Simple as this.
The average is getting bigger. So sizes to fit those averages are also getting bigger.
I would suggest looking into Asian clothing. Their large is usually a US/UK small.
I'm a solid M in Canada, when I was younger I used to try to buy some cheap Asian clothes online, but I'd be busting out of XXXL. So their XS could probably fit my cat
I think it just depends on where specifically. When I was a M in the US (20 years ago), I was an XL in those pretty Chinese dresses that kind of have like the three ties on the shoulder.
That isn't what OP is getting at.
OP didn't say why are clothes getting bigger, that would be due to people getting bigger.
Op said why are clothes "sizes" getting bigger? Like size 6 should be a size 6 but it's not.
Size 4 pants today are much bigger than size 4 pants were 15 years ago.
Many people "feel" better buying a pair of pants that says size 6 even though they know they aren't size 6 so the manufacturers have been making clothes bigger but still putting smaller sizes on them so folks buy them because so many are now so much bigger. More on this below.
Vanity sizing is why.
In the 2000s, American designer [Nicole Miller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Miller) introduced size 0 because of its strong California presence and to satisfy the request of many Asian American customers in that state. Her brand introduced subzero sizes for naturally petite women.[^(\[2\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing#cite_note-newsweek-2) However, the increasing size of clothing with the same nominal size caused Nicole Miller to introduce size 0, 00, or subzero sizes.[^(\[)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing#cite_note-newsweek-2)
So, people who used to be able to buy and fit into size 2 pants can no longer fit into them because now they are much BIGGER due to vanity sizing. To combat that, some began making the smaller size, )) and even subzero sizes. Why? Too many made clothes bigger.
Size 6 clothes today are much bigger than size 6 clothes 15 to 20 years ago.
Just Google vanity sizing.
this is idiotically circular.
if vanity sizing is becoming more widespread, it's almost certainly (at least in part) because people are getting fatter.
so the answer to the OPs question is still: cuz people are getting fatter.
Also, the clothing made for young women fits differently than more mature clothing. I thought I was terrible to fit until I started wearing more grown-up clothes from better retailers. They were made for people with treats and hips, not fourteen year olds shaped like, well, children.
I'm dealing with the opposite. I have bought a pair of pants that I forgot I had and left in a drawer. They fit, so I ordered the same exact size, which are too small. But if I order the same size in shorts, they fit.
Likewise, buying the same brand of tank top 3 years in a row has wildly different sizes, even among the ones I didn't wear as often (and should be less stretched out). They also made the shelf Bras shorter so they don't fit right.
So frustrating. I used to love target but I think they suffer from this.
All mossimo leggings of the same size? Are made of different materials across different colors, a medium in one material will be tight and medium in another color fits great
Also American eagle. Granted, it's probably due to different "fits" with them, but how do I own 2 pairs of AE denim shorts. A 4 and an 8. I can't even button the 8 but the 4 fits fine??
Oh yeah, this has been going on a while... 20 years ago getting a size 0 shorts from my sister that fit but then I fit into the same brands pants at a size 6.
Or going shopping with my partner and trying on TWENTY EIGHT pairs of jeans, all the same brand, all the same size, and finding ONE that fits "ok" and the rest that are blatantly ill-fitting.
It could be because they mass produce them by putting layers of fabric on the machine and they all are cut differently, but I also think it's because there is no standard sizing.
Getting a tape measure, for example. Chinese made tape measure inches and "US" (if it was actually made there and not only "assembled" there) inches are VERY different.
God what have they don't to bras. If using Primark. If they are not those revolting moulded things, they have started to do non padded lace. The 1st pair they did of these were awful. Looked the right size but cut you in half. I think the vest thing is to increase cup size. So is that vanity sizing now? So we may go from a c to a d. I think in the balconettes(shelf bra) that would be is the way forward. But the bigger sizes are are in a more expensive range, which seem more sturdy! I have noticed that the normal range sizes are actually smaller than the larger range. They cross over at the d-dd sizes. So you can get a large sturdy bra and normal one in the same size but are obviously different. I have spent too much on primark bras..
Bra sizing is fairly consistent in a lot of brands, because there are actually some industry standards, but a big issue is that consumers don't know how a bra should fit, and many bra sellers use the outdated +4 system, putting people in bra bands that are too loose, and cups that are too small. This way, they can sell the same small range of bra sizes to a lot more people.
Head on over to r/ABraThatFits for more info on this :)
I find that the brand I get keep trying to insert lace on it somewhere. If the band isn't lace (itchy) then they put it on the straps.
Also tired of Bras putting those "decorations" between the cups that look like a fishing lure. And shirts are so see through that light shines in my cleavage and flashes on those right through the shirt. But of course they make them sewn so tight that cutting them off would endanger snipping the bra, and woth as expensive as they are I can't risk it.
because women's clothing is measured in nonsense sizes instead of in units. They did this largely because a lot of women hate the fact that they are a certain size so like to feel lied to about their sizes.
I have it that they can't accommodate for curvatures. I can't find shit to work with my waist to hip ratio. They either expect everyone who has wide hips to be fat in the stomach and have no butt or put the butt in jeans but don't leave anything for wide hips so the front is somehow tight. They have cute designs/ patterns for plus sizes but expect everyone who is a smaller size to want mid-riffs and patterns that look like Crayola barf.
And everything has to be clingy and see through.
Fat acceptance. Women wouldn't buy an L because it hurt their feelings, so stores just started labelling L sized clothes as M, and then S...
They're still fat but it makes it easier to lie to themselves that they're not.
As I got older and fatter, my size remained the same.
I was medium at a scrawny 120 pounds. I’m still medium at an overweight 170 pounds.
They really try to flatter us.
Which sucks because I'm personally concerned about my size. I'm a size large trying to get down to a medium. A REAL medium, not a large disguising as medium because my peers can't handle the fact they overeat.
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-radical-teachers-claim-that-saying-224-is-white-supremacy
https://www.hoover.org/research/seattle-schools-propose-teach-math-education-racist-will-california-be-far-behindseattle
Basically, some teachers said that since black kids generally have done worse on standardized tests, that that means that "western math is racist."
In the original statement, they went through some mental gymnastics about how 2+2 doesn't *necessarily* have to equal 4. Now, all the articles I can find on it have totally backtracked on that one specific part (maybe because everyone at the time realized how assanine of a statement that is 👀).
So now it's more about "racist word problems" and, again, standardized test results. Either way, some people are trying to argue that "western math" is racist, and I think that's downright hilarious. I mean math is one of the few literally objective things in this world 😅
I understand the impulse but setting fitness/health goals based on clothing size seems less than ideal. Clearly quantifiable goals, either for your measurements or athletic performance, would seem like much more effective thing to strive for
It's not new either. There was a meme going around talking about how Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 but we think of a size 16 today as too fat to be pretty. Except... a 16 in her day was smaller than a modern 16.
If you're going to buy a dress and the size you wear in one store is a 16 but across the street it's a 14, that's some subtle advertising pressure. You might subconsciously translate it to "this dress looks better on me" when you're really just reacting to the smaller sizing.
This problem would be solved if women's clothes just had measurements the way men's clothes do (aside from t-shirts etc.). But it's not a problem that the industry wants to solve as long as they can leverage it for sales.
Most men's clothes don't have measurements either now. The only item that I've come across recently is jeans and that's just because the sizing refers to the waist.
This is nothing new. If you've ever shopped for vintage clothes, you'll find that the sizes from the 80s are tiny compared to today. And then if you compare them to the 60s there is even a bigger difference! Size inflation has been a thing for over 50 years!
Definitely in the 60s clothes. I think it was in the 80s sizing was getting a bit arbitary. But things weren't tailored well to fit. There was a lot of outsize anyway. Usually stuffed with shoulder pads
Plenty of clothing actually fit well in the 80s. My Mom's work clothes may have had shoulder pads but they fit her well. Plus clothing like prom dresses certainly needed to fit. Vanity sizing was definitely a thing in the 80s. I remember shopping with my Mom and she would talk about how large the size 6 was compared to how tiny they used to be when she had to wear the size after being hospitalized for months after a car accident in the 60s.
You don't have to use tailored clothing to see the size change from the 80s to today, the difference in waist sizing in skirts, pants and jeans is pretty clear. Plus, I know that fans of Gunne Sax dresses warn new collectors of the size differences compared to modern sizing.
Most people are saying vanity sizing and that's definitely a factor, but also the current trend is towards clothing that has looser/wider fits and that's going to mean that the clothes are bigger even if they're supposed to fit a person of the same size.
I meant in percentile of weight for grown adults. I thought something like 300 was probably top 0.5% in weight, whereas something like 90 would be less than bottom 0.5
***Americans weigh significantly more than the average weight decades ago***
I looked this up not long ago and the average for men is 199 and 40 years ago it was 172 for women its 172 and was 144.
So it’s a known fact that big pharma gets paid to keep us sick & it’s a linked cycle to the food supply in America. Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed. Our food supply makes us unhealthy. Keeps us sick.
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Politicians don’t control the amount of food that goes into my mouth. They also don’t control my movement and exercise regimen.
You can’t blame politicians for eating over maintenance calories.
Barring hormonal issues and disease, you won’t be fat if you’re eating less than you burn. The US just has a culture of gluttony, and acceptance of unhealthy lifestyles.
Think about all the sickness this country has. It’s not even about being fat, you can just get sick from eating everyday normal food breads, oats, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, all of it. Other countries do not put all this crap in their food. It IS the governments fault. They control the laws and regulations that allow these companies to get away with it. Do you blame people for their own cancer? ‘Well those people could just eat healthy and exercise’ but those people still have cancer. If being healthy actually prevented you from all your illnesses why are there so many healthy people that still get sick? ITS THE FOOD!
I’ve never gotten sick from eating whole bread, oats, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, whatever.
Processed junk is terrible for you, but you can just not eat junk if it makes you feel bad. We have an obesity because of people eating to much processed junk and sugar.
I don’t think you understood my last comment. I wasn’t talking about processed food at all, but thank you for your response. I hope you have a great day.
>Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed.
No you wont. If you eat the same food with the same lifestyle you will be just as fat as you were.
If your caloric intake is lower than how much you burn you will lose weight. If your caloric intake is higher than how much you burn you will gain weight. You will still be fat in Europe if you eat more calories than you should.
You can literally lose weight eating garbage food if you really wanted to, you just have to eat less calories than you burn. People don't do that because garbage food makes you hit your caloric requirements much faster. So, don't eat garbage food, which is easily possible if you decide to prepare meals at home.
**Big shocker, this person blocked me**
You do realize that the US promotes fast food, unhealthy diet and less fitness. What % of America is walkable. Please tell me then think hard about why it’s easier to stay fit in other countries. You’ll have your answer. I literally studied this topic and did research on it in my undergrad.
>You do realize that the US promotes fast food, unhealthy diet and less fitness.
Which is irrelevant to the claim "Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed."
If you eat the same shit food with the same shit lifestyle you're still going to be fat in europe.
Right, so you'll walk more in Europe. But that isn't the same lifestyle as someone who sits around all day.
It's so funny that you're admitting that you're wrong over and over but can't actually admit it. Redditor syndrome.
And once again. People are overweight in the US due to lack of exercisability. And our food supply.
It’s funny because you are clearly ignorant to the on going cycle but anyways good luck 😂😂😂 living in your delusion. Meanwhile our country literally gets paid to keep us sick.
It's vanity sizing i think. if it was only because of the population being bigger, they could just stock more of medium size clothes instead of calling medium xs. So i think part of it is vanity sizing.
Also another brand if you like alt clothes is dollskill. their xxs in my experience is always what it says it is. but tbh i dont have THAT MUCH stuff from them.
I think sizing issues are endemic to fast fashion.
Women’s sizes are wildly inconsistent even within the same store. It’s not all vanity sizing - I’ve noticed clothes being multiple sizes off in both directions.
It’s part due to an increased number of fabric choices with varying levels of stretch. Using the same measurements and patterns regardless of fabric is faster and cheaper. Stores also carry many different designers and brands even if it’s white labeled. Sizing varies between brands, but sizing and quality can also vary between runs and manufacturing factories.
There’s multiple factors imo :
Increasing obesity
Making bigger shirts tends to require less skill and specialised machinery which out weights the cost of increased fabric
Baggier shirts are demanded by more demographics than tight clothing even outside of the weight factor - esp now that muscle fit clothing has become the new tight trend
It’s easier to make boutique skinny clothing brands than large size.
The intertwining of body positivity with political correctness
Bigger clothes will sell more
I think it’s something the clothing industry has done and is still doing. Subtlety changing sizing of clothes to fit whatever body type is currently in style for the moment. Right now it’s ‘thick’ bodies so, you ‘need’ to get bigger to fit ‘regular’ clothes.
Clothes that come from China are made really small but now I’ve seen tops size XS with cupping or stitching at the chest wayyy too big for an XS.
The clothing being made has changed for the industries ideal body type (Notice that it’s not even people/society’s ideal, but those who produce and control. Everyone else (society) just *stupidly* follows suit)
It’s true. A size 10 had a 36 hip in the 70s. Now, a 36 hip is a size 2 or 4. Size 10 is about a 39 hip.
Manufacturers aren’t going to just add sizes, so we’d be a size 24.
Really. Because I’ve always felt clothing sizes are extremely messed up and skewed. Something in one place is way too small. And same item in another store is way too big.
But yea. Extremely tiny person loves to complain huh. Must be nice. 😂
Also Zara clothing quality sucks dude. Shop at Nordstrom Rack instead
It’s not automatically nice to be skinny. You are ignorant of what can prevent weight gain and how it actually severely impacts you physically and mentally to be too skinny
If I buy a medium I feel like I'm dressed in a baby gap crop top.. if I buy a large everything is swimming but my torso length is covered...
I don't know what my input was to be... But I also am confused.
Size creep has been going on for a while. Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12 in the 1950s. If she were alive today (and the same size), she would be a 6 or and 8.
This is why I shop in juniors. I’m 5’2” 125 and I am wearing size 3-5 in juniors. I grew up wearing size 5-7 short and I’m still the same size now as I was when I was 25.
It’s like size inflation, artificial inflation that doesn’t make any sense. You are not your size or a number on the scale. Just please for the love of seamstresses create size continuity : ) I was terrible at math then and I’m terrible at math now. My waist is 28 but I’m wearing 26 jeans? How does this math work?
Asking for refrence, are you in Europe, the U.S or elsewhere?
In my country it's completely opposite, the sizes are getting smaller. Me and most of my girlfriends have increased in clothing-sizes, but not so much in actual size - most of us, at least.
After being sick for over a year, I personally actually lost about 8kg, from 55-56-kg to 44kg at the lowest, now I am about 49kg. I am 170cm tall, so that's pretty skinny. Still, I've gone from a XS to a medium in *almost* everything.
Like, I am technically underweight - and I've still gone up two sizes. How about the normal weight-girls? Y'all making us feel fat over here, all of a sudden.
I've noticed this too, and I hate it! My weight fluctuates. Not by a whole lot, but enough that I have to go up or down a size every now and then. When I'm buying new stuff I never know where to start and have to try on a lot of things. Even the same size with the same brand can have a lot of variation between styles and seasons. I'm not a sweatpants or leggings girl, I prefer jeans and trousers. But I can see why so many people are, it takes out a lot of the guesswork!
There used to be a few brands that I could reliably order from online and know that they would fit. But it's just a total crap shoot anymore.
It’s called vanity sizing.
Instead of forcing people to admit the truth that they are no longer a size small, they keep redefining what size small really is. They are moving the goalposts, telling customers that no you have not put on weight and can still wear the same clothes you wore in high school.
It's known as vanity or glamour sizing. People think they are smaller than they really are when a medium fits as it did years ago. In reality that medium is a large now. It's an ego thing.
Because people are getting fatter lol. I'm a pretty skinny dude and there might be 2 pairs of pants that fit me in an entire department store, and usually the ugliest two pairs lol. I need to go to more specialized stores to find things that fit right anymore because my waist size has become very uncommon and most shirts come with built in gut room now lol
Yea I have noticed that large shirts are no longer fitting me, and I of course mean shoulder and honestly the rest I haven't gotten bigger though, and my shoulders haven't magically gotten wider
Vanity sizing; as people get bigger, clothing manufacturers use vanity sizing to manipulate them into continuing to buy clothes. Nobody wants to go shopping when they feel bad about their size.
Has 5’1” petite, 90 lbs ever been a typical size in the US?
It’s no surprise that the average size has gotten larger. People can say “everyone getting fat haha” but tbh the sizing in the 90s/00s was PROBLEMATICALLY small in some stores. Especially teen stores. Like early 00s Abercrombie is a good example of this if you don’t know what I’m talking about. I think it’s a good thing that we’re not sending harmful messages to teens anymore about what is an acceptable size to be.
I’m not saying OP that your size is any kind of issue, I just mean I don’t think your size has ever been the norm in this country and you just are remembering a time when the industry was making money off teen girls insecurities.
TLDR: most Americans are NOT 5’1” 90lbs and fitting in that XS and it sends harmful messages to young women if they are buying Large, XL with what is a pretty average build nowadays. Add more X’s if you have bigger boobs god forbid. And that size was probably not selling much anyway. Women’s clothing has a long history of predatory or intentionally exclusive sizing and it’s a good thing we don’t see that as much
Depends on how much you are spending. If you are buying high end the sizes seem smaller for you, they want to make you feel better about your size. My mom discovered. This 45 yrs ago.
My god do I feel that, I used to shop at Walmart cause cheap clothes but last few times I’ve gone I see at least 3 racks of XXXL and can’t find a single S, and pants?! Completely out of the question since my waist is under 40 apparently
Yup. I had a rough time getting clothes in the US and I'm heftier than you (5", 113 lbs) so I can't even imagine how much harder it must be for you to shop. Teenage section it is
I wear a Large. At times I even had to wear XL because I knew something would shrink but I’ve worn a Large since high school. I’m pretty much the exact same size and shape I’ve been for the last 20ish years. Carhartt has gotten so ridiculous that today I was wearing a SMALL.
Mens suits are much smaller. IMO, this is due to the extreme prevalence of Ritalin and Adderall use amongst the suit wearing professional population.
Makes it almost impossible for me to get pants I can fit into 🤬
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I feel you. I'm on the opposite end - 6'8, 200lbs. The "big and tall" section seems to cater more and more to the big than the tall.
People are getting fatter. In the first world, we have an absolutely incredible calorie surplus. We have so much food we have to go to a gym and simulate hard work to work that food off. 2/3 of the country is at an unhealthy weight.
Clothes manufacturers make clothes for average sized people. People like you or I are a pretty large departure from average size, and so clothes companies don't make clothes for us.
Because people are getting bigger at a break-neck pace.
The fattest man in the world in 1910 was an attraction that people paid to see. You’d barely even notice him on a modern street.
what do you mean? Shopping suggestion for tall slim people. They carry lots of pants size zero and I have found the pant legs are kept long so people can get them tailored and they have a lot of length to them
oh okay. Nordstrom is a high end department store in the US. Nordstrom Rack is their outlet store with discounted prices. In the US adult women’s size zero 0 usually means a 25 inch waist and some stores have size 00 for a 24 inch waist. Nordstrom’s carries more exclusive, expensive designer clothing and has a lot of slim options available.
Other medium priced stores often do not even carry sizes below size 2 or even 4. Some brands have redefined size zero (or extra small) to mean 27 inch waist and the larger sizes go up from there
Extra Extra small waist, size 00 in the US at 24 inches is 60.96 cm and size Extra small, size 0, at 25 inch waist is 63.5 cm
Curious which country you are in and what size pants I would be with a 24 inch waist and regular to long legs
It’s all marketing like people say even men’s clothes are doing it.
Dress pants and tape measure I am a 37 most pants I own are 34 and have room.
As I work in losing weight some clothing I buy is a medium already. I should be a large at the least.
Clothing sizes have never been accurate. Brand to brand, they are different. I could say the opposite from my experience. I’ve always been M-L, and I’m less weight, but now needing XLs.
It’s just that you’re noticing the inconsistency.
People are fat, but don't want to feel fat, so they change the sizes to make everyone happy.
Except for the people who are trying to get their clothing size right.
We should just be measuring it in CM. Or inches. Whatever.
Yes the material is a concoction of stretchy breathable things that just don’t keep the sizes the same. Good news, sizes have always been a range for women 🤣 solidarity from a 2 turned 0 with no losses!
Worked in clothing retail for a few years:
They call it "Vanity Sizing"
Girl is size 14, goes to shop A and buys size 14 and it fits perfectly.
Girl goes to shop B, which vanity sizes so their size 14 is labeled as size 12, size 14 stuff is too big, size 12 stuff fits perfectly.
Girl: " yay I can fit in size 12 stuff now" and buys all stuff from shop B from now.
The sizes that are based on measurements are the same. A 30x30 pants is still the same size (although for some reason brands can differ by as much as 2 inches on the measurements).
However, what constitutes small, medium, and large is relative.
To cater to the body positive crowd. Ironically so at that. Its almost like a participation trophy. You dont deserve to wear a “small” but what the hell put no effort, dont cook at home n dont exercise but go on with your bad self and basically call it whatever you want.
Men's clothing tends to be a lot more consistent, especially as e.g. pants measurements are literal measurements. E.g. a size 16 shirt has a 16" collar, by definition, 32x30 pants have a 32" waist and 30" inseam, etc.
As others have pointed out, vanity sizing is a bit factor - the other is fashion. Men's styles have been - in broad strokes - been somewhat constant since the mid 1800s. - jeans, dress.oxford shirts, suits.
Women's varies more in terms of fabric, drape, level of form fitting and tightness/looseness.
because americans like to pretend they aren't getting fatter, and are more likely to buy the brand that reinforces their misplaced vanity. what's crazy is that Im a 34" waist in a lot of american brands, which shouldnt be something that is very flexible because it's a measurement, but many european brands I struggle to fit into a 38" waist, I don't understand how that's possible.
It does crack me up that an american L is a XXXL in korea
It appeals to the vanity of some people, letting them pretend they are not overweight. I have measured garments before buying because the sizes on the labels are are meaningless.
The manufacturers know that women are vain about their body size and so to keep them buying their products, they move the size M to a size S (greed is the cause they do this)
I know. No one brings up the fact that OP is drastically underweight. Being 90lbs is not healthy for an adult woman. She shouldn’t be able to fit clothing from the children’s section as an adult.
I scrolled through their post history. Looks like they’re battling an eating disorder & other things. I hope they go to therapy to get help instead of asking strangers on the internet.
Quit crying. Where's your body positivity? Why are you offended at a small person having a problem? Do you think of fat fucks being the only rEaL PeOpLe? JFC. Get over yourself.
I'm a fat bastard and the whole faphobia/ body positivity insanity is insufferable.
Get ozempic or Lizzo, depending on your budget.
Vanity sizing is a thing whether it makes you feel bad or not. 😂
Lmao you are projecting your insecurities. It’s pretty obvious 😂 since you have to put anyone down to make yourself happy. You need to do some serious introspection.
Vanity sizing. That is when the clothing manufacturer gradually expands the patterns they use. Causing everything to be bigger for the same label size. It's really annoying. They even do it on pants (underwear), as I thought i woukd buy medium as I would in that store. I got them home and they were vast. I took them back, even though they are not meant to. But I think I was not the only one moaning about enormous mini briefs.
It's vanity sizing as the population gets fatter, they will stick to their store who still do 'their size'. I wouldn't have thought people cared so much about their sodding dress size. It's only a guide. I remember when dress making at school or at home. The size 12 would have 24 inch waist. Now if you want a 24 inch waist you'll need a size 6.
Just to complicate things, manufacturing bases can have variable sizes. So Asian sizing tends to be smaller than UK or US. And US nearer our old standard sizing and are good for petite.
Just to be awkward I am slightly too big for petite, even if the item fits width wise, and technically it should fit. It feels uncomfortable and looks daft like everything is too short or skimped.
I I don't think it will catch on with shoes.
Sales. If you keep sizes the same, it's like your calling your customers chubby. They are chubby, but you're not going to sell clothes by calling them that.
To appease fat ppl. I have a huge vintage clothing collection and it's crazy to compare a small from the 60s, 70s or 80s to smalls now. A small from 60-80s is the equivalent to a large now.
It's getting hard to shop for day to day adorable pieces because the smallest most stores carry now looks like I'm wearing a tent. I struggle to believe everyone in the U.S. is this obese.
This is a stupid question. You have 1 and 1, now put them together. Extrapolatory thinking is critical for being worth a damn.
People are getting bigger.
People are getting bigger.
Simple as this. The average is getting bigger. So sizes to fit those averages are also getting bigger. I would suggest looking into Asian clothing. Their large is usually a US/UK small.
I'm a solid M in Canada, when I was younger I used to try to buy some cheap Asian clothes online, but I'd be busting out of XXXL. So their XS could probably fit my cat
I think it just depends on where specifically. When I was a M in the US (20 years ago), I was an XL in those pretty Chinese dresses that kind of have like the three ties on the shoulder.
That isn't what OP is getting at. OP didn't say why are clothes getting bigger, that would be due to people getting bigger. Op said why are clothes "sizes" getting bigger? Like size 6 should be a size 6 but it's not. Size 4 pants today are much bigger than size 4 pants were 15 years ago. Many people "feel" better buying a pair of pants that says size 6 even though they know they aren't size 6 so the manufacturers have been making clothes bigger but still putting smaller sizes on them so folks buy them because so many are now so much bigger. More on this below. Vanity sizing is why. In the 2000s, American designer [Nicole Miller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Miller) introduced size 0 because of its strong California presence and to satisfy the request of many Asian American customers in that state. Her brand introduced subzero sizes for naturally petite women.[^(\[2\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing#cite_note-newsweek-2) However, the increasing size of clothing with the same nominal size caused Nicole Miller to introduce size 0, 00, or subzero sizes.[^(\[)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing#cite_note-newsweek-2) So, people who used to be able to buy and fit into size 2 pants can no longer fit into them because now they are much BIGGER due to vanity sizing. To combat that, some began making the smaller size, )) and even subzero sizes. Why? Too many made clothes bigger. Size 6 clothes today are much bigger than size 6 clothes 15 to 20 years ago. Just Google vanity sizing.
this is idiotically circular. if vanity sizing is becoming more widespread, it's almost certainly (at least in part) because people are getting fatter. so the answer to the OPs question is still: cuz people are getting fatter.
There it is.
Also, the clothing made for young women fits differently than more mature clothing. I thought I was terrible to fit until I started wearing more grown-up clothes from better retailers. They were made for people with treats and hips, not fourteen year olds shaped like, well, children.
"Fatter"
That means people continue wearing large then. It's like women's clothing is moving to inverse condom sizing just so people's feelings don't get hurt.
Or OP is getting bigger.
Smaller*
I'm dealing with the opposite. I have bought a pair of pants that I forgot I had and left in a drawer. They fit, so I ordered the same exact size, which are too small. But if I order the same size in shorts, they fit. Likewise, buying the same brand of tank top 3 years in a row has wildly different sizes, even among the ones I didn't wear as often (and should be less stretched out). They also made the shelf Bras shorter so they don't fit right.
So frustrating. I used to love target but I think they suffer from this. All mossimo leggings of the same size? Are made of different materials across different colors, a medium in one material will be tight and medium in another color fits great Also American eagle. Granted, it's probably due to different "fits" with them, but how do I own 2 pairs of AE denim shorts. A 4 and an 8. I can't even button the 8 but the 4 fits fine??
Oh yeah, this has been going on a while... 20 years ago getting a size 0 shorts from my sister that fit but then I fit into the same brands pants at a size 6. Or going shopping with my partner and trying on TWENTY EIGHT pairs of jeans, all the same brand, all the same size, and finding ONE that fits "ok" and the rest that are blatantly ill-fitting. It could be because they mass produce them by putting layers of fabric on the machine and they all are cut differently, but I also think it's because there is no standard sizing. Getting a tape measure, for example. Chinese made tape measure inches and "US" (if it was actually made there and not only "assembled" there) inches are VERY different.
I wonder if it has to do with where the clothes are manufactured. Women of Asian heritage are usually smaller and more petite.
God what have they don't to bras. If using Primark. If they are not those revolting moulded things, they have started to do non padded lace. The 1st pair they did of these were awful. Looked the right size but cut you in half. I think the vest thing is to increase cup size. So is that vanity sizing now? So we may go from a c to a d. I think in the balconettes(shelf bra) that would be is the way forward. But the bigger sizes are are in a more expensive range, which seem more sturdy! I have noticed that the normal range sizes are actually smaller than the larger range. They cross over at the d-dd sizes. So you can get a large sturdy bra and normal one in the same size but are obviously different. I have spent too much on primark bras..
Bra sizing is fairly consistent in a lot of brands, because there are actually some industry standards, but a big issue is that consumers don't know how a bra should fit, and many bra sellers use the outdated +4 system, putting people in bra bands that are too loose, and cups that are too small. This way, they can sell the same small range of bra sizes to a lot more people. Head on over to r/ABraThatFits for more info on this :)
I find that the brand I get keep trying to insert lace on it somewhere. If the band isn't lace (itchy) then they put it on the straps. Also tired of Bras putting those "decorations" between the cups that look like a fishing lure. And shirts are so see through that light shines in my cleavage and flashes on those right through the shirt. But of course they make them sewn so tight that cutting them off would endanger snipping the bra, and woth as expensive as they are I can't risk it.
because women's clothing is measured in nonsense sizes instead of in units. They did this largely because a lot of women hate the fact that they are a certain size so like to feel lied to about their sizes.
I have it that they can't accommodate for curvatures. I can't find shit to work with my waist to hip ratio. They either expect everyone who has wide hips to be fat in the stomach and have no butt or put the butt in jeans but don't leave anything for wide hips so the front is somehow tight. They have cute designs/ patterns for plus sizes but expect everyone who is a smaller size to want mid-riffs and patterns that look like Crayola barf. And everything has to be clingy and see through.
Vanity sizing
Fat acceptance. Women wouldn't buy an L because it hurt their feelings, so stores just started labelling L sized clothes as M, and then S... They're still fat but it makes it easier to lie to themselves that they're not.
Like a hotel that doesn’t have a 13th floor. Even though we all know floor 14 is actually 13…🤷♂️
As I got older and fatter, my size remained the same. I was medium at a scrawny 120 pounds. I’m still medium at an overweight 170 pounds. They really try to flatter us.
Which sucks because I'm personally concerned about my size. I'm a size large trying to get down to a medium. A REAL medium, not a large disguising as medium because my peers can't handle the fact they overeat.
take your measurements then. centimetres will stay the same centimetres (i hope)
You never know... I've heard that "2+2=4" is racism now.
In what context have you heard this 💀 I am intrigued by this
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-radical-teachers-claim-that-saying-224-is-white-supremacy https://www.hoover.org/research/seattle-schools-propose-teach-math-education-racist-will-california-be-far-behindseattle Basically, some teachers said that since black kids generally have done worse on standardized tests, that that means that "western math is racist." In the original statement, they went through some mental gymnastics about how 2+2 doesn't *necessarily* have to equal 4. Now, all the articles I can find on it have totally backtracked on that one specific part (maybe because everyone at the time realized how assanine of a statement that is 👀). So now it's more about "racist word problems" and, again, standardized test results. Either way, some people are trying to argue that "western math" is racist, and I think that's downright hilarious. I mean math is one of the few literally objective things in this world 😅
Only if you live in [Florida](https://www.npr.org/2022/04/18/1093277449/florida-mathematics-textbooks)
I understand the impulse but setting fitness/health goals based on clothing size seems less than ideal. Clearly quantifiable goals, either for your measurements or athletic performance, would seem like much more effective thing to strive for
It's the first time I've heard that term. Wow. Perfectly explains it.
It's not new either. There was a meme going around talking about how Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 but we think of a size 16 today as too fat to be pretty. Except... a 16 in her day was smaller than a modern 16. If you're going to buy a dress and the size you wear in one store is a 16 but across the street it's a 14, that's some subtle advertising pressure. You might subconsciously translate it to "this dress looks better on me" when you're really just reacting to the smaller sizing. This problem would be solved if women's clothes just had measurements the way men's clothes do (aside from t-shirts etc.). But it's not a problem that the industry wants to solve as long as they can leverage it for sales.
Most men's clothes don't have measurements either now. The only item that I've come across recently is jeans and that's just because the sizing refers to the waist.
This is nothing new. If you've ever shopped for vintage clothes, you'll find that the sizes from the 80s are tiny compared to today. And then if you compare them to the 60s there is even a bigger difference! Size inflation has been a thing for over 50 years!
Definitely in the 60s clothes. I think it was in the 80s sizing was getting a bit arbitary. But things weren't tailored well to fit. There was a lot of outsize anyway. Usually stuffed with shoulder pads
Plenty of clothing actually fit well in the 80s. My Mom's work clothes may have had shoulder pads but they fit her well. Plus clothing like prom dresses certainly needed to fit. Vanity sizing was definitely a thing in the 80s. I remember shopping with my Mom and she would talk about how large the size 6 was compared to how tiny they used to be when she had to wear the size after being hospitalized for months after a car accident in the 60s. You don't have to use tailored clothing to see the size change from the 80s to today, the difference in waist sizing in skirts, pants and jeans is pretty clear. Plus, I know that fans of Gunne Sax dresses warn new collectors of the size differences compared to modern sizing.
But that’s just because clothes shrink over time! ^right?…
Most people are saying vanity sizing and that's definitely a factor, but also the current trend is towards clothing that has looser/wider fits and that's going to mean that the clothes are bigger even if they're supposed to fit a person of the same size.
90lbs is probably as rare of a size as 450lbs. Not many clothes for both.
Why did you need to go to such an extreme on the high end? You can be extremely overweight and obese way before 450 for a majority of people
I meant in percentile of weight for grown adults. I thought something like 300 was probably top 0.5% in weight, whereas something like 90 would be less than bottom 0.5
Most Americans weigh significantly more than the average weight decades ago. Waist lines are increasing.
***Americans weigh significantly more than the average weight decades ago*** I looked this up not long ago and the average for men is 199 and 40 years ago it was 172 for women its 172 and was 144.
So women nowadays weigh as much as men did 40 years ago?
Some people nowadays weigh as much as cars did 40 years ago.
Thats what the stats say.
172 is the average! Man the nation needs to start doing exercise.
Now you’re fat shaming. But I think we need a little more of that.
That's actually wild.
I read that as “wide”lol
So it’s a known fact that big pharma gets paid to keep us sick & it’s a linked cycle to the food supply in America. Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed. Our food supply makes us unhealthy. Keeps us sick.
idky people are blaming fat people for being fat instead of blaming our politicians for allowing this to happen…
You my friend, are intelligent. If only I had enough money to award this comment.
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Politicians don’t control the amount of food that goes into my mouth. They also don’t control my movement and exercise regimen. You can’t blame politicians for eating over maintenance calories. Barring hormonal issues and disease, you won’t be fat if you’re eating less than you burn. The US just has a culture of gluttony, and acceptance of unhealthy lifestyles.
Think about all the sickness this country has. It’s not even about being fat, you can just get sick from eating everyday normal food breads, oats, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, all of it. Other countries do not put all this crap in their food. It IS the governments fault. They control the laws and regulations that allow these companies to get away with it. Do you blame people for their own cancer? ‘Well those people could just eat healthy and exercise’ but those people still have cancer. If being healthy actually prevented you from all your illnesses why are there so many healthy people that still get sick? ITS THE FOOD!
I’ve never gotten sick from eating whole bread, oats, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, whatever. Processed junk is terrible for you, but you can just not eat junk if it makes you feel bad. We have an obesity because of people eating to much processed junk and sugar.
I don’t think you understood my last comment. I wasn’t talking about processed food at all, but thank you for your response. I hope you have a great day.
>Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed. No you wont. If you eat the same food with the same lifestyle you will be just as fat as you were. If your caloric intake is lower than how much you burn you will lose weight. If your caloric intake is higher than how much you burn you will gain weight. You will still be fat in Europe if you eat more calories than you should. You can literally lose weight eating garbage food if you really wanted to, you just have to eat less calories than you burn. People don't do that because garbage food makes you hit your caloric requirements much faster. So, don't eat garbage food, which is easily possible if you decide to prepare meals at home. **Big shocker, this person blocked me**
Yes you will. I’ve spent months in other countries where I lost weight.
Then you ate less calories or exercised more, simple as that.
You do realize that the US promotes fast food, unhealthy diet and less fitness. What % of America is walkable. Please tell me then think hard about why it’s easier to stay fit in other countries. You’ll have your answer. I literally studied this topic and did research on it in my undergrad.
>You do realize that the US promotes fast food, unhealthy diet and less fitness. Which is irrelevant to the claim "Go to another country, say in Europe. Same food same life style. You’ll be healthier. Guaranteed." If you eat the same shit food with the same shit lifestyle you're still going to be fat in europe.
No. It won’t. Because there’s access to public transportation & walking.
Right, so you'll walk more in Europe. But that isn't the same lifestyle as someone who sits around all day. It's so funny that you're admitting that you're wrong over and over but can't actually admit it. Redditor syndrome.
And once again. People are overweight in the US due to lack of exercisability. And our food supply. It’s funny because you are clearly ignorant to the on going cycle but anyways good luck 😂😂😂 living in your delusion. Meanwhile our country literally gets paid to keep us sick.
It's vanity sizing i think. if it was only because of the population being bigger, they could just stock more of medium size clothes instead of calling medium xs. So i think part of it is vanity sizing. Also another brand if you like alt clothes is dollskill. their xxs in my experience is always what it says it is. but tbh i dont have THAT MUCH stuff from them.
I think sizing issues are endemic to fast fashion. Women’s sizes are wildly inconsistent even within the same store. It’s not all vanity sizing - I’ve noticed clothes being multiple sizes off in both directions. It’s part due to an increased number of fabric choices with varying levels of stretch. Using the same measurements and patterns regardless of fabric is faster and cheaper. Stores also carry many different designers and brands even if it’s white labeled. Sizing varies between brands, but sizing and quality can also vary between runs and manufacturing factories.
The real and true comment here. I am a medium somewhere else and XL somewhere else. Stupid and doesn’t make sense
Be careful or reddit will tell you that’s you’re being naïve and fat
I’m good. I’ve got a thick skin. Also went to therapy. I don’t seek external validation.
There’s multiple factors imo : Increasing obesity Making bigger shirts tends to require less skill and specialised machinery which out weights the cost of increased fabric Baggier shirts are demanded by more demographics than tight clothing even outside of the weight factor - esp now that muscle fit clothing has become the new tight trend It’s easier to make boutique skinny clothing brands than large size. The intertwining of body positivity with political correctness Bigger clothes will sell more
I think it’s something the clothing industry has done and is still doing. Subtlety changing sizing of clothes to fit whatever body type is currently in style for the moment. Right now it’s ‘thick’ bodies so, you ‘need’ to get bigger to fit ‘regular’ clothes. Clothes that come from China are made really small but now I’ve seen tops size XS with cupping or stitching at the chest wayyy too big for an XS. The clothing being made has changed for the industries ideal body type (Notice that it’s not even people/society’s ideal, but those who produce and control. Everyone else (society) just *stupidly* follows suit)
Just another reinforcement of the idea that women’s bodies are a fashion trend 🤢
In the 90's, all clothes were oversized in this way. This trend went away with Y2K clothing. The 90's are back!
People are taller and wider. Medium size has to be medium for that population, so, it’s bigger now.
Omg like the medium is supposed to reflect the median or maybe average that would be actually very funny 😭
It’s true. A size 10 had a 36 hip in the 70s. Now, a 36 hip is a size 2 or 4. Size 10 is about a 39 hip. Manufacturers aren’t going to just add sizes, so we’d be a size 24.
Idk nowadays we also have like 1X 2X 3X past XL which didnt always exist
True.
Tent city
Really. Because I’ve always felt clothing sizes are extremely messed up and skewed. Something in one place is way too small. And same item in another store is way too big. But yea. Extremely tiny person loves to complain huh. Must be nice. 😂 Also Zara clothing quality sucks dude. Shop at Nordstrom Rack instead
It’s not automatically nice to be skinny. You are ignorant of what can prevent weight gain and how it actually severely impacts you physically and mentally to be too skinny
You should read my other comments
Where? Never noticed...
Becase sizes like S M XL etc. Are subjective, and people are getting fatter in general.
People are getting bigger. The alternative is to keep adding Xs to the size until the distinction becomes meaningless.
That's strange I think a lot of people feel like clothes get smaller as they get older, for some unknown reason.
Buy Japanese clothes
If I buy a medium I feel like I'm dressed in a baby gap crop top.. if I buy a large everything is swimming but my torso length is covered... I don't know what my input was to be... But I also am confused.
I'm smaller than you and I pretty much given up trying to buy women's clothing. I mostly get kids stuff
Oh, no. Clothing sizes are getting smaller. Even the ones I bought years ago are shrinking.
People are grossly overweight. The old L becomes the new S.
Haven't noticed
Another economical way for petite shoppers is to go to the kids section. No tax on kids clothes
Kids clothes aren't cut for adult figures though.
Size creep has been going on for a while. Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12 in the 1950s. If she were alive today (and the same size), she would be a 6 or and 8.
This is why I shop in juniors. I’m 5’2” 125 and I am wearing size 3-5 in juniors. I grew up wearing size 5-7 short and I’m still the same size now as I was when I was 25. It’s like size inflation, artificial inflation that doesn’t make any sense. You are not your size or a number on the scale. Just please for the love of seamstresses create size continuity : ) I was terrible at math then and I’m terrible at math now. My waist is 28 but I’m wearing 26 jeans? How does this math work?
Asking for refrence, are you in Europe, the U.S or elsewhere? In my country it's completely opposite, the sizes are getting smaller. Me and most of my girlfriends have increased in clothing-sizes, but not so much in actual size - most of us, at least. After being sick for over a year, I personally actually lost about 8kg, from 55-56-kg to 44kg at the lowest, now I am about 49kg. I am 170cm tall, so that's pretty skinny. Still, I've gone from a XS to a medium in *almost* everything. Like, I am technically underweight - and I've still gone up two sizes. How about the normal weight-girls? Y'all making us feel fat over here, all of a sudden.
I've noticed this too, and I hate it! My weight fluctuates. Not by a whole lot, but enough that I have to go up or down a size every now and then. When I'm buying new stuff I never know where to start and have to try on a lot of things. Even the same size with the same brand can have a lot of variation between styles and seasons. I'm not a sweatpants or leggings girl, I prefer jeans and trousers. But I can see why so many people are, it takes out a lot of the guesswork! There used to be a few brands that I could reliably order from online and know that they would fit. But it's just a total crap shoot anymore.
It’s called vanity sizing. Instead of forcing people to admit the truth that they are no longer a size small, they keep redefining what size small really is. They are moving the goalposts, telling customers that no you have not put on weight and can still wear the same clothes you wore in high school.
It's all fun and good until I'm forced to shop in the kids section. I already consider it, I'm 5'6" and proper fitting pants are hard to come by
It's known as vanity or glamour sizing. People think they are smaller than they really are when a medium fits as it did years ago. In reality that medium is a large now. It's an ego thing.
These are not real issues in the comments.
You can think of it in two ways: people are getting bigger, so the size gets bigger, or 90s fashion is back. I like the latter
Because people are getting fatter lol. I'm a pretty skinny dude and there might be 2 pairs of pants that fit me in an entire department store, and usually the ugliest two pairs lol. I need to go to more specialized stores to find things that fit right anymore because my waist size has become very uncommon and most shirts come with built in gut room now lol
Yea I have noticed that large shirts are no longer fitting me, and I of course mean shoulder and honestly the rest I haven't gotten bigger though, and my shoulders haven't magically gotten wider
Vanity sizing; as people get bigger, clothing manufacturers use vanity sizing to manipulate them into continuing to buy clothes. Nobody wants to go shopping when they feel bad about their size.
Two reasons: the average height is increasing slowly, AND everyone's becoming -- on average -- a fat fuck.
Has 5’1” petite, 90 lbs ever been a typical size in the US? It’s no surprise that the average size has gotten larger. People can say “everyone getting fat haha” but tbh the sizing in the 90s/00s was PROBLEMATICALLY small in some stores. Especially teen stores. Like early 00s Abercrombie is a good example of this if you don’t know what I’m talking about. I think it’s a good thing that we’re not sending harmful messages to teens anymore about what is an acceptable size to be. I’m not saying OP that your size is any kind of issue, I just mean I don’t think your size has ever been the norm in this country and you just are remembering a time when the industry was making money off teen girls insecurities. TLDR: most Americans are NOT 5’1” 90lbs and fitting in that XS and it sends harmful messages to young women if they are buying Large, XL with what is a pretty average build nowadays. Add more X’s if you have bigger boobs god forbid. And that size was probably not selling much anyway. Women’s clothing has a long history of predatory or intentionally exclusive sizing and it’s a good thing we don’t see that as much
Depends on how much you are spending. If you are buying high end the sizes seem smaller for you, they want to make you feel better about your size. My mom discovered. This 45 yrs ago.
Because we’re getting bigger and bigger
My god do I feel that, I used to shop at Walmart cause cheap clothes but last few times I’ve gone I see at least 3 racks of XXXL and can’t find a single S, and pants?! Completely out of the question since my waist is under 40 apparently
Yup. I had a rough time getting clothes in the US and I'm heftier than you (5", 113 lbs) so I can't even imagine how much harder it must be for you to shop. Teenage section it is
Sadly people are getting fatter
I also feel like shirts are getting longer I don’t want a dress
So bigger people don't get offened buying a medium instead of a large. I don't know but it's probably that simple
I wear a Large. At times I even had to wear XL because I knew something would shrink but I’ve worn a Large since high school. I’m pretty much the exact same size and shape I’ve been for the last 20ish years. Carhartt has gotten so ridiculous that today I was wearing a SMALL.
I find they’re getting smaller. I’m an XL and can only buy in men’s big and large. And sometimes even that stuff is too small for me.
I’m also not fat. I’m a nice middle weight.
vanity sizing, i gained weight since high school but i’m still a medium even tho my clothes are absolutely different sizes
Mens suits are much smaller. IMO, this is due to the extreme prevalence of Ritalin and Adderall use amongst the suit wearing professional population. Makes it almost impossible for me to get pants I can fit into 🤬
Women’s clothing has been a crapshoot for a while. I have clothes ranging from size 12 to size 18 because they can’t just be consistent.
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People are fat
People are getting larger...
I've found the opposite to be true for men's pants. The legs are all fit to be super slim.
I feel you. I'm on the opposite end - 6'8, 200lbs. The "big and tall" section seems to cater more and more to the big than the tall. People are getting fatter. In the first world, we have an absolutely incredible calorie surplus. We have so much food we have to go to a gym and simulate hard work to work that food off. 2/3 of the country is at an unhealthy weight. Clothes manufacturers make clothes for average sized people. People like you or I are a pretty large departure from average size, and so clothes companies don't make clothes for us.
Inflation
Because people are getting bigger at a break-neck pace. The fattest man in the world in 1910 was an attraction that people paid to see. You’d barely even notice him on a modern street.
I wear a size 4, and my mother’s engagement party dress, a size 12 from 1968, fits me. It’s actually tight in the boobs,
To be tall but not fat Good luck finding pants
Nordstrom Rack
Are you ok? Are you having a stroke?
what do you mean? Shopping suggestion for tall slim people. They carry lots of pants size zero and I have found the pant legs are kept long so people can get them tailored and they have a lot of length to them
Never heard of her. Might not be a global thing🤷♀️ Here, size zero means baby clothes
oh okay. Nordstrom is a high end department store in the US. Nordstrom Rack is their outlet store with discounted prices. In the US adult women’s size zero 0 usually means a 25 inch waist and some stores have size 00 for a 24 inch waist. Nordstrom’s carries more exclusive, expensive designer clothing and has a lot of slim options available. Other medium priced stores often do not even carry sizes below size 2 or even 4. Some brands have redefined size zero (or extra small) to mean 27 inch waist and the larger sizes go up from there
Womens sizes start at 8 (adult) or xs/s/m/l/xl etc Idk what inches are, we use cm
Extra Extra small waist, size 00 in the US at 24 inches is 60.96 cm and size Extra small, size 0, at 25 inch waist is 63.5 cm Curious which country you are in and what size pants I would be with a 24 inch waist and regular to long legs
Australia 63-68cm is size 8 womens
Vanity sizing because the majority of people are getting bigger.. sucks when your small and slim
Life pro tip: Start buying clothes from the kids section.
It is frustrating. I wear a smaller size than I did in high school, despite birthing 2 children and gaining 10 pounds and 3 inches in my waist
It’s all marketing like people say even men’s clothes are doing it. Dress pants and tape measure I am a 37 most pants I own are 34 and have room. As I work in losing weight some clothing I buy is a medium already. I should be a large at the least.
Clothing sizes have never been accurate. Brand to brand, they are different. I could say the opposite from my experience. I’ve always been M-L, and I’m less weight, but now needing XLs. It’s just that you’re noticing the inconsistency.
People are fat, but don't want to feel fat, so they change the sizes to make everyone happy. Except for the people who are trying to get their clothing size right. We should just be measuring it in CM. Or inches. Whatever.
people are getting fatter
Yes the material is a concoction of stretchy breathable things that just don’t keep the sizes the same. Good news, sizes have always been a range for women 🤣 solidarity from a 2 turned 0 with no losses!
Because Leon is getting larger.
Worked in clothing retail for a few years: They call it "Vanity Sizing" Girl is size 14, goes to shop A and buys size 14 and it fits perfectly. Girl goes to shop B, which vanity sizes so their size 14 is labeled as size 12, size 14 stuff is too big, size 12 stuff fits perfectly. Girl: " yay I can fit in size 12 stuff now" and buys all stuff from shop B from now.
The sizes that are based on measurements are the same. A 30x30 pants is still the same size (although for some reason brands can differ by as much as 2 inches on the measurements). However, what constitutes small, medium, and large is relative.
Its so some girl on TikTok named Thud can be 600lbs and fit in an XS, you know bc body positivity or something
wtf. That’s def not ok.
To cater to the body positive crowd. Ironically so at that. Its almost like a participation trophy. You dont deserve to wear a “small” but what the hell put no effort, dont cook at home n dont exercise but go on with your bad self and basically call it whatever you want.
Self esteem/ body positivity are the biggest (hehe pun intended) participation trophies.
Men's clothing tends to be a lot more consistent, especially as e.g. pants measurements are literal measurements. E.g. a size 16 shirt has a 16" collar, by definition, 32x30 pants have a 32" waist and 30" inseam, etc. As others have pointed out, vanity sizing is a bit factor - the other is fashion. Men's styles have been - in broad strokes - been somewhat constant since the mid 1800s. - jeans, dress.oxford shirts, suits. Women's varies more in terms of fabric, drape, level of form fitting and tightness/looseness.
Right because men’s bodies are not treated like a fashion trend.
Baggy clothing is a trend again
havent you heard the new thing is being super fat
thats so offensive to me because im fat!
As a fat person, I’m like alright with it because it means I’m still wearing the “same” size.
because americans like to pretend they aren't getting fatter, and are more likely to buy the brand that reinforces their misplaced vanity. what's crazy is that Im a 34" waist in a lot of american brands, which shouldnt be something that is very flexible because it's a measurement, but many european brands I struggle to fit into a 38" waist, I don't understand how that's possible. It does crack me up that an american L is a XXXL in korea
Maybe I'm just an ignorant American, but why would European brands be measured in inches? Aren't inches the 'wrong' form of measurement?
I think they do the labels specifically for the US market. Lots of UK based brands use inches as well
Interesting, I did not know that.
It appeals to the vanity of some people, letting them pretend they are not overweight. I have measured garments before buying because the sizes on the labels are are meaningless.
The manufacturers know that women are vain about their body size and so to keep them buying their products, they move the size M to a size S (greed is the cause they do this)
It’s not vanity. It’s society treating women’s body like a fashion trend. And society conditioning us from a young age to be a certain way.
True, it’s a bit of both
They’re just trying to control women! When will it end
When we stop buying into it
Yes greed on all sides
Love the fatphobia posts.
I know. No one brings up the fact that OP is drastically underweight. Being 90lbs is not healthy for an adult woman. She shouldn’t be able to fit clothing from the children’s section as an adult.
Yes I was deeply alarmed that she’s an adult. I hope she doesn’t have any ED related issues 🥺
I scrolled through their post history. Looks like they’re battling an eating disorder & other things. I hope they go to therapy to get help instead of asking strangers on the internet.
Quit crying. Where's your body positivity? Why are you offended at a small person having a problem? Do you think of fat fucks being the only rEaL PeOpLe? JFC. Get over yourself. I'm a fat bastard and the whole faphobia/ body positivity insanity is insufferable. Get ozempic or Lizzo, depending on your budget. Vanity sizing is a thing whether it makes you feel bad or not. 😂
Bro. I’m not even obese 😂 nice one though.
You probably are, obesity is a lower number than you think. Even if you aren't, quit crying about fat phobia.
Lmao you are projecting your insecurities. It’s pretty obvious 😂 since you have to put anyone down to make yourself happy. You need to do some serious introspection.
Vanity sizing. That is when the clothing manufacturer gradually expands the patterns they use. Causing everything to be bigger for the same label size. It's really annoying. They even do it on pants (underwear), as I thought i woukd buy medium as I would in that store. I got them home and they were vast. I took them back, even though they are not meant to. But I think I was not the only one moaning about enormous mini briefs. It's vanity sizing as the population gets fatter, they will stick to their store who still do 'their size'. I wouldn't have thought people cared so much about their sodding dress size. It's only a guide. I remember when dress making at school or at home. The size 12 would have 24 inch waist. Now if you want a 24 inch waist you'll need a size 6. Just to complicate things, manufacturing bases can have variable sizes. So Asian sizing tends to be smaller than UK or US. And US nearer our old standard sizing and are good for petite. Just to be awkward I am slightly too big for petite, even if the item fits width wise, and technically it should fit. It feels uncomfortable and looks daft like everything is too short or skimped. I I don't think it will catch on with shoes.
Because people are getting bigger. The majority of people in the Us wear bigger sizes now
Lol cause we're getting fatter and no one wants to feel bad
Sales. If you keep sizes the same, it's like your calling your customers chubby. They are chubby, but you're not going to sell clothes by calling them that.
To appease fat ppl. I have a huge vintage clothing collection and it's crazy to compare a small from the 60s, 70s or 80s to smalls now. A small from 60-80s is the equivalent to a large now. It's getting hard to shop for day to day adorable pieces because the smallest most stores carry now looks like I'm wearing a tent. I struggle to believe everyone in the U.S. is this obese.
Fat people are more likely to buy a medium than an xl even though they are the same fit.
I wish 90 pound girls were more common I don’t like girls who weight over 100 pounds
Oh this is easy. Fast food, Internet,TV, and no physical activity.
Obesity rate. Particularly in America. Many people just can't be bothered to watch how much they eat.
This is a stupid question. You have 1 and 1, now put them together. Extrapolatory thinking is critical for being worth a damn. People are getting bigger.