The Perils of Clothing Sizes Today on Our Self-Esteem

by | Nov 14, 2023 | confidence, personal style coach, personal stylist, shopping, vanity sizing

 No one regulates sizing when it comes to fashion.  Unlike the drug industry, which for obvious reasons, has a system to regulate medicines you ingest, that is not available in the fashion industry.  You may be saying, “Yes, Michelle, but drugs and clothes are different.”  While this is VERY true, one of the things that clothing impacts more than anything for women is their self-confidence.  I see it in my job every time I work with a Client.  It’s no WONDER shopping for clothes is an experience many women dread and try to avoid!

Did you know that the average clothing size for an American woman is between a size 16 and a size 18.  Per a Time article, 67% of women wear a size 14 or higher. Yet, once you have reached a 16, you are considered “Plus size” and it’s more difficult to find clothes that fit well.  In a study done by a company called Quartz, they found that a woman with a size 31 inch waist can go home with a pair of pants ranging anywhere from size 8 to size 16, depending upon the brand.

Imagine that you wear a size 10 pant in your favorite brand.  You head to the Mall to see what is there and the size 10 does not even NEARLY want to button and zip!  It sets you into a panic.  “How can I possibly be wearing a size 16?!”.  Based solely upon pride alone, you tell yourself you are NOT a size 16 and will NOT buy those pants.  Guess what?!  The next time you consider going to the mall to shop for clothes, that experience is BURNED into your mind because that is what sizing does.  It plays tricks on your mind that should not be allowed to be there!

The Introduction of Vanity Sizing

In the 1980’s brands began altering the sizes of their clothing.  Why?  Because women feel more confident when they can fit into a smaller size.  I have seen this time-and-time again in my career.  A woman can get a smaller size closed and immediately wants to buy the item because it “fits” in a smaller size.  Albeit, it does not fit well OR the way it was intended to fit.  But that little joy she has to say she wears a size “insert size here” and she can’t see past the bad decision.
So, fashion brands saw an “in”.  If we can put someone who fits in a size 8 in a size 4, she will be more likely to buy it.  Other brands have to follow suit, right?  I mean, if they don’t who is EVER going to buy their clothes?
In 1960, the average weight of a woman was 140.  By the time we reached 2014, the average weight was almost 169 pounds.  This “war” is where size 0 and 00 reared it’s face in the late 2000’s.  See the images below.

As you can see above, in 1958, the smallest size available was a size 8, in 1970 it was a size 6, in 1995 it decreased to a size 2, and in 2012 it is 00.
So now, every brand has their own set sizing standard and this makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to know what size to order.  I have a trick coming for that later. 😉

Inside of our sizing evolution, what was seen as attractive and all over the media were curves, curves, curves.  In today’s world, a more straight figure is seen as the ideal, as the average woman gets further and further away from that.  Media does not help this because there is so much photoshopping to make women look “perfect” that it sets the ideal even more out-of-reach.

So, again…WHY do we dislike shopping?! 😜

Let’s Flip the Script!

We can’t control how fashion brands size their clothes, but we can definitely take the knowledge we have about vanity sizing and use it to our advantage.

The very first thing we need to remember is this:  the size on the tag DOES NOT MATTER!  They are just a starting point.  We need to understand that how you FEEL in the clothes you wear and how COMFORTABLE you are in the clothes you wear is paramount.

Always, always, always pull multiple sizes into the fitting room with you.  Even within a brand, cuts of different garments can fit differently, so take it at least one additional size than what you think, but I recommend two.

The trick I promised you earlier is to become a shopper who reads brand-specific size charts.  Particularly when you are shopping online, this will save you a ton of hassle and frustration.  As you look at a size chart, size the largest measurement of your body.  You can always tailor the other areas (and if you don’t feel it’s worth tailoring, you should probably skip the purchase). I wear a size Medium in some brands and a size 1x in others.  It’s not me, it’s the brand.  Just like it’s not YOU…it’s the brand!

So, of course, knowing your measurements is also key here!

Consider the Ultimate Goal

When you decide to shop for clothes, is your goal to buy a size 6 pant or is your goal to buy a pair of pants that you feel like a Goddess in?  Don’t let the size on the tag bother you.  I know that I have said this before, but I mean it!  Once you know you love an item, if you are not a person who resells her clothes, cut the dang tag out if it bothers you.  It. Does. Not. Mean. Anything.

Love your body NOW for all that it does to keep you in this world.  Be grateful for every single inch of your body.  Don’t let a false sense of size steal your joy and love for yourself.

Go forth with self-love!

Stylishly Yours,

References:

Time