Yeah Becky, you are right. The same happens here in Brazil. Girls are much smaller and thinner than American girls. And I think that this was one of the reasons that made me gain so much weight once I went to live in the US. It was so 'normal' to be bigger. No one stared at you if you were not a size 10 and if you needed a size 14, 16, 18 so what ? They were right there at the stores for you to buy. Here in Brazil the only store that sells larger sizes is called something like "For Chubbies Only". Who would buy something in a store like that? Not me ! At 1,79 m I'm the tallest girl I know and I have suffered all my life to find clothes, even when I was thin. And we have another big problem here: From November until March its officially 'summer' in Rio and everybody wears very little clothing. During weekends it is normal for people to go to the beach in the morning and spend the rest of the day in a bikini, with maybe a sarong wraped around the waist. And I don't mean that this happens in some beach town and only with teenagers. This is the absolute rule of behavior for everyone living in Rio. People go to the mall, to restaurants and so on in little more than a bikini.... So there is a lot of pressure to be thin. Just so you can have an idea, for someone my age to wear a one piece swimsuit instead of a bikini at the beach is almost a shame. One piece suits are for old ladies and you absolutely HAVE to go to the beach. There is no way around it. Last summer I was pregnant so it was OK for me to wear a one-piece. But I absolutely have to get thin(ner) by the summer this year because one way or another I will have to squeeze myself into a bikini before the end of March. To make matters worse, my husband loves to surf...
Well, back to Zara, I shop there for clothes for my kids but could never, ever find anything that fits me....Maybe by next March I will !
I had the same experience in high school. Everyone was so skinny and little and I weighted maybe 65 kg (at 1,79!!!!) and felt like an elephant. I never even believed that I could get a boyfriend.... Of course that changed a couple of years later, Thank God !
Well, go night, I'm putting my babies to sleep now....