Size 14 student shames H&M over size 16 jeans she couldn’t squeeze into
WHEN student Ruth Clemens spotted a pair of bargain jeans in the H&M sale, she tried them on even though they were a size too big.
But to her horror, the £10 flares weren’t loose and baggy – they were so small she couldn’t do up the waistband.
Instead of getting upset or embarrassed, as many women understandably would, the 25-year-old decided to write an open letter to H&M, criticising it for making unrealistically sized clothing.
Her words resonated with so many shoppers that the post has now gone viral on Facebook, with 65,000 likes, attracting nearly 7,000 comments, while it has been shared almost 9,000 times.
Miss Clemens, who is studying for a PhD in literature at Leeds Trinity University, took a photo of herself wearing the jeans in the changing rooms of the H&M store in the city on Monday.
She shared the photo alongside her letter on the company’s Facebook page, writing: ‘I was browsing your sale items in your Leeds store and spotted this pair of kick flare jeans.
‘They were only a tenner – bargain! – and a size 16. I’m normally a size 14 on my hips (occasionally 16 if buying trousers) so I thought I’d try them on. It did not go well. I am not overweight ( not that that should matter) and although I’m 5ft 11in my body is pretty average shape-wise.
‘It’s already difficult enough for me to find clothes that fit well because of my height, why are you making jeans that are unrealistically small?
‘Am I too fat for your everyday range? Should I just accept that accessible and affordable high street and on-trend fashion isn’t for people like me?’
Miss Clemens’s post also criticised H&M for the size of the crop top she tried on in the picture – supposedly a medium. H& M’s customer service team quickly responded to the complaint, writing: ‘We’re sorry to hear about your experience in store recently. We always want our customers to have an enjoyable time when shopping in store and to leave feeling confident in themselves. At H&M we make clothing for all our stores around the world, so sizing can vary depending on the style, cut and fabric. We value all feedback and will take on board the points you and other customers have raised.’
High Street chains have been repeatedly criticised in recent years for their sizing which many women claim is far too small for the average shopper.
In its online guide, H&M advises that a medium equates to a UK size 14-16 for women with a waist measuring from 29in. Meanwhile a size 14 in Marks & Spencer is much more generous, with a waist measuring 31 and three-quarter inches, and its size 16 has a 34in waist.
H&M, a Swedish-owned chain with nearly 250 stores in the UK, also faced criticism last year after it was revealed used underweight models in adverts.