Are clothes made bigger

20 years ago give or take a year I weighed 165 and wore a size 16, so  how can I be 52 lbs heavy and wear a 16/18 nearly the same size ? Are they making close bigger now?

Sizes are much bigger.  Way back when, the standard us size charts ruled.  Each manufacturer does its own thing now.

In the 80's a size 12 misses fit a 26" waist.  Today I can wear a size 10/12 jeans with no stretch and my waist is 31.5.  Its called vanity sizeing.  As America gor fatter so did our clothes.

The answer is yes and no.

At 16 I weighed not much more than I do now but I was wearing size 18 then and now I wear size 12. To a point yes some of the fashion industry has made clothes larger and lowered the sizes. But having taken out an old outfit I made myself I can't use that argument.

The outfit is huge on me now and back then it barely fit. Another answer is you have more muscle mass than fat now so smaller clothes fit better even though you weigh more. Basically pull out a tape measurer and check your inches. You might find that your really smaller.

- Jaz

Yes they are bigger.  I have a size nine from the 70's and they are much smaller than a size 6 today.  But then I have gotten from garage sales some pants size 10 and they won't button but have a 8 and a 6 that fit just fine.  Go figure sizes are relitive to the manufacture.  Hugs Debi

VANITY SIZING....

When I was 21...I weighed 129 lbs and couldn't wear anything smaller than a size 12.
Fast forward to today...weighing 150-154 lbs...wearing a size 10 and even have a couple of jeans in 8.  And depending on the designer/manufacturer...I have had 12s be snug on me.

People have gotten bigger so the sizes have expanded to match.

I find it really hard to compare though because the last time I was this thin I was 13 and hadn't finished growing. So I can't do pound to pound comparisions -- I was 3 inches shorter. I can't do BMI comparisons because I have much less body fat now. I can't do measurements because my hips are smaller now proportionately to back then.

But I think I would have been 2-3 sizes bigger back in '71 compared to now. Give or take.

Indeed they are made much bigger.

One of my daughters wears a "00" now what on earth is up with that size???

Even though I am still 35 pounds more than I was when I graduated from high school, I look the same size, and I'm wearing the same size.  Even if clothes are bigger now, for some reason, it's like I'm more compact.  Look at inches rather than pounds and enjoy how good you look.

What everyone else has said---and, you're probably smaller now at your current weight that you would haven been at the same weight back then. Being overweight makes us develope denser bones and more mucles tissue, which takes up less space than fatty tissue. So there IS an advantage to having been heavy! (*grin*)

Thanks for the feedback. I suspected that vanity sizing may have been taking place as well, I know someone who wears a size 6 she looks like what use to be a size 10. On another note I've got some size 14's packed away, I think I'll go see how the fit now, LOL