Vanity sizing?? Do we like it or not?

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jooleeyah
jooleeyah Posts: 70
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently 5'2 1/2, 125 lbs and I can wear anything from a size 0-6. I think I genrally average a size 4 but at certain store ei: Anne Taylor, Old Navy, etc. I can wear a size 0-2. I guess it kind of makes me feel good but I also know in my head that this is completely ridiculous!! I am NOT a size 0 and I will never be no matter how much weight I lose thanks to my wider bone structure, and I'm okay with that!

I feel like clothing companies purposely size their clothes this way to trick us into buying more because we feel 'better' about ourselves. I wish women's pants' sizes were more consistent like the way mens' pants are and with different inseams because I'm so damn short!

How does everyone else feel about vanity sizing?
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Replies

  • PaulaJKelly
    PaulaJKelly Posts: 96
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    Not so fond of it even though I like being a 2 petite or a 4 petite. It is difficult to know if I am what I used to be or smaller given the sizeing Have they changed them that much which is what someone who is micro-sized told me - burst my bubble after I had worked so hard.

    What kills me is negative sizing. How can you be a negative 0, or 1 or 2 ? (-0, -2, -4). How can you be a negative person? Crazy stuff.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    I don't like shopping, so do most of my shopping online. It can be very, very annoying how little consistency there is in sizing. It would be so nice if you could reliably predict that a UK 16 was actually a UK 16.....
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    I totally agree with you. I was just talking about this the other day actually, I do wish they sized women's pants the same as men's. Just a length and waist size please. I mean, different styles would still be nice for different body shapes but as far as the actual sizes go, they need to be more consistent. :P
  • kneeki
    kneeki Posts: 347 Member
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    I feel this way about cardio machines at the gym. Every model the "max" number gets higher and higher. This type of marketing has been around for a long time.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Earlier this year I bought a dress shirt, it was a 14"-15" or so in the neck..and a size 'small'.

    I'm 6'0", 220lbs...and am in no way small.

    What would an average guy wear? A womans shirt?


    You're preachin to the choir sister.
  • Tiffanydepiano
    Tiffanydepiano Posts: 169 Member
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    I think vanity sizing is really misleading.
    I would rather face the fact that i wear a bigger size than be allowed to think I am smaller.
    Marilyn Monroe was a size 12. Today we call that a 8-10.

    I can't really back up my facts except that I was told that by a nutrition teacher. :happy:
  • Hottness4Lyfe
    Hottness4Lyfe Posts: 321 Member
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    I really wouldn't call it that.... Women come is all different shapes... It has nothing to do with shape. My daughter is a size 0 and she weighs 110. Sometimes she wears a 00. It just all depends on the designer and cut. Some people make clothes to flatter the curves of a woman and some don't. Just don't get hung up on clothing sizes as mush as the fit of the clothes and how you feel in them.....
  • xinahay123
    xinahay123 Posts: 63
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    drives me crazy! I am 5'7", 167 and wear anything from a 6 to a 10. I am very muscular, but a true 6, no way!! Consistency would be lovely!
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
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    I totally agree! I wish it was like boy sizes where a size 12 is always a size 12!
    I have a pair of size 16 shorts that fall off of me all the time. And I size 16 that fit perfectly. I also have a pair of size 12 jeans that fit perfectly too!
    I know I'm never going to be a size UK 6 or whatever, but I'd at least like to be a 12 in every shop I go to!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    My wife wears current sizes 0-4 and my mom buys her gifts that are 8s or 10s and it infuriates my wife. My mom doesn't understand that sizes change. Even when explained to her.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    I would say that victorias secret is the most guilty of this. A Victorias Secret size C bra in reality is a size A.
  • katismiles
    katismiles Posts: 96 Member
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    I feel the same way, generally I wear a size 2 but I fit into 0, and 4's are good. I don't understand how, but it makes me feel proud. :D I am in no way the Hollywood idea of a size 2. It confuses me. I also have trouble finding longs.
  • InvictusPheonix
    InvictusPheonix Posts: 129 Member
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    I HATE it! I'm a 5' 8", there is no way I should be fitting into the sizes I do. I'm not saying that to be vain/low self esteme, it's just, I'm not, and shouldn't ever be, a size 2.
    I fit into them though. Which is bizzare. I can't imagine where some of the extremely thin girls shop.
    I wish sizing for women ran like sizes for men!
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
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    I think vanity sizing is really misleading.
    I would rather face the fact that i wear a bigger size than be allowed to think I am smaller.
    Marilyn Monroe was a size 12. Today we call that a 8-10.

    I can't really back up my facts except that I was told that by a nutrition teacher. :happy:


    Actually, she was a 14 and a 14 back then was about a size 7 in todays standards.

    That just shows how much sizing has changed and how unimportant it is. Its hard, I look for comfort and fit and will go up a size but theres still that part of you that takes gratitude when you wear a vanity smaller size. I do wish I didn't have to take 3 different sizes of each style of jeans into a dressing room.
  • soniaa777
    soniaa777 Posts: 126 Member
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    dont like!!

    it sucks that we put a lot into the size number. knowing about vanity sizing we should just use size as a guidline to what should fit. nowadays you cant really know who to believe when it comes to the correct size pants. just buy what fits and look more to how you look in your clothes and body. like everyone else- why cant women's sizes be like mens. consistancy
  • 1grammie
    1grammie Posts: 163
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    My closet has everything from size 6 to 14, all of which fit. Makes it difficult to order anything online unless its a brand you have bought before. I don't like it and wish there was some consistancy.
  • DisneyMommy
    DisneyMommy Posts: 281
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    I was caught up in this too while losing weight. So recently I went on a "am I really a size 4?" quest. I went to many different stores and tried on every jean type and brand you can think of. All size 4's, all fit with one exception, Old Navy. In Old Navy's world I can wear a size 2 but I think their jeans have always been cut more generously than others. Having been to stores where the jeans are not sold in "sizes" but rather by your waist measurement, I can also conclude that I am a size 4. So while vanity sizing does exist, I don't think it's as bad as we tend to believe it is. Find clothes that are cut in a way that suits your figure and don't worry so much what the number on the tag says. If you know you are a healthy weight, that is all that truly matters.

    Happy Shopping!!!!
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,606 Member
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    HATE IT! this 'loose fit' business is crazy.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I don't care what number they assign to a specific size. Do I wear a "4" or a "100" (Korean sizes run 77, 88, etc)? I don't care. I just want them to be CONSISTENT!!
  • tladame
    tladame Posts: 465 Member
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    I think it's frustrating. I usually have to take 2-3 different sizes of pants into the fitting room to see which one actually fits. Recently I bought a pair of Calvin Klein jeans in a size 4 (I think I'm closer to a size 6). Nobody else is going to see the size tags, so I don't care what size they are. I just want them to fit, and I'd rather not spend 20 minutes going back & forth getting more sizes! :mad:

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