Does a normal body have a normal size?

One thing is as certain as the fact that the Norwegian winter is freezing; whether we want to or not, we are all faced with the debate regarding women's bodies. Numerous articles are written on the subject.  You get tips on what to eat and what not to eat... Suddenly a banana conatins too much sugar?! Who has ever become obese as a result of eating too many bananas? And the biggest question of them all; How to get the summer body?... A quick google search gave me 68.3000 results. Are there really over 68.000 ways of getting the summer body?

Then there is the other side of the coin, with TV shows such as Top Model Plus Size and pictures of beautiful curvy women are shared and spread like wildfire on Facebook. Are they too slim to be plus-size models?

Both the media, the neighbour and ourselves (?) love to talk about the body. Most of us love having an opinion about it, whether it is our own or others. It seems that no matter the shape, the woman's body never looks good enough. Because after all, are you actually "allowed" to say that you are satisfied?

The picture below is from Dove's campaign called "For Real Beauty". These are 11 completely normal women. It is also completely normal to be shorter, higher, thicker and thinner than the women in this picture. The campaign was based on a survey that showed that only 2% of women consider themselves beautiful... 2% !!!!!! The goal was of course to sell more soap, but they also tried to get through an important message: "To make women feel comfortable in the skin they are in, we want to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence and not anxiety."

I also think these women are beautiful because they look happy and content. We can ask ourselves; was the confidence a result of their beauty or did they become attractive as a result of having confidence?

In our store we meet different women every day and almost without exception, they manage to say something negative about themselves in the fitting room. The knees aren't nice, the calves are too thick, the bum to flat, the stomach too big, they are too pale, they are too short, the shoulders too gangly, the neck too long. Not one body part is left unscrutinized. Old and young, they all have complexes. Interestingly enough one customer can have an issue with for example their knees. Then the next customer comes in with the exact same knees, but for her the problem is her breasts being all wrong. Usually the flaws aren't visible to anyone but yourself.

However, the one thing that nearly all of them are equally concerned with is what size they use, or rather what size they definitely DON'T use. "Is your sizing normal?" is a frequently asked qestion among our customers. What do we reply? There are only wrong answers. No person is abnormal and the clothes aren't abnormal either. Nevertheless, it can go completely wrong.

Usually we'll answer yes, because it is better to be within the limits of what each individual should define as normal. Then we'll add that the sizes can be small. That way, if there is a need to size up it is not perceived negatively. As long as the person isn't petite, then it can go in the opposite direction. "I'm definitely not a size 34, I'm a size 36!"

If we remove our attention from the size, we can instead focus on what's actually important: SHAPE! It's more important to talk about how the clothes are shaped and how they are meant to fit the body. Whether a garment is experienced as big or small will not be determined as much by size, but rather depend on whether or not it's shape is right for your body.

If you stop by our store we'll gladly help you with this, but if you're shopping online it can be more tricky. Therefore it's important to read the description of the garment. How has the designer envisioned the garment's fit? Which possibilities of variation are there? Is the shape of the garment compatible with your own shape?

In the picture above you'll see an overview of different body shapes. Even though it is limited, many people will fit into variations of these and it can be of good help. (Remember that each of these basic shapes come in all types of heights and with more or less body mass).

Let's say you find two dresses online. One has a definite X-shape, the other an H-shape. You have looked at the guide and found that you are a Rectangle. With the X-shaped dress you will most likely have to size up one size as your widest part will be the slimmest part of the dress. Does that mean that the dress is small in size? With the H-shaped dress you would've had to size down as your shape corresponds better with the shape of the dress. Does that mean that the dress is big in size?

If you're a Pear you might have to size down in the X-shaped dress as the slimmest part of the dress will be at your own body's slimmest part. Does that mean that the dress is big in size? Accordingly, you would've had to size up in order for the H-dress to fit around your hips and your petite upper body would disapear in too much fabric at the top. Does that mean that the dress is small in size?

But this has nothing to do with sizes, you might think now? It's rather a question of a good or bad fit. Exactly!! So forget about the damned number!! It doesn't say anything about you. What counts is that you wear something that FITS, that makes you feel good and that makes you feel secure, confident and happy.

Martine says:

Some people think the clothes from Mette Møller are too small and some think they are too big. Some fit the clothes perfectly. Martine who works as the marketing manager at Mette Møller describes her body as following:

"Something I've come to realise is that not all clothes will fit me, even though I might wish they did. I'm a size 40 in the upper body and around the breasts, but a size 38 around the hips and bum. However, my waist is my slimmest part! In addition, I'm too tall to fit any trousers... I'm not a perfect match for everything, but I've found good solutions. In the fall collection I really liked the Classic wrap jacket, but it didn't fit my long back. Instead I chose the Classic long jacket, which I also use as a dress. And I just love the Fish cropped pants, the fact that they're short just fits my long legs even better. Problem solved ;) "

As you can tell Martine is a completely normal girl with a completely normal body, even if she needs different sizes.

Our size chart

The reality is that we can't meet the needs of all body types equally well. The number of sizes is limited, but in combination with different shapes, they can still fit most body types.

Here is the size chart I use when I'm designing my clothes. If you measure yourself and compare it with this, you'll find your place in our landscape of styles. Then it is important that you consider which shape you are according to the guide shown above. These two elements go hand in hand and one is lost without the other.

You'll find this chart on all the product pages in our online store.