When did sizes change?

" but who doesn't love single-digit sizes, however you get them!"

Some of us will never know...

Lora

Sizes have been changing for awhile. It's called VANITY SIZING because obviously so many people are "hung up" on a stupid number.

When I was 21 (I am 47 now) I wore a size 14 and was only 120 lbs. This was back in the 1980' and 197-0's... If you wore FAT clothes, they were called HALF-SIZES... there was no "plus" sizes or 1x 2x.

The USA has NO standardized sizes like Europe or Asia...Which means a size 14 at Sears may be a size 12 at Macy's or a size 10 at Bloomingdales or a size 16 at Walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WORSE...NOT all size 12s  are the same. (Even in teh same store!) It is best to TRY ON your clothing before buying and NOT to get hung up on "sizes". That is bogus and silly, Buy what is comfortable for you.

Right now I am 148 and wear a size 8/10. I also am a female bodybuilder and pretty slender even though I am 148.  

But the last 6-10 years have been the WORST for the freakin' VANITY sizing (I LOVE the name though! It certainly TELLS what it is...VANITY... Just like people OBSESS about a stupid NUMBER on a scale instead of thier health and what they can do.)

Do people HONESTLY think someone ( a stranger) can tell whether you're 148 or 152 or even 160?? Do they think that someone can tell (while your wearing it) whether you are wearing a size 4 or 8 or 10??????? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They can't. Makes me roll my eyes!

Warmly,
Jackie

Dr. Oz did a program just last month on "vanity" sizing.  There is no standard in the garment industry for what constitutes a certain size anymore.  Designers and manufacturers have appealed to our egos to sell clothes. I noticed when my niece was in high school she weighed about 30 lbs more than I did at her age.  But she could wear a size 8 and I never was able to get into anything smaller than a 14.  That was when I learned of this trend.  On the Dr. Oz show he had a size 12 pant from 5 different name brand clothing stores and there was as much as 5 inches difference in the waist measurement.  There is so much competition for the clothing dollar now that high end makers have even resorted to sizes 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, etc. to keep from making us feel bad about the size we wear.  So basically a size 12, is no longer necessarily a size 12.  BTW, that is the size Marilyn Monroe wore 50 years ago (when there was no so much variance in sizing) and most people envied her size!

all i know is i could buy a 4x blouse at walmart and it would just barley fit,,,, but if i bought a 4x at say roamans or woman-within it would be waaaaaay too big,,i think it just depends on where you buy

I think a lot of is vanity sizing. It's nuts. you may be one size in one brand and one size in another. That's why people cannot get out of trying on clothes before buying them.

It took a while for me to notice the sizes change on me. I was probably a solid 50 lbs in before I needed to buy new pants. And the next size was another 30 away. Then from 250-200, I changed sizes 3 times. Crazy! I notice now though it all depends on the store too. I'm a 12 at Old Navy and Gap. A 10 might be do-able if I wasn't concerned with breathing. At Express or Bebe, I can't even look at a 12, it won't come anywhere near closing. Limited, I'm a 14, even a 16 in some pants. I have several pairs of pants that are much older, say 9 years, and have re-tried them at a 14 or 16 and can't close them. I do work out - sizes have changed!