Tales From A Fashion Industry Insider.

My career life of a graphic designer has taken me to some interesting clients over the years. But none more telling than the fashion industry. They are harboring some very dirty little secrets from the general public.

Did you know a 36C bra is considered plus size? That's right. Say goodbye to all the cute colors and lacy goodness after that size. God help you if you're approaching DD or DDD. Those only come in nude or rose. Oh, and that lower price? Buh-bye. Anything above the magic size os 36C "costs more to make."

Here's another good one, those size charts you see in lingerie changing rooms, the ones that tell you how to measure and what your size is? They haven't been updated in over 25 years. That's right, they are using the same sizing charts from when you're mother was probably bra shopping. And what's worse… so is the companies MAKING the bras. Bodies have changed drastically in the last 25 years, but an update is just not happening. It would cost too much money to change the forms of the bras.

Size 12 is considered plus size in the fashion industry. Yep. Size 12. What's still smaller than the national average for women is considered plus in fashion. (Size 14 is the national average.) All those models you see on the plus size sites and store windows, they're more than likely a whopping size 16 at the largest. (Casting calls are usually for size 12 or 14.) In fact, one model we used revealed that she "ballooned" to a 16 while she was six months pregnant during a photo shoot. Did I mention we were shooting her that day for a clothes spread?

Here's another kicker. All that extra money we pay for those sizes has very little to do with the extra fabric. In fact, that's overall a very small cost increase. They are making more profit on the clothes they sell to plus size women than they do to regular size. Not only that, but they aren't sized to plus size women. Those patterns are just increased by a percentage in inches. It still assumes the body shape of a smaller woman, just in proportion to what the size is. That's what leads to such drastically different fits in clothing.

In my time in the fashion industry, I saw more than a few market research groups conducted. All of the women fit a basic look and feel that more often than not, matched the ladies conducting the groups. It looked like a table full of clones. Not exactly a wide base of opinions either, I might add. Very rarely did I see a variety of body types sitting at those tables.

Now I realize not all of this applies to every company out there. There are clothing manufacturers that "get" the plus size customer. This is my reflections from the company that I worked with, while a very large conglomerate at the time, who shall remain nameless.

Here's what I know now. (And I wish I had known then.)

1. Even at my goal size, I'll still be "plus size."

2. Regardless of what these companies say about showing real women or varied body types in their campaigns or photo shoots, they are still way smaller than most of their target demographic.

3. You are not your size.

4. You are not your size.

That's right. I put the last one twice. No matter what the size is, it should fit your body. You aren't going to be a perfect 36D or size 16 across the board. It's impossible. Each company has their own secret formula for sizing and none of them are consistent. You can walk out of a department store with size 16 jeans, a size 20 work pant and a M top. It's completely possible. No matter what the number says on that tag, remember this:

You are not your size.