Vanity Sizing

I am a lover of all things '40s and '50's - particularly the clothes of the era.  I think they really honored a woman's shape - curvy/sexy and all that.  So about a year ago, I bought a whole slew of old patterns on ebay, intending to sew some of those great old styles for myself once I lost the weight.  I got ready to cut out my first one (and OMG - it is so darling, but I digress...).  I didn't know what size to cut out, because the sizes are so very different since 1955.  I had to measure myself and compare to the back of the pattern.

Now in 1977, I weighed 132 pounds, and wore a size 12.

In 2010, I weigh 160, and wear a size 5/6 (crazy, huh?).

But in 1955?  My current weight would have meant that I would have been about a size 18!!!  Of course, I'm the hipless wonder, and my hip measurement was smaller than the smallest size on the pattern back...............

It all goes to show that you need to count on something other than size to show your progress. 

But I do like wearing a 5/6!!

It's all enough to drive us stark raving MAD!

All contrived by the fashion industry to make us feel inadequate.

I love the dresses from that era as well....

My Mom never went out of the house wearing jeans or slacks. I remember her in a dress. Those shirt waist dresses- so fitted on top - matching belt and full skirt. So lovely.

Not realistic today... but very pretty.

I saved some clothes from college just to remember that I wore them once.  I have a pair of white jeans and they say size 7.  I can get them on but I can't sit down.  Today they would be 2's.  When I was in college the smallest anyone wore was a 5 or maybe a 3 but I don't really remember seeing them.  I wonder in the next ten years if we'll have -3 or -5.  Pandora's box is open and there's no closing it!

Kathy I have one of those dresses of my mom's.  It fits perfectly.  I should dress up in it and take my picture in black and white!

hugs, Y

One of my daughters is a size 00 - So what on earth is up with that????   She is extremely thin but not invisible.   Bizarre.

HOLY CRAP! It's been happening for loner than I thought.  I got that dress out of my mom's and it's pretty tight.  Guess what size it is?? 16!!!  Now I know why they say Marilyn Monroe was a 14 or whatever.  I used to believe that she was bigger but the clothes were sized like my mom's dress.  OH MY GOD!! It would be a 4 now.  I have a hat too and I know I've got her white gloves somewhere.  I'll do it at some point.  I'm still in shock about the 16 part though.   Blows me away!
hugs, Y

Yes!  It's just NUTSY!

I want to see you in that pic.  There are great how-to videos on youtube to do victory rolls in your hair......................

You know, I've seen those videos!  I was thinking I could put my hair up and hide it under the hat or I could use the brunette wig I used in my video "The stigma against weight loss surgery".  I'll put this on my list!
hugs, Y