vanity sizing

zdyb23456
zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I just bought a pair of Old Navy shorts... size 2!
I am not a size 2. Never have been.

I pulled out an old pair of Old Navy shorts, size 4 and compared.

ugbroymownlc.jpeg

The size 4 is actually a tiny bit smaller than the 2.
I’m not sure how I feel.

I know they say go by how your clothes fit, not the number on the scale, but I feel like you can fool yourself with the vanity sizing companies like Old Navy do.

Thoughts?


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Replies

  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    I suggest using measurements. I've found that I can more easily buy clothes using my actually waist size versus store sizes. Men's sizing does this the right way (although I've also heard that a 32" in men's isn't always a 32").
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
    I've always been a size smaller in Old Navy clothes. At my absolute smallest I fit into size 14 (!!!!!) jeans. I made the mistake of thinking I was a 14 everywhere and bought some pants at another store. I couldn't get them over my thighs. I was really a 16/18 in most places, but Old Navy definitely abuses vanity sizing.

    Now of course I gained most of my weight back and can't shop in Old Navy at all because they don't have plus size in store. But I'm not surprised your shorts aren't consistently sized. It's really hard for women to find clothes that fit because sizes are different with each brand.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Yeah, vanity sizing is a clever marketing technique. "Oooo, I can't believe I fit into a size 2! I'm gonna buy 3 pairs!"
    It sucks because every brand is different and online shopping is useless. I also now wear a size 2 in some brands, even though when I was in college 20 years ago I weighed the same and was a size 6.

    I wore a size 8 jeans from GAP as a teenager. Now jeans have stretch to them and I wear a size 4.
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    I went to buy jeans wearing size 29 in Brand A. They were loose, but not so loose that I wasn’t shocked to learn that in Brand B, I now wear a 26. Yay! I love Brand A, though, and I don’t live near any stores that carry them anymore, so I went online and used their fit prediction tool. I put in all my stats and told them I wear a 26 in Brand B, and the site assured me that Brand A’s 26 would, if anything, be on the big side.

    It’s not. Yikes is it ever not. If I drop another 10-15lbs they *might* fit, but then nothing else in my closet will.

    It’s really frustrating, isn’t it? Like it’s not hard enough that we can’t “see” our bodies properly, but we’re supposed to take the scale with a grain of salt, and clothing sizes are meaningless. I like to think, though, that all those “clues” can add up to something, if taken together and given time. Progress is progress, however it’s measured. :)
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Vanity sizing has even hit men's clothing, as this article in Esquire explained nearly a decade ago: https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a8386/pants-size-chart-090710/
  • Kohanai
    Kohanai Posts: 172 Member
    4rtistry wrote: »
    When they say go by how your clothes fit, they mean it literally; the size tag is inconsequential, especially for women. That number means virtually nothing because there's no standardization. When clothes you've had for a while start fitting better over time, you're doing it right.

    Vanity sizing is one of those small, stupid things that can send me off into a giant rant (which I will spare you here). Long story short, they're hoping to win your money by making you feel good about yourself, and in so doing, making it a pain in the *kitten* to buy clothes online.

    If the shorts fit, wear them.

    I was so excited that I fit into old navy size 18 pants for the first time in ages, that I bought 3 pair. Well *kitten*. You're absolutely right.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    edited April 2018
    I hate vanity sizing. What was a size 12 back in the 80s is now equal to a size 00. I can't find the article, but someone posted the best ones on the vanity sizing thread a month or two ago. Here is a similar one... http://time.com/how-to-fix-vanity-sizing/

    Absolutely ridiculous and gives people the false sense of "im not too big if I fit into a size ___" even if they are still overweight.

    Edit: I think it was posted somewhere in this discussion https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10523666/vanity-sizing-out-of-control
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Women's clothing sizing is nuts and ilm not gonna stress about what the label says or allow it to affect my self worth or accomplishments. The only reason it annoys me is because it makes it hard to know what size to look for when shopping, so there's a lot of random trying on.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    I am involved in fashion with my job, and there is a real problem with the vanity sizing that’s been going on in the US for many years. Old navy is one of the worst offenders, plus a lot of women’s brands that have taken it to a whole new level by sizing by arbitrary numbers such as a size 1 being a 1X or a size 2 actually being a large. I also sell vintage clothes and can tell you that this all started mostly in the 1990s.
    In reality, the number on your clothes shouldn’t make a shred of difference in how you feel about yourself, and we’ve been totally brainwashed.
    If you’re trying to fit into clothes that are already in your closet that used to fit, that’s great, but don’t pay any attention to anything new you buy.
    Ironically, most of the high end designers haven’t gone to this vanity sizing, which you’d think they would to sell even more overpriced clothes.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    sarahbums wrote: »
    i hate vanity sizing. I often wear the smallest available size, and it's gotten to the point where even that's too big sometimes. It's like, what am I gonna do, wear kids' size jeans that barely reach my ankles? Luckily enough stores still sell bottoms by waist size so I'm good as long as there's a 24" or 25". I also really like H&M, as their sizes are much more realistic.

    Same here. I like h and m because I find them to be the truest to size. Old navy and American eagle are some of the worst.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »
    I hate vanity sizing. What was a size 12 back in the 80s is now equal to a size 00. I can't find the article, but someone posted the best ones on the vanity sizing thread a month or two ago. Here is a similar one... http://time.com/how-to-fix-vanity-sizing/

    Absolutely ridiculous and gives people the false sense of "im not too big if I fit into a size ___" even if they are still overweight.

    That’s kind of my thought too. Thinking I’m doing great because I’m now a size 2! I’m really not because I haven’t lost any weight. At least I have the scale to tell me the truth.

    Of course, if I was lifting weights and truly replacing fat with muscle maybe I’d go down a size without the scale changing, but I’m not.
  • ITUSGirl51
    ITUSGirl51 Posts: 191 Member
    Yea I fit into a size 6 shorts at Macy’s in one brand. It ticked me off and I refused to buy them. I’m not a size 6! I’m wearing a size 8 in most women’s designers, but some jeans I still need a size 10 (Lucky and Guess).
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Idk... I wear an xs top or 2 in old Navy Rockstars, but I also wear similar sizes at other stores I go to...and I have a few older banana republic and gap bottoms that seem a similar size. I do think there is vanity sizing over the years and it probably gets worse as the size increases. I had to measure my husband to order a jacket the other day, turns out his waist measures 40 in and he wears 38 jeans.
  • svel713
    svel713 Posts: 141 Member
    I had a 10 year old size small top that fit perfect until my dryer decided to start shredding clothing.

    Now I have size S and XS tops that are a bit baggy on me. I found one store that I have a 2 in 3 chance of finding a small that fits like my old size small top.

    And I found a place selling pants I liked that fit. Bought 2 more pairs after a few months of finding the place and the new pairs are loose. There is no smaller size for those (size 1).

    Vanity sizing is ridiculous and I hate clothes shopping more now that I'm finally at maintenance.
  • jrochest
    jrochest Posts: 119 Member
    Yep, the States is the worst for vanity sizing, which has been going on for ages but really did get worse in the 90s. UK/Australian sizing is what USA and Canadian sizing used to be 20 years ago; 10 years ago a UK 14 was a US 12 and now a UK 14 is supposedly a US 10.

    When I was in high school in the 70s and 80s I was 5' 5" and 115 pounds and a perfect size 10 :). The smallest size you could buy was a 6, and it was almost impossible to find them in department stores.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    jrochest wrote: »
    Yep, the States is the worst for vanity sizing, which has been going on for ages but really did get worse in the 90s. UK/Australian sizing is what USA and Canadian sizing used to be 20 years ago; 10 years ago a UK 14 was a US 12 and now a UK 14 is supposedly a US 10.

    When I was in high school in the 70s and 80s I was 5' 5" and 115 pounds and a perfect size 10 :). The smallest size you could buy was a 6, and it was almost impossible to find them in department stores.

    Wow now in the us 115 at 5’5 is usually a 00/0

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    For me, vanity sizing has backfired. I won't buy online because I have no idea what the sizing will be like. I hate shopping and if I actually need something like a new pair of pants, it takes time to find something that fits because I have to try on multiple pairs, so rather than deal with the time and the hassle, I simply don't buy new clothes.

    I am an old style size 10. I think I'm current size 4, but don't know for sure because the store I last went shopping in didn't carry many 4s, mostly the smallest was a size 6. That shortened the shopping trip, but left me feeling frustrated at the lack of choice. If you go by S, M, L, I am okay, because I am a medium and have been all my life. Sometimes it's a little loose, sometimes a bit tight, but it almost always fits. But some things don't come in S M L.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    ...I won't buy online because I have no idea what the sizing will be like...

    This. It's like rolling the dice. No online clothes shopping for me.
  • jrochest
    jrochest Posts: 119 Member
    Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »
    jrochest wrote: »
    Yep, the States is the worst for vanity sizing, which has been going on for ages but really did get worse in the 90s. UK/Australian sizing is what USA and Canadian sizing used to be 20 years ago; 10 years ago a UK 14 was a US 12 and now a UK 14 is supposedly a US 10.

    When I was in high school in the 70s and 80s I was 5' 5" and 115 pounds and a perfect size 10 :). The smallest size you could buy was a 6, and it was almost impossible to find them in department stores.

    Wow now in the us 115 at 5’5 is usually a 00/0

    Yep. In 1980? Size 10.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    I went shopping at h&m and depending on the style of the shorts I would be different sizes.
    My go to store is tjmaxx due to the different brands I can try on a range of sizes and brands and find something that fits well.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Old Navy run very large. I can't shop there. Everything is ill fitting.

    I have a pair of designer jeans now in size 27 waist. I have a 28 inch waist and they are on the looser side.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »
    jrochest wrote: »
    Yep, the States is the worst for vanity sizing, which has been going on for ages but really did get worse in the 90s. UK/Australian sizing is what USA and Canadian sizing used to be 20 years ago; 10 years ago a UK 14 was a US 12 and now a UK 14 is supposedly a US 10.

    When I was in high school in the 70s and 80s I was 5' 5" and 115 pounds and a perfect size 10 :). The smallest size you could buy was a 6, and it was almost impossible to find them in department stores.

    Wow now in the us 115 at 5’5 is usually a 00/0

    She also said the smallest you could buy was a 6....so it's all relative. A person who is 5'5" and weigh 115 pounds is thin. They were even thin back in the 70's..lol

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