Are you really a size .0008.7? Are you?

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  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    I have similar issues with clothes, and it drives me crazy because I'm stuck in the mindset that I refuse to buy above a certain size, even if the item is really cute.

    My pants range from 4-10. Shirts, Small to Large. Dresses, Small to Large, 6-10 (mostly due to larger shoulders).

    When I finally fit into my Victoria's Secret size 6s again, I ordered some new 6's, only to find that they had apparently changed their sizing, and I now needed an 8.

    To top it off, it also depends on WHERE something is manufactured as certain countries seem to manufacture smaller and some larger!!
  • _Mimi_
    _Mimi_ Posts: 233
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    I hear girls from time to time really gloating that they are a size “whatever” and you know, unless they are having all of their clothing tailor made all of the time and slapping a size 0 sticker on them, I’m calling shenanigans. You probably do have a bunch of clothes that are a size “whatever” but you also probably fit perfectly into a bunch of clothes that are a size “oh my god, I need to stop eating cookies”. You just maybe don’t purchase those ones.

    I totally get what you're saying! It's ridiculous! And yet men can buy pretty much any pair of pants, any suit, any shirt, and the size does not vary.

    I do have to say though, I once knew a [very wealthy] woman who had her seamstress tear out all sizes and put size 10 on everything. I often wondered if she wore her clothes inside out so people would see the size, cuz I promise anyone who looked at her did not see a size 10. :noway: :bigsmile:
  • nicolio8699
    nicolio8699 Posts: 141 Member
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    baaahahahah- yr totally right! i have lost loads of weight, but i rarely sit around announcing to anyone that i have lost 128 lbs, unless they ask. if i wanna know what size you are, i'll ask. it's fine to be proud, but pride in the form of having to tell anyone who's listening because yr realistically quite insecure about yr whatever is sad. and most of the time when people are announcing they're a size 4, it's to make the size 12 next to them know they are somehow better because of it. before you all get yr panties in a bunch (which some folks seem to be consistently bunchy in the panty area) obviously, these are all generalizations, not fact for everyone and everything! i will listen to my little sis gloat about her size 4's all day long, she did earn it, and she knows i'm happy to listen, even when she mentions that my current size was her "fat size" lol. people just need to take a step back and listen to what they're saying sometimes, and realize that our words have an impact. <3<3n-
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
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    Vanity sizing. Yep stores do it so they'll sell more clothes.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    Wow I have never had this problem, and yes I shop in a ton of different stores, and yes I have some curves. I'm a 6. I've been a 6 most of my teen and adult life. When I gained weight I was an 8, now that I've lost it I'm a 6 bordering on a 4. You can go through all the items in my closet, and 95% of the ones that fit me say "6" on the label.
  • luckyfives
    luckyfives Posts: 4
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    Ok. I agree with the OP's observations that sizes are not uniform from shop to shop, sometimes even within the same shop!
    It does depend on a variety of things, fabric, style, cut.

    Clothes are made for a standard size, torso length, leg length, hip to waist ratio etc., and most people's body shape does not fit those exact measurements.

    And one shop's definition of small, medium, large is not always the same either. Is 'medium' the same as 'average'? If so I think the average size of a woman in the UK is 14-16, but a lot of medium sized clothes are designed for sizes 12-14, so medium is actually a bit smaller than average.

    In the UK we definitely have some vanity sizing going on, because let's face it, if you fit into a size smaller in one shop compared with others, you're probably going to shop there more often.

    The other posters do have a good point as well though, which is that being a certain size has a pyschological impact. I was over the moon when I dropped 2 dress sizes (thanks to MFP!)

    I fit in to one of two sizes usually depending on all those factors that make sizes vary. The majority of my clothes are the smaller size though so I think that justifies me saying that's what my size is. And it makes me feel like I've made some progress, and to be completely honest I feel less fat, so more confident, when I wear those clothes (even if in real terms they must be the same size as the clothes with the larger label, otherwise they wouldn't actually fit me!)

    A clothing size means something to other people as well. If you said someone's waist size is X, or they weigh x pounds, I can't picture that in my head, but I know roughly what size someone is if they're an 8 or an 18.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
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    A lot of the variation is from where the clothes are made. I used to work for the Gap and it is well known, especially at Old Navy, the size will vary depending on if it was made in China or Vietnam or Cambodia or where ever. That is why you can pick up a two mediums (same exact shirt) at Old Navy and they will be two vastly different sizes.

    The variations happen at Gap and Banana but aren't as noticable. The more money you pay for your clothes, usually the more consistant the sizing (and quality).

    Most people have some variation in their closet. I have never had as much as the OP. I may go from a M to a L or a 10 to 12 depending on brand/cut but never a size 4 to 14. That just seems odd to me but then again we all have different body shapes/sizes.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I think clothing size varies widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. I find that I can wear anything from a 4 to an 8 depending on where I'm shopping and the cut/style of the garment. I would say I'm typically a six.

    I think some of what seems like bragging about a smaller size might just be pride in accomplishing something. I love being able to say that I wear a size 6. After years of feeling shame and embarrassment about my size, and hiding the fact that my pants all had a 'size 18' tag in the back, I just feel really proud to be able to say 'I'm a size six'.

    For years, I wouldn't put clothes on Christmas/birthday lists because I didn't want to give away my size. I refused help from shop clerks because I didn't want them digging through racks to find the one pair of pants big enough to fit me. I wouldn't shop with friends because I didn't want them to see the large sizes I needed.

    Of course, I don't go around announcing my size to anyone and everyone as a boast, but if someone asks me, I am happy to tell them 'Size 6'!
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
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    This is hilarious. Best rant ever!
  • AmyOwensJackson
    AmyOwensJackson Posts: 7
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    I completely understand.. this is why I HATE shopping for clothing. I have a toddler. I don't have the time and she doesn't have the patience for me to try on everything in the store to find something that fits let alone looks good.
  • BossBich
    BossBich Posts: 65 Member
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    Well said!!!!!
  • BossBich
    BossBich Posts: 65 Member
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    I am a size 4.. I wear 4's in all my clothing and Size Small top in all my tops... Last time I checked, clothing was pretty universal if you only shop at a few places instead of every store you see.

    Not sure why the hell you having so many issues when it comes to shopping or get pissed when people brag about size, but I worked my butt off to get where I am.. so best you best believe I'm going to celebrate it.

    Also, I highly doubt you wear a 4 some days and then a 12/14 other days... that is a huge difference in size no matter how the clothes are cut. So unless you are getting really fat and then really skinny with in the course of like a day, you should be able to find one size and stick with it.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,636 Member
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    Totally agree with this!
  • Rawr1978
    Rawr1978 Posts: 245 Member
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    I'll go out on a limb and guess that it's the smug attitude that pisses the OP off. That little "I'm much skinnier than YOU" bs attitude. I dont care what size anyone is, and that includes ultra-thin people. If I'm a size 6 (i wish), i dont care if you're a size 0-2. It doesnt make you any better than anyone else, and that is the vibe some of the women who go on about it give.
  • LadyIvysMom
    LadyIvysMom Posts: 391 Member
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    I suppose if you only shop at 3 stores that exclusively sell clothes by only one designer, then yes, you might be able to fit into only one size in every article of clothing you buy for the rest of your life.

    If this is what you do, and you are a size 8 in everything you own, good for you. You are one of the rare people who is actually only one size in everything they own. Shopping for you must be a breeze. You’ve probably never had to order 3 sizes of clothes you buy online to see which one fits you correctly.

    For the rest of us, dare I say the majority of us, who shop in department stores (ie. Macy’s etc.) that sell clothing made by hundreds of different designers or different small boutiques run by different designers with different sizing standards, only shopping at 3 stores seems pretty boring, not to mention pricey.

    But if you have the money and love, love, love only those clothes made by your designers of choice, go for it.

    I can’t speak for everyone but I’d personally rather have variety than a closet full of 6’s or whatever. So, until I find a few designers whose size standards are exactly the same, I will continue to be annoyed with the huge differences in sizing between brands.

    As a side note, I’m also not sure, actually I'm pretty baffled, as to why some people are equating a post that I wrote as a humorous vent about an annoyance with sizing differences & people who brag about sizing when it clearly has no international standard with some sort of seething anger either. That’s just silly. I was chuckling when I wrote it, not seething with fury or turning into some sort of she-Hulk. (Although I'd probably be a lot cooler if I had that ability). I was giggling because virtually every woman I know has the same issues when picking clothing. But as I said, if you are one of the handful of women who don’t, you are very fortunate.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    One reason I'm happy to be a man - I can pretty much go to the store, tell the salesperson I need relaxed fit pants 36/34 and a tailored fit shirt 17.5/35 and walk out without even trying them on.
  • LadyIvysMom
    LadyIvysMom Posts: 391 Member
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    I'll go out on a limb and guess that it's the smug attitude that pisses the OP off. That little "I'm much skinnier than YOU" bs attitude. I dont care what size anyone is, and that includes ultra-thin people. If I'm a size 6 (i wish), i dont care if you're a size 0-2. It doesnt make you any better than anyone else, and that is the vibe some of the women who go on about it give.

    Smug attitudes are just annoying in general, whether it's about your body size or your income or your car etc.

    I honestly don't even know what clothing size I am, because as I pointed out, I wear everything from a 4 to a 12 in the span of a week because clothing sizes are dumb and baffling. I presume most women are the same way, so it really doesn't phase me what size someone is. I just think that, because sizes have no real standard, it's a dumb thing to brag about.
  • LadyIvysMom
    LadyIvysMom Posts: 391 Member
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    One reason I'm happy to be a man - I can pretty much go to the store, tell the salesperson I need relaxed fit pants 36/34 and a tailored fit shirt 17.5/35 and walk out without even trying them on.

    My husband is like that too. lol I don't think he's ever had to try on anything at the store, ever.
  • Kallie3000
    Kallie3000 Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm really glad no one brags about their size to me. Unless it was pride at an accomplishment, I think I'd shut that convo down pretty fast. Proud = okay, but Smug = not okay.

    I find that I am generally a size sixteen on top and a size fourteen on bottom... mostly. It has ranged from a size 12 to even size 22 (in dresses) so there is definitely a huge range. Even when it is just small, medium, large, I can sometimes sneak into a small and I can sometimes not fit at all in a large and have to go to XL or XXL. It is craziness. Honestly, some of the best purchases I've made have been were on ebay, because those sellers usually give out the clothing's actual measurements instead of some arbitrary measurement!

    It is well known that sizes have inflated since several years ago. Marylin Monroe used to be a size fourteen, and she'd more likely be a size 7 or 8 these days. I would like it a lot more if they just went to a different system across the board. Like, punch in your measurements at a kiosk, and it punches out all the clothes that will fit you and where to find them in the store. Would that really be so hard?
  • jrbb03092
    jrbb03092 Posts: 198 Member
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    What really amuses me is that when I was a teenager, models wore size 6s, and clothing mostly started at size 6s. We didn't even have size 0 or 2. You MIGHT have found a 4 in a petite but it was pretty unlikely. And now there's 00s as well. WTH? I thought people were (overall) becoming bigger not smaller. It all makes my head spin.

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