Clothes must be made bigger now?

I know what you mean. I have pants anywhere from 6 to 10 that all fit about the same. Shirts I can wear small to large depending on the shirt. Very frustrating to shop.

Sizes are larger now, AND stores don't carry the smaller sizes at all!

I'm having serious, serious problems buying clothes these days. Most of the stores around where I live do not carry anything smaller than a size four. Which of course, isn't really a size four, because it is vanity sized. So someone who is a size two? Sorry, no pants for you. >.<

I never realized this would end up being such a big issue. I've decided to try ordering online-- I found a site that actually provides measurements for their clothing, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get things that actually fit me. It is going to cost more than Target, Kohl's or Fred Meyer's would have, but I don't have much choice.

I think they are bigger. I wear a size 2. When I was in high school I wore a size 4, and I'm slightly heavier than I was then...not to mention that a high school girl should be naturally slimmer than a 35 year old woman due to muscle mass differences and expanding hips! Yeah...I definitely think clothes have gotten bigger.

I also do a lot of thrift store/vintage shopping. And when I buy old clothes, I am 2 or 3 sizes larger. In a dress from the 50s or 60s I am a size 6! So, when people ask me what size I am, I look them in the eye and say, "I'm a true size 6." But I can wear anything from a 2 on up due to crazy vanity sizing!

Sizing is insane now. I needed new workout shorts so we went to a sports store, I grabbed my usual medium and my husband said that they were way too big for me. I checked to see if it was an XL on a M hanger, but the tag inside said M. He grabbed an XS and held them up and said that was my size. Sure enough, they fit. At 144, I'm not an XS.

I wonder what people who are 100 lbs soaking wet wear for yoga shorts because the XS would fall off of them!

Special Order! When I was thin, I had to order half of my clothes online because my sizes weren't carried locally.

I remember a time when really big people had to order their clothes because their sizes weren't carried. Times sure have changed!

So, I figure the only reasonable explanation is that clothes must be made bigger than they were 10 years ago. I really don't buy clothes that often, because it is usually torture. Please help me out. Anyone that has bought clothes in the last couple of years, are they bigger now? Or am I losing my mind. Is it possible that I might enjoy buying clothes now?

I am 5' 5 1/2" tall and weigh today 138 pounds. I went through the same mind game as you! Overjoyed and disbelieving! Isn't it great? = D Okay, granted, there MIGHT be some vanity sizing from 30 or more years ago and certainly from the 50's and 60's. But lets ask the question the REAL way? How many of you have actually saved your clothes from decades ago only to fit back into them? Anyone? That's the only way to really tell. Okay, I did. I actually SAVED some old clothes from 15 years ago and I have my very first pair of Levi's 501 button fly cutoffs that I wore in 8th grade and 9th grade and I am 54 now. Those actually hang on me compared to me squeezing into them back then. I'd say when I was 13 and 14 I had a much more athletic body just because of regular PE at school and riding my bike or walking a either half a mile or a mile to school every day each way not to mention riding my bike to my friends houses or to go to the store or do anything. I weigh less now, but lets face it age and gravity after weight gain and loss are not my friends. But the cutoffs swim on me.

I saved a pair of size 12 Wranglers (not stretchy) when I briefly weighed 135 (not exercising) from 15 years ago. Wranglers were always the smallest jeans for me. That and Levi's that I could never wear as an adult. Judging on how they fit my right this minute, I'd say the Wranglers were 2 sizes too big as I wore them skin tight back then. I also have a pair of size 12 baggy Lee high waisted shorts from 20 years ago that have at least 2 inches in the waist. I saved a Jessica McClintock evening dress which is form fitting around the hips size 10 from 15 years ago and it is big on me now.

I also wear a size 4 in slacks, a size 6 in Levi's 512 (I think that is the number), and just bought 3 cocktail dresses just before Christmas all on the same day in sizes 4, 6, & 8 , but I think I typically wear a 6 after all the try ons. I got a size xs in a Michael Kors bomber type jacket that has lots of tummy and boob room but the sleeves are a little short when I stretch out my arms in front of me. I have heavy legs but lost the "pear" and hips so still wearing medium stretch pants, but tops are small or medium (broad shoulders), and I'd wear a small belt. Also lost half a shoe size back to my normal 8 to 8 1/2 depending on how wide they are for my wide feet.

Whatever the answer is NOBODY can take away from you how fantastic you look, what a marvelous job you have done losing 100 pounds! I am teetering at 70 pounds lost. Just sorry I had to gain it in the first place when being accountable for food now and doing moderate exercise is NOT that much to ask.

So who cares what the numbers are, enjoy your pretty new clothes everyone! It is okay if we are secretly impressed with ourselves! = D Take us off the statistics about Americans being whatever percent obese because we are now "normal"!

Good work!

So, I figure the only reasonable explanation is that clothes must be made bigger than they were 10 years ago. I really don't buy clothes that often, because it is usually torture. Please help me out. Anyone that has bought clothes in the last couple of years, are they bigger now? Or am I losing my mind. Is it possible that I might enjoy buying clothes now?

I am 5' 5 1/2" tall and weigh today 138 pounds. I went through the same mind game as you! Overjoyed and disbelieving! Isn't it great? = D Okay, granted, there MIGHT be some vanity sizing from 30 or more years ago and certainly from the 50's and 60's. But lets ask the question the REAL way? How many of you have actually saved your clothes from decades ago only to fit back into them? Anyone? That's the only way to really tell. Okay, I did. I actually SAVED some old clothes from 15 years ago and I have my very first pair of Levi's 501 button fly cutoffs that I wore in 8th grade and 9th grade and I am 54 now. Those actually hang on me compared to me squeezing into them back then. I'd say when I was 13 and 14 I had a much more athletic body just because of regular PE at school and riding my bike or walking a either half a mile or a mile to school every day each way not to mention riding my bike to my friends houses or to go to the store or do anything. I weigh less now, but lets face it age and gravity after weight gain and loss are not my friends. But the cutoffs swim on me.

I saved a pair of size 12 Wranglers (not stretchy) when I briefly weighed 135 (not exercising) from 15 years ago. Wranglers were always the smallest jeans for me. That and Levi's that I could never wear as an adult. Judging on how they fit my right this minute, I'd say the Wranglers were 2 sizes too big as I wore them skin tight back then. I also have a pair of size 12 baggy Lee high waisted shorts from 20 years ago that have at least 2 inches in the waist. I saved a Jessica McClintock evening dress which is form fitting around the hips size 10 from 15 years ago and it is big on me now.

I also wear a size 4 in slacks, a size 6 in Levi's 512 (I think that is the number), and just bought 3 cocktail dresses just before Christmas all on the same day in sizes 4, 6, & 8 , but I think I typically wear a 6 after all the try ons. I got a size xs in a Michael Kors bomber type jacket that has lots of tummy and boob room but the sleeves are a little short when I stretch out my arms in front of me. I have heavy legs but lost the "pear" and hips so still wearing medium stretch pants, but tops are small or medium (broad shoulders), and I'd wear a small belt. Also lost half a shoe size back to my normal 8 to 8 1/2 depending on how wide they are for my wide feet.

Whatever the answer is NOBODY can take away from you how fantastic you look, what a marvelous job you have done losing 100 pounds! I am teetering at 70 pounds lost. Just sorry I had to gain it in the first place when being accountable for food now and doing moderate exercise is NOT that much to ask.

So who cares what the numbers are, enjoy your pretty new clothes everyone! It is okay if we are secretly impressed with ourselves! = D Take us off the statistics about Americans being whatever percent obese because we are now "normal"!

Good work!

Susan, we are the same height and hopefully I will weigh 135 in some time. I only have a pair of cutoffs from 1968, I doubt they will ever fit!! I have short shorts from 16 years ago. We shall see. I have a ways to go.

Just went through this yesterday!

I've lost 34 of my 57 pound goal and have dropped from atight 38 waist pants to a comfortable 34 and yet, my waist size went from 40 to 37. If these morons would just follow a standard then I could safely order pants with a specific waist size and length and call it good. Stores carry up to 34W X 34L and then the Tall Man section carries 36W X 36L thus leaving me in the "deadzone" with the 34 X 36. Went to the Mall Saturday and the only thing I found was the deadzone.:explode:

I'm now forced to order the pants on-line and once received try them on and if not a good fit, return. What a pain!

Congrats on your hard work! You look amazing!

Sizing is screwy. Sometimes I think that sizes have changed drastically... I typically nowadays wear a size 2 or 4 in jeans, and a 5 or 7 in juniors jeans. I have size 5 and 7 from high school in the 80s that fit. And a pair of size 7 bell bottoms from the 70s (they weren't mine) that fit. A size 10 swimsuit from the 50s fits, but it's very stretchy and fit when I weighed 15 pounds more or less than I do now. So maybe they haven't changed that much.

I think it really depends on the store. The higher end brands seem to do the vanity sizing more so than say target or the cheaper clothes. Although I will say Old Navy seems to not even keep a consistency within the same size. It depends on the color there! LOL

TOTALLY AGREE! It varies from brand to brand and store to store, but in general I believe this to be true.