Has Women's Sizing Changed over the years?
By breepeace
@breepeace (3014)
Canada
January 7, 2009 5:41pm CST
I was chatting to an older friend not long ago about a new dress that I'd bought and when I told her it was a size 13 she looked at me absolutely astounded and said, "There's NO WAY you're a SIZE 13. You're an 8 if you're anything!".
Well, of course, I was flattered, but from the vast majority of places I buy clothing, which cater to young women on a budget (Suzy Shier, The Garage Clothing Company, The Gap, etc) I am most definitely a 13. But maybe I wouldn't always have been?
What do you think? Has sizing changed for women's clothing over the years, or are we just in denial about our size and clothing manufacturers manipulate that fact to make the small even smaller, and the big even bigger?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@RaiscaraAvalon (250)
• United States
7 Jan 09
Women's sizes have changed just in the 8 years or so since high school, and they continue to get smaller. Every retailer is different, but on average the size it says on the tag is really at least one size higher. When I was in high school, I was an 8 or a 10, and I was a tiny thing. Now I'm 10lbs heavier and a size 4. That doesn't make sense to me either. I too shop at Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle...the normal 25 year old gear. :)
The funny thing though, is when people guess my size, they always say zero. I'm not THAT small! All I can say is ignore the tag and buy what fits. I'm sure if I walked into a high end boutique, I'd be a 10, 12 or 14!
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
8 Jan 09
There is no doubt that it has changed. I am a 52 year old woman that has always been very underweight. At my smallest...100 pounds...I wore a size 5 in jeans as there were nothing smaller that fit right. I'm tall so a girls size 14 was ok in shirts but not pants. So a few years ago, I put on a bit of weight...first for me.
Let me tell you, dieting was hard when you've spent your life on weight-gain programs. anyway, I eventually began shedding the pounds and went in to get some new jeans. I bought a pair of womens levis size 5. I didn't try them one...i was confident they'd fit. Was I shocked to find that I could pull them down without undoing them!! I took them back and got a size 3...again didn't try them on. Again...way too big! I gave them to my daughter who normally wears a size 10 and she laughed when she saw the size. I said...it's the store giving you an ego boost...I bet they'll fit. They fit! I think it depends on the brand. Most brands, I wear a size 5 or 6 comfortably but there are others that I have to go down to a size 1. Now if i were 20...I'd feel proud but at my age, I am once again battling becoming to thin so it has the opposite effect. My mom weighed 58 pounds when she passed last year and this runs in our family.
