To think this is bad. H and m sizing

[Footloose80]

Out shopping looking for a gift. Saw a top. Their sizing ranged for xs to xl. Person is size 10. Asked assistant what size is a 10 and told medium. So,a size 12 is clearly a large and 14 xl.
I know vanity sizing and all that but this person is at the bottom end of normal weight. How can that be medium?

[Bambamber]

H+M sizing is well known to come up small against other brands

[3WildOnes]

At a size 10 I’m not at the bottom end of normal weight, my bmi is 22 as a size 10 so pretty much in the middle. I’m a size 6 at the lower end of my healthy weight range.

[lastqueenofscotland]

IM a size ten and really quite tall and most definitely not at the bottom end of normal weight

[Petalbird]

Um that's normal I'm a 6 which is a xs in most shops other than primark which has been altered to suit people that think 10 is small....

[ambereeree]

Size 10 is hardly small.

[AgathaMisty]

I wouldn't consider size 10 the bottom end of normal weight. One thing is the national average size (the UK is known for having the highest levels of obesity in Europe), another thing is what is considered a normal, healthy size for someone who eats well and exercises.

Like H&M, I would consider the following sizes correct:
XS - 6
S - 8
M - 10

[YeOldeNameChange]

H and M is small in certain styles. I’ve got a dress from there in a 16. It’s so frustrating never being able to just pick up an item of clothing and just know it will fit
I’m probably a true 12-14 but I’m an 8-10 in vanity sizing (most shops eg M and S, Matalan) which is stupid cos if I’m an 8, what size is an actual thin person?!

[Runningbutnotscared]

It’s more likely that 8-10 is a medium, 12-14 is a large and 16-18 is an xl.

I also have a bmi of 22 and am wearing H&M jeans size 14, and a phase 8 top size 10. Sizes is shops mean nothing. Wear what fits.

[barberousbarbara]

According to their website for tops and blouses size S in H&M is a 10-12, a medium is 12-14, a large is 16-18. H&M are known for the huge sizes difference.

I wear a 8-10 in most shops and have to wear a 10-12 (S) in H&M in tops probably because of my massive boobs

[ErickBroch]

I am a 12-14 and in H&M I am luckly if I can fit my leg in a 16

[Cookit]

I agree with PPs. 6 is XS, 8 is S and 10 is M.

10 is not and has never been the bottom end of normal. It’s a perfectly healthy size to be but fairly average at least fairly average amongst a younger demographic who are more likely to shop at H&M.

[EdithWeston]

Names of sizes are utterly meaningless these days - they basically have been since deregulation back in the 1980s

So yes, it can mean 'medium'

I was a size 12 in the 80s. I'm now a 6, sometimes 8. I'm the same weight.....

10 means medium these days, and indeed can be quite large - waist would usually be at least 28 inches. It used to be

[TwittleBee]

Do not even get me started on H&M sizing!

I am a size 6 in most Highstreet shops but in H&M I can range from size 4 to size 14! The other day I tried a dress on marked S but it came up massive! So I tried an XS and I couldnt even get my arms through!

I can only assume there are no decent quality checks nor standardised sizing in the store

[IsobelKarev]

I wouldn't consider size 10 the bottom end of normal weight.

That depends on the person's figure, surely? I was only ever a size 8 in the majority of shops when I was "officially" underweight.

That said, I have no problem with size 10 being a medium. I'd imagine the majority of people are between size 8 and size 12 when a healthy weight. Which puts 10 right in the middle.

[araiwa]

Can someone explain to me why size 8, size 12 etc even exist

As a measurement that can vary from store to store, what use is it?

Everyone would go nuts if any other measurement was so imprecise. Buy 500g of pasta in tesco and its half the amount of 500g from morrisons

[TwiceMagic]

I find the sizing in H&M almost random. Even in the same iyemof clothing. I sometimes suspect they randomly allocate labels to clothes. 😂

I’d expect 10 to be a small generally. When I was a teenager nowhere sold anything in size 6. Size 8s weren’t that common other than in shops for young people either.

I do agree that vanity sizing in some shops is absurd. I bought some size 8 gym leggings in Sainsbury’s last week and they’re actually a bit baggy. And I had to buy a size 6 vest in next before Christmas. This is utterly ridiculous. What are the actual tiny people supposed to do?

I guess it depends on your frame/body shape, but personally size 10 is nowhere near the bottom of my healthy BMI range. In fact, I could be overweight on BMI and wear a 10 in some shops. Right at the bottom of my healthy weight range (and I’m not close to that, more like a BMI of 22) and I don’t know where I’d actually shop to find clothes that fit.

[DeeStopia]

Sizing is bloody nuts isn't it. I do think it has a lot to do with build too. I was stunned last week when I checked my BMI and realised that I'm underweight- I'm a size 12/14! (ED is bad at the mo and I do have loose skin, but still...)

[MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals1]

It really is bloody nuts! Last year I bought two tops on the same day- both in the same sort of style - one was an XS and the other was a L - ridiculous!

[OhLookHeKickedTheBall]

I'm an 8-10, BMI around 22. H&M have sizing all over the place. Their Kids leggings are great though in 15-16 or 17+ i think they're the sizes and fit me far better than any of their adult ones.

[Littlechocola]

Vanity sizing is ridiculous. I rely on children’s clothing a lot of the time because xs or 6 isn’t actually that xs (especially in places such as Next). I rarely go shopping because it’s disappointing.

[Roomba]

I am usually a size 8 or 10 in most shops, depending on clothing style. But I own H&M clothes in every size from size 2 and XS right up to size 16. Their sizes are so utterly random anyway that I wouldn't worry what they officially class as medium.

[Branleuse]

sizes mean fuck all. Peoples bodies are shaped differently for a start, especially womens bodies. Also most high street stores the sizing is inconsistent so you at least have to have a good look to see if it will fit, if not try it on. If its for somebody else, then def dont buy from h&m as theyre pretty inconsistent. No point being annoyed about it. Its just how it is.
When I was a size 8, i had a size 16 dress from there which fit beautifully. I also have a dress from there in a small, that is baggy on me even though im a size 14 now.
Tops and cardigans its often more about shoulder width.
Jeans, I dont fit into ANY jeans from h&m because of my hips. They either fit me at the waist and not the hips, or vice versa

[Icypop]

Dont buy things in h&m without trying on. I once bought a pair of trousers in a 14 they were snug. I was an 8-10 at the time!!!

[Bluntness100]

I don't really understand why you have an issue with this. What's wrong with being a medium. Would you rather it was a small or an extra small? If so what would you classify a size eight and a size six?

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

Size 10 is hardly small.

Fuckin hell. How slim do you have to be for you not to be classed as over weight. Its no wonder we have an epideictic of eat/body dysmorphia disorders