Clothing Sizes

[BlueMoose]

This is really a minor thing, but I'm continually perplexed about weight and clothing sizes. It seems that I often see people on TV or in magazines, or wherever who claim to wear a smaller size than me, yet are significantly heavier than me. Like this morning an infomercial was on and this woman said she was 20 lbs heavier than me and wore 2 sizes smaller than I do! She definitely wasn't in better shape than me, so it's not like she was all muscle or anything. So what's the deal? Do lots of people lie about their weight and size or am I just some kind of freak? Does anyone else find this to be true?

[caregiver50]

IMHO most people would like to weigh less and wear a smaller size. Have you noticed that many clothing lines are making clothes larger than before? It makes sense that people enjoy buying smaller size clothes (ie it feeds the ego).

[JHaris]

Once I bought a dress because even though I knew the tag size was totally wrong, it made me feel terrific. The tag said size 6 and I was definitely a 10 or 12. There's that ego again!

Joan

[wallycat]

I agree....they are making clothing bigger for the same size than they used to....I've heard of some people CUTTING OUT the tag with size on it so no one would know!! Designer clothing is also labeled off by one size (from what I've read...have never been lucky enough to own any )

I must admit, I too get hung up if I feel I'd be more comfortable in "the next size up" ....DH could care less what the tags say....must be nice.

[Chefzhat]

You've asked the question that I've been wondering about for a long time BlueMoose!! I'm alway amazed that I see weight loss ads for women that they say they weight 140 and they are a size 6 - get real!!

[boisewinesnob]

One thing to keep in mind when comparing weight to what size someone wears is obviously the person's height. Weighing 130 for someone who is 5'2" is definitely not the same as 130 for someone who is 5'7". (those darned lucky tall people!!!)

[Gilgamesh37]

3 things:

1. Clothing sizes have gotten larger over the years, mainly because manufacturers have figured out that women (and it is by and large only women, this doesn't apply to men's clothes) are much more willing to buy an outfit if they can fit in one that has a smaller size number on the tag. I was cleaning out closests recently and found some 15+ year old stuff, and let me tell you, a size 10 from 15 years ago is significantly smaller than a 10 I'd pull off the rack today.

2. Designer clothes (would that I ever had enough $$ to buy them) do run 1-2 sizes larger--i.e. what's labelled a 6 in designer duds is closer to an actual 8. Same reason--they figure a woman is more likely to drop $2k on a dress if she can fit in a 6.

3. Weight vs. size--it not only has to do with height, but has a great deal to so with muscle mass as well. I'm a size 8 but almost no one ever guesses that I weigh as much as I do (which is about 142) because it's mostly muscle, which volume-wise, weighs more than fat.

[Gail]

Another thing to take into consideration is where the person's weight is distributed. When I first married, my perception was that most of my inlaws were very small sizes when actually we wore the same size. I carried my bulk in the bustline, they carried it in the hips and thighs. Depending upon the actual clothing cut, even though I weigh more, there were clothes, such as slacks, where I wore the smaller size.

I am also reminded of a girl I met when I was about ten years old. She had the darnedest bone structure I've ever seen-- looked like a little birdcage! To the observer, she looked rotund, and I'd laugh at her when she'd insist she actually weighed very little. So, one day I got her on our scale. I'll be darned-- she wasn't lying. She weighed next to nothing, but looked like a little chub!

[MKSquared]

Women aren't the only ones hung up on numbers. Guys do it too! I had to beg DBF to get rid of his 32's he graduated from college in; he simply wouldn't believe that he'd gained weight. From my observations, most guys go to ther ack, grab the size that they're used to wearing, and leave without ever trying it on.

[Peggy C.]

Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

[lorilei]

I think we should all take a deep breath and STOP worrying about the numbers...

Let's buy clothing that fits us and makes us look our best -- no matter WHAT size the tag says it is.

Let's not stoop to cutting out tags and being in denial of our size.

Let's not LIE about our size just to make ourselves feel better.


In other words, let's come to the understanding that size is relative. HEALTH matters, but size simply DOESN'T.

I'm making this one of my goals for the year...

[AzAnne]

Clothing sizes have gotten larger over the years ??

ACK! And up until now I thought I was doing good with my weight / size

[mb]

i agree that clothing is just made much larger. this is a problem for me, though, because i am pretty small. if you're already wearing a 1/2 and they start cutting stuff bigger, what do you do then?!?! honestly, i've bought a bunch of stuff at gapkids, but really you can't base your entire adult wardrobe there! i'm glad to hear though that everyone else thinks things are getting cut bigger. my mom just thinks that i keep shrinking - i tell her it's not me, but she never believes me!!!!

oh, and i bought a guess skirt YEARS ago size 27 waist. not long ago, i saw something else in the same brand, so i just looked for the size 27 - it was like a tent on me! what's up with that? i thought 27 was equivalent to 27 inches - how can there be so much of a difference? isn't 27 inches = 27 inches?!?!?!

enough of my rambles!
marisa

[wallycat]

aaaaaaack is right...so if mb wears a size 1/2 and has a waist of 27....
why am I wearing a 6 with a waist of 25-1/2 - 26 ???

I agree with lorilei ---no more worry about what the tag says--focus on comfort.
Besides, a former clothing designer wrote a book and in it she said she ALWAYS buys a size UP on many things because that makes her look smaller and she could care LESS what the number on the tag read!

[BlueMoose]

I never lie about my size, I never have cut a size tag out, and I always buy whatever size is comfortable on me (I hate tight clothes!).

[mb]

wallycat, just so i don't get you all confused, i don't have a 27" waist anymore. i have shrunk a bit, but i haven't measured myself lately. i'm venturing to guess i'm somewhere around what you said. i also have, like, no hips...maybe that's why i'm a 1/2????

also, on oprah a few months ago they were doing makeovers of moms of supermodels. rebecca romijn's mom was on and apparently always wore some size 10 or 12 frumpy clothes. they dressed her up really nice and it turns out her 'real' size is a 6 or something. so wallycat, next time you're out shopping, you might want to try a size smaller....if you care enough to want to say 'i'm a size 2'!!!!! you never know!

marisa

ps i don't really care what size # i am either...as long as my clothes are comfortable!

[wallycat]

thanks for the hint Marisa...
What I've tried to do is when I find something I like, get the size I think it should be, one size smaller and one size bigger...then go into a fitting room and try it on without looking at which one i"m putting on. The one that is comfortable is the one that comes home with me
I'm getting old enough where comfort is more important than what the tags say. I'd lie if I said I didn't care....who wouldn't want to wear a small size...but it's not that important to me.
My biggest (ha, pardon the pun) problem is my bust size....larger than the rest of me .

[food girl]

Whatever you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT go buy a pattern and check out your measurements compared to those on the package. I bought a skirt pattern and soon found out that my "size" in patterns is 10 sizes bigger than I wear in store bought clothes.

Once the smelling salts took effect I was fine!

Lisa