Has U.S. pant sizes changed or am I CRAZY!

Families_R_Forever

I recently pulled a box out of storage that had pants in in from about 30 years ago. I checked the sizes, and since they said 18, I figured they might be too big, since I recently bought some 12's at JC Penney. Hah!! I could barely pull the old pants over my thighs!! Yeah, sizes have definitely changed. I know what size I wore at the weight I am now, and I am fitting in 12's whereas I was wearing 16's at the same weight before. It is not because of being super toned up either.

I had this same thing happen, which showed me beyond a shadow of a doubt that clothes are a lot bigger than they used to be. My weight goes up and down, I put things away in a Rubbermaid tub for when I lose the weight later (the "goal box"), and try them on periodically. I have a skirt from the mid '90s (shut up) that is a size 12. I grabbed it confidently since I haven't bought pants bigger than a 10 in 2 years, and it was not even close to buttoning, much less fitting. Intrigued, I tried on lots of other things in that box sized 12, and couldn't fit into any of them. They are not doing us any favors. If I knew I was actually a size 14 or 16 I might have gotten my *kitten* together years ago.

No kidding about not doing us any favors!!! I want to be a TRUE size 6! So now I am going to work harder...for what I don't know...maybe a 2 is really a 6! Anyways it is weird that they have done this! I don't really want to tell people that I am a six when really I am not...you know

neglet

You're not crazy ... I'm trying to get used to the idea that I'm now a size 4, at 5'6" and 132, when 25 years ago at 125 I was a size 10. Worst of all, I've been a medium in bottoms AND tops for the past 25 years, but now I'm small??? I have shoulders like a linebacker!

Then again, when I go to visit my son's high school, I feel awfully short amongst those Amazon teen girls. Maybe I am small, compared to his generation.

awesome_orchid

About Victoria's Secret selling the wrong bra size, this weird sales lady insisted that I didnt appear to be a 38D (looking at my exterior clothing) and had the nerve to say she was surprised that I wore a 38D. I never dealt with that sales person again, and she wasnt there yesterday! YES!Of coarse I got a 38D in a cute floral print!

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PJilly

Well, that was a rude awakening. If I was feeling at all smug about my misses size 6 pants being loose, just trying to squeeze myself into my daughter's junior size 5 skinny jeans completely humbled me. I couldn't get them up much past my knees, let alone all the way on and zipped up. I guess vanity sizing hasn't hit the junior department yet – or at least not quite as hard. That explains a little bit about why I used to wear a size 5 when I weighed 120 and can wear a size 6 at 140. :laugh:

valeriebpdx

Well, that was a rude awakening. If I was feeling at all smug about my misses size 6 pants being loose, just trying to squeeze myself into my daughter's junior size 5 skinny jeans completely humbled me. I couldn't get them up much past my knees, let alone all the way on and zipped up. I guess vanity sizing hasn't hit the junior department yet – or at least not quite as hard. That explains a little bit about why I used to wear a size 5 when I weighed 120 and can wear a size 6 at 140. :laugh:

There is not meant to be parity between junior and misses sizing. I have heard many times that you need to add about two sizes to get close; e.g. a misses 8 is closest to a junior 11, but really the two types of clothing are cut entirely differently. Junior clothes are for thin girls with high boobs who haven't had any kids yet. At any rate, a size 9 is far smaller than a size 8. I think the whole point is to make junior sizes so confounding as to keep the rest of us in age-appropriate clothing.

timbotina

Yes sizing is screwed up...really depends on the brand.....also yes, I agree if like myself--I am almost 40 and shouldn't be wearing junior clothing anyway so I agree with the lady who posted about age appropriate clothing...anyway....bought a jean skirt for vacation---size 8 and I weigh 186# and am 5'8"--no way a size 8 but by Tommy Hilfiger, I am (NOOOO WAY!!!) anyway, it motivated me to exercise on vacation so I guess it worked....HA!!!