I hate vanity sizing

fishgutzy
fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
edited January 7 in Chit-Chat
So I finally got around to measuring my waist after losing 65#. That prompted me to measure the waist on the new 36" waist jeans I bought. And that was when I got slightly perturbed.
The jeans measurement matched my waist measurement but were 4 inches larger than the stated size.
And this is why one can almost never order pants on-line. The buyer will never know if the seller is using honest sizing or the BS vanity sizing.
My ego doesn't need to be massaged. I don;t need to be lied to. I just want someone to have the guts to be honest even when their a-holes in marketing tell them they have to lie.
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Replies

  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    There is no honesty in sales.

    "Caveat emptor"

    But I agree. Vanity sizing is silly.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    I never knew men get vanity sized too. I don't feel so bad anymore. You know, since misery loves company and all
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I never knew men get vanity sized too. I don't feel so bad anymore. You know, since misery loves company and all

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    There was a news story on this a few years ago.
    I know at least one pair of pants in my closet is honest sized.
    I judge my waist shrinkage by the now empty holes on my belt. I'll by a new one next month.:bigsmile:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    after I had my first son, who will be 30 next week, I wore size 9/10 juniors. I was exactly the same weight I am today. I wear a size 10 woman's. (8 when they are stretchy or I squeeeeeeze into them holding my breath :laugh: ) I have not noticed sizes being any different
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    The last time I wore a 36 I was under 200#. Definitely serious vanity sizing going on with some peeps.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    I absolutely agree!!! I was just talking to my husband about that today!!! If they did it right all company's sizes will be the exact same size!! Like you said easier to order online!!
  • glenette1
    glenette1 Posts: 140 Member
    Vanity sizing is the reason I wear a size 12 in some brands and size 16 in others. Size 14 usually fits the bill but even they are highly variable amongst themselves.
  • Simone_King
    Simone_King Posts: 467 Member
    I have come to terms that a size ten isn't the same size ten that it was in the late 90s.

    So I may still be a plus size woman once I stopped losing all of my weight. Go figure.
  • sarahg148
    sarahg148 Posts: 701 Member
    This is why I very SELDOMLY buy clothes online. I just want to look good in what I wear...regardless of size. I don't need clothing "sizes" to tell me when I've gained or lost weight...just looking in the mirror and using a measuring tape takes care of that.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    I never knew there WAS vanity sizing! I actually read this and felt cheated, and lied to, and well.... disappointed.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Didn't know it applied to men until I had to buy a suit for my son a couple of years ago to wear to a wedding. The waist measurement was 4 inches bigger than the jeans he was wearing at the time.

    More expensive women's clothing are vanity sized, so kinda the opposite of what my son experienced, I guess. I've always just figured that was how the made you pay the ridiculously high prices for expensive clothes--of course I'm going to buy it if I can wear 2 sizes smaller than usual.
  • anifani4
    anifani4 Posts: 457 Member
    Sorry. What can anyone say. Clothing size has always been a pet peeve of mine...both womens and mens. I wonder if the waist size has anything to do with exactly where on the body the waist band comes. Most men wear their pants a couple of inches below their natural waist.
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    My size changes depending on the brand/style. I have a few standards that I always know will fit and those are the ones I'll buy online. Or they will be. While I'm still losing I've been buying jeans at Goodwill. I will not pay full price for a pair of jeans that will be too big in a few months. $60 for 4-6 months of wear is absurd. I'll pay $6 until I get to goal and stay there for a while.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    So I finally got around to measuring my waist after losing 65#. That prompted me to measure the waist on the new 36" waist jeans I bought. And that was when I got slightly perturbed.
    The jeans measurement matched my waist measurement but were 4 inches larger than the stated size.
    And this is why one can almost never order pants on-line. The buyer will never know if the seller is using honest sizing or the BS vanity sizing.
    My ego doesn't need to be massaged. I don;t need to be lied to. I just want someone to have the guts to be honest even when their a-holes in marketing tell them they have to lie.

    It bugs me too as I want to be able to know what size to pick. Buying online it's best to look for a measurement guide, so you can check the sizes and what their measurements are and compare to your own.

    I hate buying clothes online, you never know how something is going to look or feel until you try it on.
  • desiv2
    desiv2 Posts: 651 Member
    I didn't know about vanity sizing either, but now that you pointed it out I feel dumb. No wonder the sizes I fit into vary among brands. I agree, every company should have honest sizing for online shopping.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    Yeah, I have some pants from high school (that I couldn't fit into in college) that I can fit back into that are 8s, but some brands these days now say I'm a 6. And that's less than 10 years ago
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    Not only is there vanity sizing but there is also variation within the same size of the same brand. Layers of material are stacked and the pattern is cut through several layers. They may slip or bunch causing some to be bigger or smaller. So those pants in one size may not fit in another color of the same size.
  • solarpower4
    solarpower4 Posts: 250 Member
    WOW, I didn't know men had to put up with that, too! I have vintage jeans and slacks that are size 6 and some size 8. They fit well on good days, snug on others. All of my newer pants and jeans are sizes 2 and 4 (most are a bit big). I even have two currrent items that are size 0 that fit. It's ridiculous! DEFINITELY a difference, especially in brands such as Ann Taylor, Jones NY, Banana Republic, Limited and Gap.

    That's marketers for you!
  • rompers16
    rompers16 Posts: 5,404 Member
    I guess I'm in the minority...I love it. For the 1st time in forever, I don't have to shop in the plus section. I know I'm still fat but it feels good to say I can wear a 14.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Pfft you think it's bad for men's clothing... So much worse in women's...
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Watch the show " What Not to Wear". Its not about size, its about FIT.

    Try on 10 things before you buy 1.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    It's true!
    I was stunned just like you were and a bit miffed. When did these clothes folks start this mess?
    I am tight in 34 pants, yet when I purchased some new, it was a size below this.
    ABSURD!
    :grumble:
  • mfpangela
    mfpangela Posts: 1
    I remember seeing this graphic a while back: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/pants-size-chart-090710

    I imagine it'd be so frustrating with men's sizing since it's supposed to be waist inches!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Wow, this is the first time I've heard of vanity sizing in men's clothing.. very strange. There can always be a difference of up to an inch either way (due to mass production techniques) but 4 inches is way off.
  • mdyorston
    mdyorston Posts: 158
    It also seems to me that black jeans always fit tighter than blue jeans for some reason even when its the same designer. That one I can never figure out...smh
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I hate vanity sizing as well. I have a pair of size 8 shorts from 1989 that are loose on me. I also have some size 6 NYDJ Jeans that I bought this year (2012) that fit exactly the same. I just don't buy much on line unless I know the brand.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    I never knew men get vanity sized too. I don't feel so bad anymore. You know, since misery loves company and all
    I was thinking the same too, lol

    I don't like it either, I would better off feeling indifferent with the honest sizing than to feel happy but fooled with the vanity sizes. I work as Marketing Specialist apart from being a Graphic Designer so I truly understand creating a tactic in order to get people buy your product but there is always a better way to do it that wouldn't make customers feel like a fool by lying to them. Unfortunately a lot in the clothing brands prefer the easiest (for them) but the worst way to attract customers.
  • solarpower4
    solarpower4 Posts: 250 Member
    after I had my first son, who will be 30 next week, I wore size 9/10 juniors. I was exactly the same weight I am today. I wear a size 10 woman's. (8 when they are stretchy or I squeeeeeeze into them holding my breath :laugh: ) I have not noticed sizes being any different

    For general info: Junior sizes (odd numbers in females' clothes) are designed for women who (theoretically) don't have a fully matured pelvis (read "wide hips"). So a size 9/10 junior, even today, is already smaller in certain areas than a modern size 10.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    Thats why I hate women's clothing because the sizes are based on nothing. Its hard to remember your size ate a dozen different stores.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    sometimes it's not vanity sizing.

    take note of where your clothes are being made. if they being made in foreign factories that use metric system then you're more likely to have lots of variation in clothing sizes.

    one example of this is when you buy the same pair of pants, same store, same stated size and notice differences. this happens to me in target quite often, as well as old navy. old navy it happens in EVERYTHING! i recently bought a pack of 3 socks from hem and only 1 was the right size :laugh:
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