What does 'petite' mean to you?

I've visited a bunch of other sites and blogs recently that are dedicated to petites. What I have noticed is that 'petite' can mean a host of things but I think the biggest thing we 'petites' face is this question — does petite mean short, thin or both?

The Free Online Dictionary defines petite as small, slender, and trim. Used of a girl or woman (when used as an adjective for all you grammar junkies out there!) Or a clothing size for short slender women (for use as a noun.)

This definition (found here) says in fashion and clothing, petite sizes are standard clothing sizes designed to fit women of shorter height, typically 5'3" or less. According to the U.S. Census, 60% of American women are under 5’5” and I would think that this means many of these fall into the petite category. (that's surprising considering the lack of space that is dedicated to us in stores.)

So, I think we can all agree that Nicole Richie is petite (5'1").


But what about Jennifer Love Hewitt (5'2")— is she petite? (I am in no way saying that this girl is fat, but she is a few sizes bigger than Nicole.)


So, you guys tell me. What is your definition of petite? Is it defined by size, height or both?

What's in a name?

Sorry I didn't post yesterday — I had the opportunity to run in a road race and spent most of the day traveling back and forth to that (running is my way to always fit into those new jeans!)

Anyway, I read this article the other day. A woman wrote to this columnist asking for help finding petite clothes in a size 8 or 10, and the writer responds with a column that focuses on finding small sizes that do not necessarily come in petite (She does mention in the first paragraph of her response that things need to be altered often if you are petite).

But the assumption that petite means slender is a common misperception. The official definition of petite (courtesy of Dictionary.com) is: a woman, short and having a small, trim figure; diminutive.

These days, with the growth of America's waists, I think petite lines should keep the larger, shorter woman in mind as well as the smaller girls and women out there.

What do you think? Should the definition of petite include larger-sized women?