Promise of Glorified Bodies and Rebuke of Standard Sizing

Have you ever wondered why you are a size “medium” at one store and a “large” at another and then a “size 16” at one place but a size “6” at another? The whiplash can make a person feel crazy! Not to mention the difficulty of shopping online with trial and error to figure out how you fit into a company’s clothes (*cough* have you ever bought multiple sizes to find none of them fit and the exhausted, defeated walk of shame to the post office to make the return).

Good news—you are not the problem. If you don’t believe me—just check out the fluctuating size

charts (see Time Magazine article) over the last several decades and how the number on the tag has meant

something different every decade.

Your body is good.

Your body is 100% your own and entirely unique and was never meant to fit a made-up standard.

Standard sizing is a lie. What began for the sake of efficiently producing military uniforms during the World

Wars seeped into women’s clothing—only leading to the confusion of the present day.

The fashion industry struggled for centuries to develop something relatively standard for women because of one main obstacle: the specific curves unique to each woman. By the 1970’s there was a modified sizing scale as an attempt to win over the masses but it was unappealing to most women because their clothes still needed to be tailored to fit them properly. In addition to this, each country developed a different system of sizing.

Despite all the effort to study the accurate anatomy of a woman over the years, the problem remains; as

Sizolution publication states,

“Today, fashion brands and retailers have to cater to the whole world in all its diversity, so they tend to focus on certain demographics and home in on what sells best with them. As a result, different brands owned by the same corporation will often have inconsistent sizes. Add to that the different sizing systems between countries and other regional peculiarities, and the resulting situation is one of confusion and no consensus.”

And we are tired—utterly fatigued by the guessing game of industry sizing.

Veronica and Olivia started Litany NYC as a response to this chaotic disorder. They recognized how often

women have been blamed by businesses for just “not fitting their standard” and therefore not good enough to wear their products. Litany creates made-to-measure garments for the sake of upholding the dignity of the person by honoring each unique bodily design. We were never created to fit a mold.

C.S. Lewis has a theme traced throughout his works that applies wonderfully to this discussion of made-to- measure sizing versus standard sizing. He describes heaven as perfect distinction and hell as an absorption of sameness.

Society is so quick to generalize, stereotype, and standardized in the name of efficiency. But it is our very

differences in our bodies that are an immediate revelation of the infinite beauty of God. Our bodies reveal

His goodness by merit of their unique designs!

The only conforming we are called to is that of Christ’s body, “He will change our lowly body to conform

with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself”

(Philippians 3:21). The more we are conformed to Christ—the more we are distinctly ourselves. The saints

are vastly different—entirely unique in their quirks, joys, talents, laughs, smirks, and shortcomings. As we draw near to Christ and transformed to Him—we just might begin to love and honor our own flesh as we

recognize it as a reflection of Him. The gift of our bodies is understood in their fullness through the light of

grace.

So, take time today and ask Christ to reveal to you the gift that is your unique body with all its intricate and

precious measurements.

P.S. ignore the size tag ;)