A FIFTH of women in the UK cut out the labels from their clothes to hide their size, according to research.

With London Fashion Week getting underway, there is a move for normal women to celebrate rather than slam their bodies.

British Plus Size Fashion Weekend is being held at Vinopolis today and tomorrow (Saturday, February 15) and Dove is shedding inches and bringing a new form of measurement to let women celebrate their bodies.

The custom measuring tapes tell women they are beautiful, gorgeous, perfect and real.

This comes in the face of research by the company which shows that one in five snip the labels from their clothes, and 70 per cent of those do so out of shame and embarrassment at their size.

Despite the national average being a size 16, more than half of women want to drop two or more dress sizes with just 27 per cent happy with their shape.

Research psychologist Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, from the Centre for Appearance at the University of the West of England said: ““Plus Size Fashion Weekend is a fantastic opportunity to showcase greater diversity in the fashion world. Celebrating the natural diversity of women’s body sizes and shapes is a key part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project’s work and is crucial to promoting a culture that helps women feel confident about the way they look and with what their bodies can do.”

Go to selfesteem.dove.co.uk