H&M drops 3XL and 4XL dresses as GLP-1 use rises

Several mainstream fashion retailers have cut or dropped plus-size clothing this season, and retail analysts link the timing to the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. H&M confirmed it discontinued women's dress sizes 3XL and 4XL, and an analysis of its website found those sizes gone from new inventory after making up 2% of new dresses a year earlier ^[1].

The research firm Edited tracked new women's dresses landing on retailers' sites from January to May and compared them with the same months in 2025. At H&M, XXL fell 3 percentage points from 13.3% of inventory, XL fell 2 points, and sizes XS through large rose by 3 points on average ^[1]. H&M said it continually monitors fit and sizing demand and confirmed that "we have chosen to discontinue sizes 3XL and 4XL, as we have seen lower demand for these sizes" ^[1].

Mango cut new dresses in sizes 16 to 20 from 6.6% of its inventory in spring/summer 2025 to 0.5% in spring/summer 2026, according to Edited. At the retailer Anthropologie, plus-size dress offerings fell from 10.5% to 9% between July 2025 and July 2026. The pullback follows earlier ones: Loft closed its plus-size range in 2021, Old Navy scaled back in May 2022, and the plus-size chain Torrid closed 151 stores, nearly a third of its locations, last year ^[1].

Tess Holliday, the model and writer who began working with H&M in 2023 on a size expansion from XL to 4XL, no longer works with the brand. "There has been a rapid decline in plus-size offerings," she said. "Diversity, as a whole, is no longer a priority for a lot of brands" ^[1].

Analysts tie the timing to GLP-1s. Mintel research says 18% of US adults reported using GLP-1 drugs as of June 2025, up from 12% in 2024. The US adult obesity rate appears to have peaked at 39.9% in 2022 and fell to 36.4% this year, according to Gallup ^[1]. Impact Analytics CEO Prashant Agrawal called GLP-1s the "number one reason" apparel retailers are anxious about sizes, and said his company's data show two years of rising sales of XS garments and small declines in medium, large and XL-and-larger sizes ^[1].

Other numbers point the other way. About 66% of US women still wear size 14 or above, and most GLP-1 users lose 10% to 20% of their body weight, leaving many people still in plus sizes ^[1]. The resale platform ThredUp reported that listings of larger garments rose 32% year over year in the first half of 2026 and that purchase volume for large, XL and plus women's apparel grew 17.4% this year, more than double the 6.8% growth rate for small and medium ^[1]. Walmart added larger sizes this season, and Edited's Krista Corrigan said Anthropologie is switching many garments from numeric to alpha sizes because alpha sizes "absorb minor body fluctuations better than tailored numeric fits" ^[1].

Runway representation has fallen as well. Across the fall/winter 2026/2027 fashion weeks, 0.3% of models were plus-size, which ELLE Canada described as a historic low ^[2].

Why it matters for patients

For anyone whose body has changed on a GLP-1, or who has not lost weight, the practical effect is fewer places to try on clothes. When retailers drop 3XL and 4XL or shift to alpha sizing, a shopper who wears a size 14 may find a "medium" label instead, and the cut may not match what she wore before ^[1].

Cost matters too. One recent study of 4.5 million adults in Denmark found that the share of people with a redeemed semaglutide prescription rose with income, even though obesity was less common at higher incomes ^[1]. Analysts quoted by The Guardian say affluent, trend-led brands are dropping larger sizes faster than budget retailers, with Walmart described as a rare example of a chain adding inventory for larger customers this season ^[1].

The drugs themselves carry risks. Clinicians and nutritionists quoted by ELLE Canada note common side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain, and say GLP-1s can also lead to loss of bone and muscle mass and nutritional deficiencies, and may not suit everyone ^[2]. An eating-disorder therapist told the magazine that the drugs can encourage disordered eating habits, and that some people who are already slim are seeking them for appearance reasons ^[2].

It has not been reported how much of the retail shift is directly caused by GLP-1 use. Only H&M commented on its sizing decisions among the brands named, no retailer has said whether further cuts are planned, and ThredUp said it has no data on whether resale demand is related to GLP-1 usage ^[1].