Question:
Is it just me, or have women's sizes changed alot over the years....?

When I was a teen, I was 5'8" tall, and weighed about 127-137 pounds. Back then, I remember wearing a size 12 jeans and a size Large or Medium t-shirt. I am now 44 years old, and am still 5'8" tall, and currently weigh 221. I can wear a size Large medical scrub pant and jacket and size 16-18 jeans - something is not right here.... It seems to me that sizes have gotten more "generous" these days. What was a size 12 jean when I was 16 years old now seems to be a size 10 jean, or may be even a size 8 jean. Is it just me, or?    — Gina S. (posted on September 22, 2008)

September 22, 2008
I am sure they have !!!
   — stevie

September 22, 2008
Phew it thought it was me. I am just now learning there is a difference sizes when it comes to misses and juniors, so I believe misses just keeps it a little more real to our age. Juniors seem to cater to a more petite builds. I can fit into a size 12M in Misses/Womens and can't even squeeze in a 14 in Juniors. I hope this helps.
   — heartsablaze

September 22, 2008
Well, I wear a 12 now at 5'2" and 150, and used to weigh around 140 or 135 to fit in a 12. I've always had "hips". I don't know maybe our figures change as we mature, have children, etc. You'd think we'd need a bigger size because of the skin, but oh well! It's an enigma! Brands matter too. Take care!
   — lesleigh07

September 22, 2008
I wore juniors when I was a teen...and I was a size 7-8 at 135 lbs...I weigh 165 and wear Misses now which always were cut fuller than juniors. I wear a 8 or a 10 in misses...and can squeeze in a 12 in juniors if the legs are not cut for string bean legs (Which I will never ever have) I wear a small top in misses, but I need an large or even Xlarge in juniors tops! I think that is where you are confused...
   — .Anita R.

September 22, 2008
your right they have, My girl friend would have been a 14 or 16 back than but now she is a 8 and has not changed, who's to think we only had to wait to be a 8 lol. Good luck and if you sew watch the pattern sizes too. they have changed also. GOD BLESS
   — LBowker

September 22, 2008
WOW IVE NOTICED THAT ALSO. WHEN I WAS A TEEN, I WAS 5'5 AND 154 AND WORE A SIZE 16 PANTS. TODAY IM 51.I WEIGHT 161 AND I CAN WEAR A JUNIOR 13,BUT THE WAIST IS BIG.A MISSES 8, OR A WOMANS 4-6. AINT THAT WEIRD.
   — deb44m

September 22, 2008
You're not crazy, it is called "vanity sizing". Manufacturers discovered that women bought more clothing if the sizes seemed smaller. Expensive designers especially get this. I can take a 12/14 at Ross, but an 8 in a designer frock. I have clothes in my closet from small to large, and I wear that all at any given time. It's nuts. Just remember, go for fit, not for the label size. Congrats on all your success. Best wishes, Pam
   — pjwilsen

September 23, 2008
It's not just you, in 1981 I bought an adorable pair of jeans that are currently in my drawer hoping to come out of hiding just long enough for me to get them on and buttoned. They are a size 11. I was at the store with my daughter last week and she bought a pair of size 11 jeans, when we got home I thought wow, she could wear my old favorite pair of jeans, so I got them out and she tried them on, couldn't even get them over her hips. So the answer is yes manufacturers have added more fabric to the sizes so that we won't feel so bad about our expanding waste lines....
   — brindledanes

September 23, 2008
When I was in high school I weighed what I weigh now and wore a size 11 or 13..now I wear a 6!! I think that when manufacturers added the size 00 and 0 to their lines, we all just got smaller! What a marketing scheme!
   — Kristi S.

September 23, 2008
I have been saying the same thing for several years...I believe this is a marketing tactic to make women feel better about thier sizes and keep them buying more....I find that if i go to a store now and try to buy an 18 they are too big but if i buy old ones from thrift stores the 18's are perfect. But what matters we are going to look great no matter what the label says!!!!!
   — bridgetann1961

September 23, 2008
I definately agree! I was not overweight as a teen; I gained all my weight in my twenties( I am now 48). I had RNY in April, have lost 91 lbs.,and right away noticed that the sizes were a lot bigger than they used to be! It does make things rather confusing. I even mentioned it to my husband, who knows nothing about womens clothes:) Maybe it's because Americans are getting bigger through the years!
   — marciamak

September 23, 2008
You are correct. the sizes has changed. I used to wear size 8-12, and I kept (10 years) some of the clothes. (jeans, shirts, etc). Now I can fit in sz 12 but it they are "current". My older clothes I fit into 16's and XL. Today's - top size L. The clothes manufactures figured that if we feel better about ourself - we buy more.... if you try on 16- you may decide to lose weight, but 12- you buy...
   — H.A.L.A B.

September 23, 2008
Thank you for asking this question! I have been saying this since being banded. Even when I weighed less than I do now, I could never wear a size 16! But since I've lost 55 pounds I wear anything from a 14 to a 16 in regular sizes. Definitely a marketing tactic - - and guess what? It's working! I'm thrilled to walk into a store and go right the 16's and know they're going to fit - - better yet, I'm not embarassed or uncomfortable to walk into a "regular" size store instead of always shopping in a "plus" size store.
   — Monte57

September 24, 2008
Anotehr thing I have noticed is that I look like I weight 140's rather than 160's and even my doc is always shocked at my weight. She thinks the extra skin is where that extra 20 lbs is and that squeezes into smaller clotheing much easier than fat! I still think the sizes are the same...maybe just a teensy bit fuller cuts. But when I look at juniors clothes they seem even tinier to me. My daughter is 115 lbs...but when my husband pulls clothes out of the drier, he cannot tell her jeans from mine either...We are nearly 50 lbs difference. She wears a 5 juniors. That's right on from when I was her age. I still think it's loose skin that makes us weigh more after weight loss but that's why we fit in smaller clothes than we think we should...That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL
   — .Anita R.

October 3, 2008
Saw on the news where clothing manufactures have done something sneaky. For instance, clothes that might have been labled size 10 last year may be labled size 8, making peole think that they have gone down size wise. I personally do not think that is right but the government allows them to do it.
   — kankan

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