Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Is A Size 6 Really A Size 6?

It's called Vanity Sizing. Google it. Woman's clothing sizes are shrinking. What led me to research this a few years ago when I was wearing a size six and I knew it was a much larger size than when I wore a size 7 after I had my first baby at age 19. What was a size 12 back in the 60's and 70's is now a size 6. Crazy huh? Women are in denial and don't want to know what size they really are or how fat they are and the fashion industry plays right along. I read on one blog where a woman who now wears a size 8 bought a piece of vintage clothing and it was size 16. What's with that?

Check out this article from the Boston Globe.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/05/05/0_is_the_new_8

While equally beautiful...You can see the differences in sizes then and now.
Now there are sizes 0 and 00. How can that be possible. Zero means nothing, zilch, Nada etc. From what I've read, soon we will be going into the negative numbers. Imagine going into a store and saying I'd like a size -3? How odd would that be?

So now do I have to aim for a size 0 as a weigh loss goal in order to look and feel healthy? Probably so and at that size I would not even be extremely thin.

Why does the fashion industry do this to us? Because we want it. Because we'd rather be in denial than face reality.

Enough said. Opinions Welcome.

4 comments:

  1. Sizing works differently here. The average size is about a size 10 to 12 ish. I think it's because they go in twos though... You said they have a size 7 there? We don't have odd numbers. It's size 6, size 8, size 10, size 12... You get the idea.

    Anyway, there's not just the thing about the sizes shrinking. There's also the fact that sizes in one store - or even, sometimes, in the same store - aren't always the same. For example:

    I brought two pairs of trousers. Both the same size, both the same style, and both from the same shop. BUT when I got them home I discovered that one of the pairs didn't fit. The label said the same, the style was the same... But they were different sizes. I've also had times when something a size bigger than I usually wear doesn't fit me, but something a size smaller than I would usually wear is a bit big... It makes getting clothes that fit extremely annoying and stressful.

    And people wonder why I want to try and make at least some of my clothes myself!

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  2. I am not overweight, but also realize that in my 40s, my shape and size have both changed compared to when I was in my 20s or teens. I personally like being able to buy a size 6 jeans from the Gap, even is that 6 was a 14 30 some years ago. As long as I am healthy and an appropriate size for my frame, I try not to sweat numbers too much!

    Jane

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  3. oh they've been doing this for many a year...

    I noticed American women's dress sizes are smaller than British ones.

    e.g. there is no such thing as "size zero" here

    I think the smallest size here would be a 6 or 4, if 4 exists

    most models are 8 or 10 in Britain

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  4. Hi, Barbara! Yes, I'm old enough now to have lived through a couple of fashion trends, and I have certainly noticed the changes in size. After my baby was born (back in the day), I weighed 112 pounds and wore a size 5. Now, I weigh 115 pounds and wear a size 4 or 6. Sounds good, huh? Thing is--gravity has taken over (all over) and the bustline has increased greatly--no matter what the scale says. So, I think if nothing had ever changed about sizing, I should be wearing at least an 8 or maybe even a 10. Well, I takes what I can gets anymore. But that fashion industry--they're gonna get their bucks no matter where our pounds may fall. D

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