Why Mid-Size Fashion Is One of Instagram's Fastest Growing Trends

The word "inclusive" is one that many brands are keen to list as an essential part of their identity in 2018. However, despite efforts to be more size diverse, the industry still often ignores a group of consumers altogether. We all know what sample-sized and plus-sized figures look like; however, fewer would know what's actually regarded as "mid-sized." The term includes people who wear sizes 10 to 18, and considering the average dress size in the UK is a 16, millions of people would (and could) actually identify as mid-sized; they just might not know it yet.

Anushka Moore launched the MidSize Collective in July out of frustration that she could only find a handful of influencers that were a size 14 like her. She started the Instagram account as a way to house the outfit pictures of mid-sized influencers she managed to discover, and it has since turned into a powerful community for women to talk about sizing. In just three months, the account has amassed 13,500 followers, and the hashtag #midsizestyle has been used over 8000 times. "We got 3000 followers overnight," Moore explains. "It was slim pickings at first to find influencers for the account, but the response has been so positive and so huge."

Anushka Moore, the founder of the MidSize Collective.

Sharan Gill, an influencer often featured on @MidSizeCollective.

"Mid-sized girls tend to be neglected by fashion brands," Anushka explains. "They'll feature really petite girls on their Instagram feeds and often have a separate account for their plus-sized ranges, but they rarely post mid-sized influencer pictures on either pages." That's why the MidSize Collective Instagram account has been so popular: It shows images of stylish women you don't often see on your feed. Many of the biggest fashion influencers are a size 6 or 8; however, Moore is planning to use her platform to give a voice to mid-sized girls with a smaller following.

Style Idealist, an influencer often featured on @MidSizeCollective.

As well as highlighting cult high-street items and new styling ideas, this is also a place to have more open conversations about body shapes. "Sizing isn't something we talk about too much on a daily basis, so average women who don't work in the industry just don't know too much about sizing," Moore explains. "I only just found out that often the jump between a 14 and 16 is much bigger than with other sizes. I want to make people feel more comfortable in their own skin, to help women feel better about themselves and use the time they spend online in a more positive way—not go on Instagram and feel bad about how they look and feel."

Body-positivity campaigner and model Charli Howard has previously spoken about how there is little work for those who are a size 10 or 12. "I'm an 'in-between' size," she told The Telegraph. "I'll turn up to straight-sized castings and feel like the biggest one there, and go to plus-sized casting and they look at me like, 'What are you even doing here?' I'm a UK 8 to 10, which is still very slim, and when I went to my first plus-sized casting, all these girls were wearing padding to look bigger. I want to be able to model at my own size. The industry should represent girls for who they are rather than putting them into two extreme categories."

Lauren Nicole, an influencer often featured on @MidSizeCollective.

Sharan Gill, an influencer often featured on @MidSizeCollective.

It's not like there's a shortage of mid-sized women IRL… Thanks to the MidSize Collective movement, we might finally see them on fashion brands' Instagram accounts too.