A fashion influencer has hit out at River Island for reinforcing "thin privilege" after she struggled to get the "biggest" size trousers available past her thighs.
Megan Kim, from Oxford, had been trying to get on a pair of size 16 trousers at the time.
The plus-size fashionista, who has over 26,000 followers on Instagram, is known for encouraging her fans to love their bodies and celebrate them with confidence.
She shared the snaps, taken before she was pregnant, after a visit to a high street store.
Megan told how she "picked the biggest size I could find", and was left feeling "gutted" after the shopping trip.
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Documenting her experience in a post, she shared several photos of the trousers, which wouldn't budge past her thighs.
Her caption read: "I walked into River Island the other day and saw these bright suits and was like HELL YEA. I wasn’t sure if I could pull them off or if I would buy them but I REALLY wanted to try them on and see how I looked in them.
"Picked the biggest size I could find - size 16 - which I thought 'could go either way tbf, fingers crossed'.
She continued: "Anyway - sad times. Not happening, not even close to getting over my thighs and arse. SUCH A SHAME THO I WAS GUTTED. There weren’t any bigger sizes.
"When I think 'thin privilege', I think this. What I would give to be able to walk into a shop and try on what I want and know my size would be there. I shouldn’t have to lose a ton of weight for that."
The influencer added that she is sure she "would have looked fabulous in them".
Her post was inundated by comments from fellow fashion- lovers who shared their own disheartening experiences.
One woman said: "Don't get me started. There is nowhere in my local town or the next along that I can go into a shop and try and clothes! It's heartbreaking."
Another wrote: "My friend is currently experiencing this shopping for wedding dresses, she can't go to any stores because they don't stock her size. You would look darn fabulous in this suit! We need more inclusive size options."
And a third tried to make light of the situation, joking: "Love this, you look fabulous. I think the whole 'trousers round your thighs' look will catch on."
A spokesperson for River Island said: "We are very sorry to hear of this customer’s disappointment in her recent shopping trip to River Island. Diversity is at the heart of our brand, and we are committed to creating products that cater to all customers.
"Unfortunately, on this occasion, the suit wasn’t available in the size the customer required in-store, however, was available online (in sizes 6-28). We have more than doubled our plus range up to size 28 since 2020 and continue to plan growth into 2023."
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