Last October saw the crowning of Miss China UK 2008, a celebration of beauty, talent, and the ability to parade around in a bikini and high heels without wondering "Why on earth am I wearing this?"

Curious, I flick through the profiles of the twelve finalists. Talent roll: singing, piano, dancing, singing, dancing, piano, dancing, singing. A dangerous thought struts through my mind: Go on, it whispers, Miss China UK 2009, why not? After all, I do have an unrivalled highscore on Singstar ABBA.

The MCUK website lists the criteria for entry: Applicants must be born female (sorry, "born"??), unmarried, between 18 and 26 (because everyone knows your face collapses if you hit 27 without a ring on your finger), of good moral character, and must be 5ft3 and above.

Wait, 5ft3? With or without heels? Either way, I have a feeling my beauty-queen career isn't going to make it off the (rather high) starting block. But the height requirement puzzles me. With the average Chinese woman coming in at 5ft2 (go on, Wikipedia it), why exclude at least half the female population, on the basis of whether they can reach the top shelf at Tescos?

Of course, beauty pageant organisers wants to avoid a line-up that looks like the Fellowship of the Ring (hobbits included), but if it's truly a matter of height uniformity, why not have an upper height limit instead? Say, nothing over 5ft7.

Speaking of height requirements, I took a look at the UK high street, another place where being munchkin-sized is a definite disadvantage. Trouser hems trail along the floor, skirts end halfway between knees and ankles (scientifically proven to be the most unattractive length possible), coat sleeves cover your hands and make you look like a Dickensian street-waif.

Please, sir, can we have clothes that actually fit?

Most stores barely give a passing nod to us petite people (and whether you like generalisations or not, the majority of Chinese women fall into this category). Small sizes are usually under-stocked and the first to go, especially when you have to tussle with a skinny 13-year-old over the last size 8 dress. Most retailers only offer one trouser length per style. Say what you like about banality of men's fashion, but at least it's acknowledged that men's waists and legs do not increase in strict mathematical proportion, and separate waist-leg measurements are de rigueur.

To make things worse, clothing-size inflation (a.k.a. vanity sizing) is on the rise. What used to be a size 12 is now called a size 10, what previously would have been labelled XS now fits two of you inside. Coupled with the country's expanding waistlines (as the national papers warn us daily) and the consequent sizing drift, the naturally pint-sized are left with fewer and fewer shopping options.

So I took the high street to scout for the best, and worst, places to indulge in a little retail therapy. The result:

The BBC Girl's Guide to Small-Sized Shopping

• Good for small sizes: Jane Norman, River Island, H&M, Miss Selfridge, Karen Millen
• Good for petite sections/short-length trousers: Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Republic, Next (but beware the large sizing), Wallis, Principles
• Best to avoid: M&S (large sizing), Monsoon (same), Zara trousers (made for tall people)

Lastly, never ever wear:

• floor-length coats
• peddle-pushers / cropped trousers
• skirts that end mid-calf
• short heels (your only choices are flats or 3-inch-and-upwards)

Happy shopping.

Jenna Lang is a freelance writer and shopping addict. Check out her website at http://jenna-lang.com/

Photo courtesy of jek in the box via Flickr.com (CCL)