Vanity sizing
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vanmep
Posts: 406 Member
Many moons ago, when I was tiny, I wore size 6 jeans. I recently bought a pair of size 6 jeans although I weigh about 30 pounds more than I did in the old days of size 6. I’m sure this is an issue of vanity sizing. But I’m wondering if I buy pants that are waist size 27, is that still the same as long ago? Is 27 inches still 27 inches?
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Replies
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It really depends on the store or brand. Some stores are true to size in pants, and some brands are a bit more loose, and some run small.1
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Hmm, when I was younger I wore an 8 around the same weight I am now and I'm fitting into size 7 so not too much of a difference. Your fat could be distributed differently. Where you carried your weight before could be different from where you carry your weight now. Just a thought.4
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If you're buying by waist then they should be true to size. It's the 6/8/10 ones that are ambiguous due to individual retailers sizing standards. I'm a different size in most retailers but buying by measurements it's always pretty close allowing for manufacturing variance.1
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I am at the weight I was last ages ago. I cannot find pants that fitted me back then anymore. I don't know if it's more mucles or if my bodyshape has changed.
For the sake of sanity I would return those jeans and see what really fits you once you get there.0 -
I hate hate hate vanity sizing. I'm not a size six, and I know this. Slapping a size six label on a pair of size 8 (or even 10) pants just pisses me off, because then I have the wrong size in the dressing room when I bring in size 8 or 10. Or worse, when I order on line.6
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I wear a size 4/6 now and I have a vintage pair of high waisted shorts that are size 12. My favorite jeans are a size 26 waist even though my waist is 28. So I agree with the first comment, it's all about what store/brand you are buying. Vanity sizing is horrible.4
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In 2011 I was the same weight I am now. I was a happy 6. Then live gets in the way, I gained 20lbs, and in August I decided to get it off again. So now I'm sitting right where I was in 2011 and I bought a size 4 tall Skinny Jeans from Old Navy and they are too big. They don't carry 2's. With a 28" waist and 39" hips, I shouldn't need a 2.
So, yeah, it's there. Some stores are worse that others. Which basically means you just have to try everything on. And not go by your pants size.4 -
VintageFeline wrote: »If you're buying by waist then they should be true to size. It's the 6/8/10 ones that are ambiguous due to individual retailers sizing standards. I'm a different size in most retailers but buying by measurements it's always pretty close allowing for manufacturing variance.
*Should* be, but they're not...
Some interesting links/graphics in this thread from the other day...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/992561/i-hate-vanity-sizing
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I hate vanity sizing! I am a solid size 10, sometimes a 12 for comfort. Some shops have clothing in a small that is fitting me well or actually too big. I have jeans and dresses in a size 6. My question is what do the “small” people wear if an x-small toop will fit me?
I do not care what the tag on my clothing says. I just want it to look nice.
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VintageFeline wrote: »If you're buying by waist then they should be true to size. It's the 6/8/10 ones that are ambiguous due to individual retailers sizing standards. I'm a different size in most retailers but buying by measurements it's always pretty close allowing for manufacturing variance.
*Should* be, but they're not...
Some interesting links/graphics in this thread from the other day...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/992561/i-hate-vanity-sizing
Maybe this is a UK vs US issue as well as an inches vs numbered size thing. With that graphic it says H&M vanity size. I'm about a size billion in there where in reality I think about about a UK 12 (US 8), possibly 14 to allow for booty. In reality I buy from 10-14. But if buying waist sizes it's usually spot on.
Clothing matching size charts is hit and miss too though.0 -
Yeah it's depressing
I used to fit in 00 two years ago but am now a size 2 apparently (sigh). 8 -
VintageFeline wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »If you're buying by waist then they should be true to size. It's the 6/8/10 ones that are ambiguous due to individual retailers sizing standards. I'm a different size in most retailers but buying by measurements it's always pretty close allowing for manufacturing variance.
*Should* be, but they're not...
Some interesting links/graphics in this thread from the other day...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/992561/i-hate-vanity-sizing
Maybe this is a UK vs US issue as well as an inches vs numbered size thing. With that graphic it says H&M vanity size. I'm about a size billion in there where in reality I think about about a UK 12 (US 8), possibly 14 to allow for booty. In reality I buy from 10-14. But if buying waist sizes it's usually spot on.
Clothing matching size charts is hit and miss too though.
I'm not sure it's an inches versus numbers thing. I hear most of my friends complain about it in women's clothing, where it's numbers. I wear men's pants and I see the same thing, where a 42 from one place fits the same as a 46 from other store. Men's dress and casual pants (Hagar and Arnold Palmer) are the worst, I know my size and I always have to buy one smaller for those because they vanity it up.
I disagree with the graphic a bit on Old Navy, I've measured my jeans from there, and from button to hole, they're dead on the waist size they are labeled for. And those are the "relaxed" fit ones.
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Back in the dark ages of the 70's, I weighed around 130# and wore what was then a size 12, or sometimes a 14. IIRC, my hips were 38" and my waist was 27". I swear that vanity sizing contributed to my weight gain, because the measurements for certain sizes started creeping up around the time I started gaining weight, and I didn't have a scale. I kept wearing a 14 for probably 30 pounds without really realizing.
Now, many years later, I'm wearing 14's again at 180#. Back in the 70's, my mom weighed 180 and wore size 20.8 -
KrazyKrissyy wrote: »Yeah it's depressing I used to fit in 00 two years ago but am now a size 2 apparently (sigh).
That's the opposite of vanity sizing.........VintageFeline wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »If you're buying by waist then they should be true to size. It's the 6/8/10 ones that are ambiguous due to individual retailers sizing standards. I'm a different size in most retailers but buying by measurements it's always pretty close allowing for manufacturing variance.
*Should* be, but they're not...
Some interesting links/graphics in this thread from the other day...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/992561/i-hate-vanity-sizing
Maybe this is a UK vs US issue as well as an inches vs numbered size thing. With that graphic it says H&M vanity size. I'm about a size billion in there where in reality I think about about a UK 12 (US 8), possibly 14 to allow for booty. In reality I buy from 10-14. But if buying waist sizes it's usually spot on.
Clothing matching size charts is hit and miss too though.
I'm not sure it's an inches versus numbers thing. I hear most of my friends complain about it in women's clothing, where it's numbers. I wear men's pants and I see the same thing, where a 42 from one place fits the same as a 46 from other store. Men's dress and casual pants (Hagar and Arnold Palmer) are the worst, I know my size and I always have to buy one smaller for those because they vanity it up.
I disagree with the graphic a bit on Old Navy, I've measured my jeans from there, and from button to hole, they're dead on the waist size they are labeled for. And those are the "relaxed" fit ones.
Like I said, it could be more of an issue in the US than here in the UK. But then pretty much the only thing you'd buy in a waist measurement as a female would be jeans and I don't buy many pairs from places with waist sizing.4 -
I also think it is the material. Jeans, in particular never had the give that they do now! They either buttoned or they didn't there was no stretching it. Also, because of this, your jeans did not stretch out and fall off by the end of one days wear!4
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Industries that are good at sales, appeal to women's wants and needs. Whatever it takes to make more sales because it's proven in general that females spend more money than males on personal appearance and improvement.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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youngmomtaz wrote: »I hate vanity sizing! I am a solid size 10, sometimes a 12 for comfort. Some shops have clothing in a small that is fitting me well or actually too big. I have jeans and dresses in a size 6. My question is what do the “small” people wear if an x-small toop will fit me?
I do not care what the tag on my clothing says. I just want it to look nice.
Those really tiny ladies have to go shop in the juniors' or children's departments... if the petite 0 does not fit.2 -
I don't know if vanity sizing applies to plus sizes. At Wal-Mart I am a 3x and at Lane Bryant a 2x. When I was younger I was a 14/16 at most stores at 184 lbs and I was an 18 at stores at 206 a while ago, so not much difference in sizing. I think different stores just size a little differently sometimes. A store that caters to smaller sizes is probably going to run smaller. I don't think it's vanity sizing, though, don't really believe it exists it if it does the sizes don't differ that much to really matter.0
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Back in the dark ages of the 70's, I weighed around 130# and wore what was then a size 12, or sometimes a 14. IIRC, my hips were 38" and my waist was 27". I swear that vanity sizing contributed to my weight gain, because the measurements for certain sizes started creeping up around the time I started gaining weight, and I didn't have a scale. I kept wearing a 14 for probably 30 pounds without really realizing.
Now, many years later, I'm wearing 14's again at 180#. Back in the 70's, my mom weighed 180 and wore size 20.
My mom who is 57 now was a 6 when she was younger at 130. Bodies change over time and fat distribution changes.0 -
Back in the 90's I bought a super cute wool skirt from the Gap... It was a size 12 (US) and I tried it on for my sister. She said that I could stand to "lose about 5 pounds" to wear it well. This ended up being a trigger for a bit of an ED and I ended up with a BMI of around 18.5. The skirt then was a little too large. Got married, had a baby, life happened and here I am 20 years later, with a BMI of around 22.7 and I wear a size 8 in most clothes. I still have that skirt in the back of my closet and it is positively tiny in the waist compared to the clothes I now wear.
As a teen/young adult I remember my mom complaining about how she was never very thin back in the 60's (but I guess who was if you're comparing to Twiggy?)... Her prom dress and wedding dress that she wore during that time? I couldn't even zip them when I was at my lowest weight (my BMI creeped up to 19.4 for my wedding)...3
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