H&M is cutting its 3XL and 4XL offerings just three years after pledging to expand its extended sizing, raising fresh questions about the future of plus-size fashion in the age of Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
The Swedish high-street giant has confirmed that it has discontinued sizes 3XL and 4XL after seeing what it describes as lower demand. But the move comes against a striking contradiction: plus-size shoppers remain a huge part of the market, while resale data suggests demand for larger clothing is actually growing.
The shift already frustrates shoppers who fear the industry's renewed focus on smaller bodies could undo years of progress toward more inclusive fashion.
H&M's Size Rollback
The scale of H&M's change becomes clearer when looking at its recent collections. Research by retail data company Edited found that 3XL and 4XL represented 2 per cent of H&M's new womenswear dress inventory between January and May 2025. During the same period in 2026, those sizes had disappeared entirely.
XXL also fell by three percentage points year on year, while XL dropped by two percentage points. Meanwhile, sizes from XS to large increased by around three percentage points on average.
The decision is particularly notable because H&M previously worked with model and body-inclusivity campaigner Tess Holliday to expand its sizing. In 2023, the retailer announced an expansion from XL to 4XL, alongside a greater focus on body diversity.
Holliday, who is no longer involved with the brand, said she was initially optimistic about the collaboration but later questioned how genuine the commitment was. H&M told the Guardian that it continually monitors fit and sizing demand and had chosen to discontinue 3XL and 4XL because it had seen lower demand for those sizes.
Is This The 'GLP-1 Effect'?
The timing has nevertheless fuelled speculation that the growing popularity of GLP-1 medications is reshaping fashion's traditional size curve.
Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have become increasingly prominent in the US, with Mintel research cited by the Guardian finding that 18 per cent of US adults reported using GLP-1 drugs by June 2025, compared with 12 per cent in 2024.
Prashant Agrawal, chief executive of Impact Analytics, has described GLP-1s as the 'number one reason' retailers are currently concerned about changing clothing sizes. There are signs of a shift. Data from his company showed sales of smaller garments rising between 2023 and 2025, while sales of XL and larger sizes fell modestly.
But that does not mean the plus-size customer has disappeared.
Plus-Size Demand Is Still Strong
The most important counterpoint comes from the second-hand market. ThredUp reported that purchases of large, XL and plus-size womenswear increased by 17.4 per cent in 2026 so far, more than twice the 6.8 per cent growth recorded for small and medium sizes.
Listings of larger garments also rose by 32 per cent year on year during the first half of 2026. That suggests shoppers are still looking for larger clothing, even as they increasingly struggle to find it at mainstream retailers.
Mintel's Brittany Steiger has argued that GLP-1 drugs are changing the size curve, but are not eliminating the need for size inclusivity. She also pointed to research showing that 69 per cent of shoppers believe brands should offer more size and length options.
The issue, may be less about whether customers exist and more about whether retailers are willing to invest in serving them.
Other Brands Are Pulling Back
H&M is not alone. Mango reduced the proportion of new dresses available in sizes 16 to 20 from 6.6 per cent in spring/summer 2025 to just 0.5 per cent in spring/summer 2026, according to Edited.
Anthropologie also recorded a smaller share of plus-size dresses, falling from 10.5 per cent to 9 per cent year on year. Yet there are exceptions. Walmart increased its inventory for larger customers this season, suggesting that retailers do not all see the future of plus-size fashion in the same way.
The divide may even reflect who retailers believe their customers are. Edited analyst Krista Corrigan suggested that affluent, trend-led shoppers may be driving some of the greatest changes, with Anthropologie moving towards more flexible alpha sizing.
The Customers Aren't Going Anywhere
For plus-size shoppers, the issue is bigger than a few missing sizes. It can mean fewer fashionable choices, less access to physical shops and greater reliance on resale platforms or specialist brands. Holliday believes the problem goes beyond economics, arguing that plus-size customers are still treated as less valuable to fashion retailers.
That is where H&M's decision creates an uncomfortable question for the industry. Even if GLP-1 drugs are changing the proportions of shoppers buying different sizes, millions of people still need clothes above a standard large.
The fashion opportunity may not be to shrink the size range, but to make it smarter, more flexible and genuinely fashionable. For now, H&M's retreat from 3XL and 4XL risks sending the opposite message, especially as the wider market shows demand for plus-size clothing is far from gone.
