One size does not fit all, international students say

"Do you want to join me for a shopping spree?" my friend asked one morning. The summer was nearing, and I thought of getting a few new outfits. However, that "shopping" was one of the most disappointing experiences in Korea.

[SHUTTERSTOCK]

"Do you want to join me for a shopping spree?" my friend asked one morning.

The summer was nearing, and I thought of getting a few new outfits. However, that "shopping" was one of the most disappointing experiences in Korea.

The clothes I wanted to try on were under the "one-size-fits-all" category, meaning only one size was available. If you fit, you fit; if not, the search continues, and you will probably end up buying clothes from Western brands.

Before coming to Korea, I heard and read a lot about life in Korea, so I was well aware of all the famous areas filled with small clothes shops, such as near Hongdae or Sinchon, Seoul's most vibrant campus neighborhoods.

However, when I visited one of such shops once, I was quite disappointed to see no size variety. All the clothes had "Free Size" or "One Size" labels that, in reality, mean small.

Having had experience living in the United States, which is very size-inclusive, I struggled to find right-fitting clothes in Korea. It was challenging not only at offline stores but also online.

I brought up the subject with another friend, Marissa Tan, a 26-year-old graduate of Ewha Womans University from Malaysia, and realized that her experience is no different from mine.

"In my country, 'free size' usually means oversized, and at least it should be 'large' or bigger," Tan said. "It was shocking to realize that in Korea, 'free size' often equates to medium, at best."

"I can count on one hand the number of times I have bothered trying on pants in the boutiques around my university because I tend to be able to only fit my arm into the pant leg."

Student reporter Assemgul Sadykova

The Korean "free size" also negatively influences people's mental health. Trying on clothing and not being able to fit the "biggest" size makes people feel miserable about themselves. It is essential to consider that the majority of those people already struggle with having healthy self-esteem, confidence and self-image.

"This put me off visiting these stores because it was, frankly, embarrassing and disheartening to even think about wearing the clothes that people half my size were wearing," Tan added. "I have not shopped in those stores in months, maybe more."

The prevailing "one-size-fits-all" phenomenon in the Korean clothing market is based on the average standard size women wear in Korea. This can be explained by the fact that the rate of obesity in Korea is one of the lowest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to OECD statistics, Korea is second-to-last, with only 5.5 percent of the population struggling with obesity.

Korean "plus-size," also usually referred to as extra-large, starts from a U.S. women's size 8, whereas in the United States, it starts from a women's 14.

Such a narrow sizing chart stops many women from accepting and loving their bodies. On top of that, it also pressures many people to feel guilty for looking "ugly and unattractive" and constantly working on their looks and body image.

Unfortunately, this issue is relevant not only to people who generally wear larger sizes but also to people whose particular body parts are larger than the average size. For instance, women with broader shoulders, larger busts or taller than the average woman also struggle with buying clothes that fit.

Experts say such a phenomenon comes from Koreans' dissatisfaction with their bodies and strict beauty standards reinforced by society, history and media.

"An increasing number of Korean women are in pursuit of a 'thin' body," Sookmyung Women's University professors Kim Bu-yong and Lee Sung-hee said in a recent report. "Koreans are more dissatisfied with their weight and with body parts compared to Americans"

A passerby looks at a clothing shop near Hongik University. [WOO SANG-JO]

The report also compared body image perceptions between Korean and British women in universities, and concluded that "Koreans feel less satisfied than British women with regard to body part satisfaction."

"Media, magazines and TV commercials overwhelm women with information that promotes 'diet' products in the Korean market," the report said. "Korean women show a tendency to wish for a more slender body than British women."

French researcher Valérie Gelézeau echoed this sentiment in her report "The body, cosmetics and aesthetics in South Korea The emergence of a field of research" (2015).

Gelézeau said that appearance, especially the one created by makeup, diets or plastic surgery, is a matter of etiquette and a status symbol.

In Korea, "an appropriate appearance is ... the expression of an inner state that could even be called a moral and spiritual state," Gelézeau said. "The alliance between the body, the heart and the spirit, and the fact that the body is considered to be the primary interface between the group and the self, gives the face and the physical appearance such crucial importance."

The situation is improving as many stores started carrying a wider range of sizes. Although the changes are slowly entering the market, many customers still need more variety, and some pieces are not up to trend.

This makes people turn to Western brands operating in the Korean market. However, many Western brands in Korea sell their clothing for a higher price than in other countries, leaving people with no choice but to pay extra for fitting clothes.

For instance, a woman of a "standard Korean" size can get a pair of jeans for 20,000 ($15) won from an online platform or street shop. But brands like H&M and Zara set a price of at least 50,000 won for a pair of jeans.

Even the local brands that carry larger sizes tend to have a higher price than regular Korean clothing stores.

With body positivity and body tolerance spreading worldwide, more and more countries have become inclusive regarding beauty standards.

Korea has also become one of the most popular destinations for foreigners for their vacation and education, and it's time for Korean brands to work on expanding their size charts, supporting and promoting body positivity, and setting reasonable price tags.

BY STUDENT REPORTER ASSEMGUL SADYKOVA [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]