Tricks of the Trade - Marketing Version

Saturday, my BFF Murph and I went shopping for bridesmaid dresses at David's Bridal.  She's standing up for an "across the pond" wedding of her friend Andrea.  Since Andrea is having a civil ceremony PLUS a church ceremony, Murph needed to try on dresses for each event.  I got to be the photographer and first-round judge.  Andrea gets to make the final decision. (And just for the record, there was not one dress that Murph tried on that DIDN'T look good on her! )

But as I sat there looking around the store, I discovered something.  Nothing earth shattering.  And actually, not really NEW information.  Just proof that the display marketing they do in stores has nothing to do with real sized girls.  I wanted to show you.  


Dress on display at David's Bridal



Dress on display at David's Bridal

Note the back of the mannequins/dress forms.  See how they don't can't even have the dress zipped up all the way.  Now, we're not talking plus size dress forms here, People.  We're talking about those thin microscopic waisted dress forms that they use.  And then they use the smallest sized dress available to display.  Hence, the inability to zip it up all the way. 

WHY do they use them instead of the forms that are closer to the size of a real woman?  Because they think they won't sell as much.  Because our society has saturated our thinking that if you're not an itty-bitty thing, you're not sexy.  Are we ever going to get past this thinking?  Are we ever going to realize that "having a little meat on those bones" is not necessarily unhealthy or unsexy?  Y'know, we can change it, don't you?  We just need to be aware of these things.  We need to be aware of what marketing is trying to drizzle into our brains shove down our throats.  And then let those stores know that you'd like to see something on display that looks more like the people you know. 

It's nice to know there are some stores out there who "get it".  David's Bridal apparently is not one of them.