph
