The logic is that if Soap A is delivering the fragrance of Mrs X's armpit, which arguably no one except Mr X likes, then no one will buy it (not even Mr X - he gets it free). No soaps sold mean the manufacturer will incur losses - and viola - he will change the perfume formula to George Clooney's whiff. Now arguably, that's something we all want.
So we will all go on a buying spree and skyrocketing sales will make the manufacturer stay course with the product. As a result: we all get what we want.
Money, the most disinterested judge of things, has helped us by indicating what exactly we want and forced the manufacturer to deliver it.
Sound logic - and it works most times... but not every time.
The fashion industry sells all sorts of things. From umbrellas to skirts to umbrella-cum-skirts. Let us for the moment leave aside the fine line between art and madness and let us also ignore whether certain celebrities are essentially Emperors in New Clothes. I shall not argue whether the haute couture industry ends up stitching what we'd like to wear in public.
My only expectation from the market is that people fit into what they choose to buy.
If Mango wants to sell more dresses, it had better get its consumers body proportions right. Else Zara will thrash its market share simply by ensuring that more women fit into its frocks. And when that happens Mango will be forced to discover women have hips and redo its sizing chart. Happy Day!
So why hasn't it happened?
I for instance, struggle to shop in Hong Kong. When I try jeans, the length suggests I should be at least 2ft taller. When I put on a jacket, the shoulders fit but the buttons won't close. And God forbid I ever try on a dress again - each half of my body demands its own separate size!
No I am not heavy, not even polite-speak "healthy". I will need to eat at McDonalds for at least 6 months before AXA increases my health insurance premium.
Nor am I the only one who faces this struggle. I could name a long list friends to vouch for it. In fact, I could name several studies that confirm it. Here's one pointing the problem even half-way across the world:
.. yearlong study... claims that 4 out of 10 [women] have trouble finding clothes that fit them, mainly because sizes are inconsistent from one outlet to another and because what is on the racks is too small.
[FYI the sample was not biased towards 'big girls'. It covered more than 10,000 women aged from 12 to 70. Only about 1 in 10 was obese.]
You may argue that the rise of plus-size brand suggests the market already has an inkling that it is failing to serve certain customers and is moving to restore the balance - but I do not think this is the right example. Big size brands are only fringe players yet. And honestly, there is a difference between large size and right size.
I think the market is working - but not quite how we expected it to. Instead of stitching clothes to the size of real women - the market is trying to make real women shrink themselves into the shape of clothes it makes!
It does this by promoting the idea that thinner is prettier. You can see across media - advertisements, movies, videos, celebrities - anything being promoted is stick thin.
The unfortunate result is women modifying their bodies unnaturally if need be. Excessive dieting, eating disorders and plastic surgeries are all in demand.
Yes the market is a strong force. But that is not always such a good thing.
