The Untold Struggles of Many Petite Women.

Last Easter holiday, I wandered around stores in Melbourne, hoping to find a nice dress for my friend's wedding in Bali. I walked from store to store in Emporium, David Jones, and Myer, searching for the perfect outfit. This wasn't just any wedding—it was my first time meeting my partner's friends, and we were flying from Melbourne to Bali for the event. Naturally, I wanted to look my best.

I had budgeted $300-500 for a dress, having researched and found that many good quality designer pieces fall within this price range. I was excited, thinking that this investment would allow me to wear the dress multiple times. However, hours and days of trying on dresses left me disappointed. They were either too long or had disproportionately lengthy torsos. Imagine a strappy dress with an open chest—when the straps are too long, you reveal more of your chest than intended, and the chest point doesn't align correctly. This is what happens when a petite girl doesn't wear a petite-sized garment. Unfortunately, when I turned to the petite section, the options were very limited.

Both experiences left me feeling greatly disappointed. I ended up with an ankle-length dress that was supposed to be a midi dress (photo included below for your reference).

This experience made me think of the difficulties and compromises that all petite women face. It must be just as hard and frustrating for others as it was for me. While the fashion industry is increasingly attentive to plus-sized fashion, the issues faced by petite women, which have existed for decades, remain greatly neglected.

– Yours sincerely, Anh