Vanity Sizing...

[mr. couturier]

I think vanity sizing is very real and pretty dumb. Who really cares.
marilyn monroe was apparently a size 12? I wish Hollywood would go back to her ideal instead of the stick figure tartletts currently en vogue.

Well, that's also a '50s size 12, which is considerably smaller than a modern one. Although I completely agree with what you're saying. Vanity sizing is an all-around market technique. Even though we and certainly other intelligent people won't be fooled by this, many people will feel better about and therefore more willing to buy clothes when the size is smaller. It's sad, I've seen people become overjoyed at "finally fitting into a size 6!" Actors and actresses never used to be teenagers (unless playing them), and were rarely in their 20s, so they looked completely different. Also, there weren't nearly as many "babes in bikinis" movies, and the audience for many films was completely different. It's a shame the way things change...I'm glad men's sizing hasn't been that significantly affected by this sort of thing at least. It still all goes by the actual size in inches, for the most part, which is not only easier but the most truthful.

 

[mojo riley]

I was just reading a thread about Tara R and a few (hilarious lol!!) comments about what size some members are got me thinking..

I have this 'catsuit' (I call it anyway) ..It's this one piece, black, long sleeve-turtleneck thingy that zips up the back..I've had this thing NO LIE for like 20 years lol!!! It's just one of those d*mned things I just don't throw out from season to season..but I DO wear it occasionally...when I have stuff to do outside in the winter..I wear it w/ a black puffer coat & white snow boots when I'm doing my Christmas lights..hauling stuff to our storage shed etc...

MY POINT IS..I noticed today it's a size 6..and NOW I am an XS or a 00/000 zero in some stores...What the?!?!? I am the same weight that I was in high school...115, 5'4"..I'm very thin but I have an atheltic build so I'm not emaciated (oh gawd I hope I don't look like Tara) But what is up with the sizes today? It's ridiculous...SO...20 years ago I was 4-6, now I'm a ) ZERO....What is up with the designers? And what will a ZERO be twenty years from now.....a -12 lol!!! Sorry..just had to comment..Emmy's been into the wine again ..eep!!

I'm in the exact same boat as you- 5'4" 112 and I've weighed the same for 12-13 years- I mean down to the pound. My mom's older clothes fit me like a glove and they're all sizes 8-10! My waist is 24 inches, and a size 10 used to be cut to a 24 inch waist! I started at a six, then went down to a four, then a two, now a ZERO- which almost no one actually sells. It's infuriating, it really is.

 

[mojo riley]

I think vanity sizing is very real and pretty dumb. Who really cares.
marilyn monroe was apparently a size 12? I wish Hollywood would go back to her ideal instead of the stick figure tartletts currently en vogue.

MM would be at MOST a four in today's clothes. Probably more like 2 or even a zero. She was 5'5" and 117. NOT a modern size 12!

 

[HauteMama]

I agree that I wish there was universal sizing based on measurements like with men's clothing. It is ridiculous first to have Juniors sizing and Misses sizing that isn't even in the ballpark of the same size. Generally a girl wearing a 7 in Juniors could easily wear a 4 in Misses. Then to have vanity sizing and stores that run big or small... it is all just too much to keep straight! The numbers or the XS-S-M-L tags mean nothing anymore!

 

[sonya]

I hate vanity sizing because I feel like I get sized out of clothing. Luckily, many of the largest offenders aren't really my style.

 

[EMMY]

5'4" and 115 lbs? And you say you are buying size 0 clothes? Where?

That is exactly my weight and height and I am a size 4 (size 27 jeans). I have only occasionally been able to fit a size 2, and never a size 0/00 in any brand.

^LOL!! I shop everywhere....!! The only place I can go to buy pants that fit is the Gap, Express, Banana Republic & Anne Taylor online...they don't carry a "00" in store...only online..and their '0' is too big for me...Otherwise I have to have my pants altered..Believe it or not..Height/weight is not straight across the board...We may have the same stats but our bodies are completely different...Thank God I am very muscular...with my lifestyle I need it!! But muscle weighs more than fat..so my weight is very deceiving...most people don't believe me when I tell them my weight...:shame:

 

[lv_forever]

^LOL!! I shop everywhere....!! The only place I can go to buy pants that fit is the Gap, Express, Banana Republic & Anne Taylor online...they don't carry a "00" in store...only online..and their '0' is too big for me...Otherwise I have to have my pants altered..Believe it or not..Height/weight is not straight across the board...We may have the same stats but our bodies are completely different...Thank God I am very muscular...with my lifestyle I need it!! But muscle weighs more than fat..so my weight is very deceiving...most people don't believe me when I tell them my weight...:shame:

ITA! Muscles are heavier weight-wise, but smaller in volume, so height/weight ratio is not really an accurate indication of what size someone wears. My sister is exactly like you, about your height/weight and also athletic. She is TINY and has the hardest time finding clothes that do not fall off of her.

Anyway, one reason I hate vanity sizing is because the manufacturers do not produce enough "small" sizes anymore. They sell out so quickly and are never on sale.

 

[jellybebe]

Who knew that being tiny had disadvantages?! I don't have that problem but I have noticed that sometimes I fit into a size 4, which is crazy.

 

[Queen_Kitty]

I hate this, but I think the worst part is, is that I can't order things over the internet, because I don't know if they'll be too big or too small!

 

[girliceclimber]

Sorry, but I don't feel bad for "00" girls. Vanity sizing is aimed towards people like me-- I would be considered too fat by 90% of people, but it makes me feel damn good to wear a 12 instead of plus size clothes. I realize that it's just a marketing trick, but it honestly makes me feel better about myself. I don't care if skinny people want to flame me for it; I don't feel bad

Hey, thanks for posting this, it's always nice to hear another opinion.
Also, I've heard that plus size clothing makers don't tend to make the cutest clothes, so I guess one good thing is that everyone gets to shop at Gap, etc where they make cute clothes.
For me, Gap, J Crew, Old Navy, and other clothes chains just don't fit me well, because I must shape weird or something!

 

[pghandbag]

While I understand the market incentive for American retailers to "vanity size" (which supposedly causes people to gleefully exclaim they are a size 6 at the gap, etc.), I also think it makes a lot of sense to adapt sizes to accommodate contemporary shapes/body types.

I have heard that one of the reasons why sizes have changed is because the shapes of people in the US (where the biggest offenders' corporate HQs and design spaces are located) have changed. If the largest portion of people were still built as they were in the 1950s, then it would be fine for sizes to have remained stagnant because demand for specific sizes would not have shifted dramatically. We know that isn't the case. People eat differently now, have different lifestyles now, etc. Statistically, bodies are larger, boobs are bigger, and children (girls in particular) are developing earlier.

The average size for women in the US is something like a 12 or 14 (modern, not vintage).

When you consider these trends, it only follows logically that sizing would have to change also. If a size 12 is average, then size medium (which means the average) clothing has to adjust accordingly. I know people rail against vanity sizing but if you really think about it, it just makes sense that sizing trends should reflect broader trends of body shape. In addition to being plain good business sense you can't really fault retailers for recognizing that.

 

[ilzabet]

Sorry, but I don't feel bad for "00" girls. Vanity sizing is aimed towards people like me-- I would be considered too fat by 90% of people, but it makes me feel damn good to wear a 12 instead of plus size clothes. I realize that it's just a marketing trick, but it honestly makes me feel better about myself. I don't care if skinny people want to flame me for it; I don't feel bad

Anyway, one reason I hate vanity sizing is because the manufacturers do not produce enough "small" sizes anymore. They sell out so quickly and are never on sale.

i used to feel exactly that same way (and i'm exactly claire's size range) until i went shopping with my very tiny friend. she's 5'1 and 97 lbs which sounds unhealthy but she's always been tiny. she eats healthy foods in normal portions (she actually eats more than i do) and has bones like a bird.

anyway she has a hard time finding ANY clothes that fit her instead of just not liking the sizes on the tag. for casual clothes she shops in the children's section sometimes....but you can't find tiny business suits or children's blouses cut for boobs. i would rather have to size up than have people in the world who can't fit into 00s.....zero shouldn't even be a size. who likes being told they're nothing? how horrible is that? that shopping day was a real eye opener for me....i haven't complained about not finding any cute clothes in my size since.

 

[pghandbag]

If they made all clothing in all sizes ... like just larger version of regular clothing also coming in "plus sized" I would agree with you that sizes shouldn't have changed but more people who would have been regarded as plus sized now are considered "average."

I think it is a bummer for petite people who cannot find appropriate stylish and affordable clothing to fit them but I think it's equally a bummer for
plus sized people who can't find things in their size that aren't totally lacking in style or made for people a foot taller than them (as it sseems that plus sized clothing makers presume that everyone who is plus is also 6 feet tall).

 

[sonya]

I think it is a bummer for petite people who cannot find appropriate stylish and affordable clothing to fit them but I think it's equally a bummer for
plus sized people who can't find things in their size that aren't totally lacking in style or made for people a foot taller than them (as it sseems that plus sized clothing makers presume that everyone who is plus is also 6 feet tall).

I emphasize with this.

 

[sammydoll]

I hate vanity sizing. I am a size 2 or XS in tops and skirts and a 4 or 26/27 in pants and it SUCKS because in some stores even the zero is too big, and it's not flattering, it's annoying! JCrew is what i always run into.. I know i'm not a 0, i can't standdddd these stores.

Urban Outfitters is also really annoying.. Everything runs pretty big and i can't wear most of their tshirts and some tops even though they are great deals.

Oh and the MOST annoying is Victorias Secret. I'm a 34b, not supppperr tiny and in their lingerie, even when marked 34b, i will often have room in the cup? (when in just a normal bra, i don't) I don't understand! It's like they are thinking "Most women are wearing bras too small.. if they are wearing our lingerie we want them to be confident so lets make it run bigger so we get on their good side!"

rawrrr