Are we really getting fatter or are clothes getting smaller?

Actually yes. Todays size 7 is not the same size 7 from 10 years ago. I bought a new size 7 and put it against my old sizw 7 while back and man its a huge difference.

hmm.. maybe this will motivate "thicker" women to lose some weight that can be threatening their health. My mother is a big woman..and she refuses to lose any weight. She goes to the gym all the time and stays there for hours ..she just eats horribly. In all honesty, I think this is a great idea for fashion designers to have done. there's nothing wrong with a little motivation. I was once a size 12, after I had my twins. Now I'm a size 1. took two and half years to get here and a lot of hard work..but I did it and I'm very happy. I know my health is intact and I'm feeling great.. but don't know, to each their own I guess

Well obesity is on the increase but also it depends on who make the clothes as different companies make their clothes different to what it really is. I do notice this in my country as well that the size 10-12 are large when really that is not large at all, we are expected to be thinner but this causes a lot of problems as well. I think that people have to look after their health and not be overweight and no matter what these clothes designer think as long as we are doing the right thing and watching our weight then this is the main thing.

it's not always that we are getting bigger. It all depends on where the clothes are made. Different countries size their clothes differently. In the US, I felt fine buying clothes, a nice normal size 14. Well, a 14 in the UK is the same as a US size 12. So, living in the UK, I feel fat because now I have to buy a size 16. At home that size would fall off me. Talk ab out having a low self esteem!! I blame it on the designers, manufactorers, the stick thin models.

there may be instances where clothes may be smaller or bigger but you can't say there's no obesity epidemic.All you have to do is look around.There is a huge number of obese people and it continutes to grow That's why Ihave decided to try to get this weight off .NOt that I want to be too thin,in my opinion,being too thin is just as bad as being too heavy

It does seem like it's some expectation to be thinner. I don't think weight matters, it really is health and how you put yourself together. You can still carry extra pounds and look awesome if you fix your hair up and have nice clothes. It really is just about being healthy. I bought some lingerie online...size Medium. I wear medium everything basically. I even looked up size scales to see what size would work for me and it came out to be medium. I really don't know what was wrong but when I got it, it was so ridiculously small. Luckily I have some seamstress / tailoring talent in my blood I fixed it. It's sad that it seems to be an expectation to be smaller. Sometimes being smaller is not even attractive.

I believe it's all in the designers, I'm a firm believer of that...I wear a size 10, but not all 10's fit me. Especially around the waist area. A 10 in Applebottoms and Joe's Jeans-Honey Fit actually fit me perfect, whereas If I wear Babyphat, I have to get a 12. I know what you mean about catering to the smaller women, It's actually what society views the smaller woman. For me, not really it should be how women are shaped. I have a small waist but hips and a bottom. Not all jeans fit me perfectly...I wish. I can't just go in a store and pick out jeans. I have to try them all on... Some designer actually cater to the "thick" or "full-figured" women, but not many. I actually had to do my research to find jeans/pants that fit me... Now a days, what I found to work for me when shopping online especially is, you have to know your measurements in order to find the perfect clothing for yourself, because you can't depend on the actual size.. Great Topic..

we are getting fatter because we are not upto the mark in our eatin habits, at all... and I dont see there's a logic for joining clothing and fattening as a cause for each other-- hough one may be affected due to other.... More of macdonalds', more of WIMPY's Domino's and everything that gives you immense chances of eating some form of stupid grease, buns, bread, cheesy things....and all that irritates your body, and makes u a plum!!!! SO wanna wear smart -- cut all these things from your diet -- right away right now!!!

I agree 100%.. I too am a size 12... I'm 5 foot 10 inches tall but not fat... I'm just not tiny boned-- I have to buy size XL shirts (no belly-- just large chested) makes no sense-- I swear that clothing companies are making sizes smaller. I wear mostly Levi's when I wear jeans and even the measurements on the jeans are the same but the size attached to it is different! Come on clothing companies and America-- We're on to you! Honestly though- I don't care what size it says I wear... as long as I'm comfortable and happy with me-- I am!

The answer, in a nutshell is both. If you shop at spendy boutique (such as babyphat), the clothing sizes are getting smaller. Thanks to eating disorders and all that Italian model drama from the last Fashion Week, it's now cool to be skeletal. So last year's 4 is now a 6. Have you seen the Devil Wears Prada? They joke about it there, but it's actually true. I'm in retail design, and I've read all sorts of brand case studies and marketing plans for a variety of top retail stores. However, if you shop at more mass market stores, the clothing sizes are actually getting larger. This is due to the fact that Americans are really getting fatter. I can vouch for this b/c there's this new style of furniture in design called "bariatric" and it's designed to support more than 400 pounds. When I started in this career a few years ago, I'd never heard of it, and now it's required in some places. Anyways, to help the general public delude themselves, stores are appealing to their egos and making last year's size 4 this year's size 2. Go figure.

In my opinion the companies have main focus to cater the thinner ones.Commercially its helping them as they are able to gain more money by reducing the size of clothes.This changing scenario may be good for people who don't care for their body.this may embarrass them but it can also make them realize that Obesity is bad for health so one should be try to make themselves fit.Both being overweight or underweight is not good for anybody

Well, if my clothes get smaller now, I'd just give them to my niece to wear them. No point trying to squeeze in those clothes, which are obviously too small for me. Either it shrunk after washing or I just grew bigger. I used to go on a diet, like eating less and exercising more, when I couldn't fit into my clothes. I just thought I could lose 1kg or something then I can fit into those small clothes again. However, now I don't care anymore. If I can't fit in and it's too tight, then I'll just pass them to my niece, who'll be more than happy to wear them herself.

I work in retail in the womens department of a big store and its true depending on what brand it is the sizes differ quite a bit. and there is a big difference between junior sizes and misses sizes. junior sizes are pretty much designed for the teenage girls who are supposed to have no backside and no hips or thighs wheras the misses sizes are aimed at the older women with more room in the thigh area and the rear end area. There are a lot of the brands lately that seem to have gotten smaller in the last couple years but also i've noticed that besides the companies pushing towards the thinner younger women they seem to being trying to push certain brands at certain cultures. we have one collection at my store that seems to be basically designed for African American Women and another collection thats based at Oriental Women.

Mostly we always gain weight but we will not be able to notice it, except if we always check on our weight everyday. But sometimes also some of our clothing, after a few washing it will shrink and shrink. And for all you know it can't fit you anymore.

It depends. You will know if you become bigger or not. There are sizes that fits for smaller women/men, and they are also triple XXX sizes that fits to huge men/women. You know to what size range you belong to.

I think that it is both. I think that we as a nation are getting fatter and clothes sizes are being made smaller to make a statement that being fat is not welcomed.

I actually found out a couple yrs ago that the clothing makers ARE in fact making the clothes smaller which in all reality HAS TO contribute to the hardcore self image issues women and more so teens, have today....Of course I do think we are getting a bit "fatter" but ya clothes are actually smaller now...

I totally agree because it is the same way with me. It is so hard for me to find clothes. I'm tall too so that makes it worse. This is why all these girls are becoming anorexic and all because society itself looks down on bigger people. It's ridiculous and I don't see it changing anytime soon. I mean look at wet seal, there is nothing in that store that would fit on anyone bigger than a size 9 or so, it's ridiculous.

Clothes are being made based on a style that says "The thinner the better"... It's just cause of models these days, they're thinner than ever! Have you ever saw a fashion show? It's not a surprise that so many models are suffering from anorexia. I think that's the main reason why clothes are getting smaller and smaller, they're just following a global tendency... I just hope that this will change soon, personally I don't like thin clothes .

a lot of these companies are no longer consistent in clothing sizes.what you wear in one brand may be totally different in another. some of the more expensive brands are dropping down sizes too,so a 14 in one is a 12 in another.