To say vanity sizes should be rolled back?

We are wider at the waist with bigger busts due to improved nutrition rather than obesity. I actually love having things fit me in the bust.

In the '90s I was a size 6-8 and would find some clothing too big and in other shops need a 12 so things are still as crazy as they've always been. And a St Michael pair of shorts would've been a 10-12 back then despite my tiny shape.

Yep, all of this.

I know it's Mumsnet (and ethical) heresy - but Shein does this really, really well! They measure the garments flat, and you can see the measurements of everything they sell.

As a result, I have things from size 6 to size 18 and they all fit 😂

Not that many, actually

https://www.statista.com/statistics/829118/women-s-clothing-sizes-considered-as-large-by-age-great-britain-uk/

All of them on Mumsnet

People don’t think that their clothes are made in the UK. The labels state where it is made and clearly says Bangladesh, China, Turkey etc.

@NonPlayerCharacter I think because the extra bone weight of the taller one maybe weighs similar to the extra fat on the shorter one.

I am 5'8 and would say my body size probably looked similar to the 4 foot 10 lady before I started to lose weight. I was in about size 22-24 and weighted around 17 and half stone. Don't know for sure what size I was in as in the end I lived in leggings and dresses as my size 20 jeans no longer fit me and I was too ashamed to go shopping and find out my size! I am a size 16 now, weigh 13st and would say my body looks closer to the tallest lady. So my point being, height really can effect the size of clothes you can get.

@NonPlayerCharacter the article said they are all size 16. So assume so.

This is the article:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/living/4140313/these-four-women-all-size-16/amp/

Yes they are all wearing the same size trousers (which shocked me)

I'm surprised that the weights, where known, are that similar.

Are they all wearing the same size trousers?

I wish shoe sizes would grow a bit! I've been unblessed with elephant feet and always have struggled to find size 8s that fit ok or even in stock. They have also got smaller so now need a size 9 which is top of the size for women. I'm not young either, sizes haven't caught up with people getting bigger in feet anyway! Suppose I see a few more size 9s now than when I was younger i guess.

Primark I can never get right and New Look I have to go up 3 sizes to a 16! H&M is a nightmare and I don’t even bother with Zara. Far too small and overpriced.

I think this picture explains well how height can have a factor in dress size. All these women are a size 16.

People are also shocked that clothes tend not to be made in the UK.

Er, are they? I thought it was pretty common knowledge.

@roses2
That sounds sensible - like mens clothes.

Anyone know if mens clothes have experienced vanity sizing? Is a large t shirt 20 years ago still a large now??

Yes they have.
Same changes.
Men that are muscular so broad with a flat tummy and slim hips ( but have power thighs) struggle to find good fitting formal wear still.
This was Ted Bakers USP back when he launched his label in the late 80's.
Shirts for builders basically. They were actually incredible when they launched

Yes, men's clothes have got bigger too.

The clothes that haven't got bigger are youth sportswear from the popular brands.

A relative says every woman's wardrobe is in a range of sizes. She's at least a 16 but claims to be a 12. I wonder if her clothes actually are 12s, but vanity sizes? She definitely goes up and down!

That sounds sensible - like mens clothes.

Anyone know if mens clothes have experienced vanity sizing? Is a large t shirt 20 years ago still a large now??

FeelingSoOverwhelmed
I'm also 5'8 and wear an M&S 12. Broad shoulders and bust so occasionally take a 14 on top! 😱 I'm around 13 stone though so my BMI is closer to 30 than 20 so I'm basically crippling the NHS single handedly with my big obese body. If it was the 1980s I'd probably have to head to an outdoor shop and buy a tent.

Made me laugh.
In the 80's you'd have actually been catered for. Everything was loose fit/oversized and we frequently shopped in menswear departments to get the look we wanted.
Tents were actually a design inspo in 1983 🙂

So what do you do if you're between 5"3 and 5"10 and the other ranges are all the wrong lengt?! I've always needed tall trousers etc, but post weight loss, turns out it was just my arse holding stuff up! Saying that, I apparently have very long legs, according to the lymphodema nurse.

@willieverlevelup
I’m glad you picked up on this. Labelling women very large based on a size 12 - the mind boggles!

Size 12 is Ms Average/majority and she's just changed over the decades.
She's taller and 'fleshier'. Sorry for that description but I work with bodies .
It's just fact .
No clothing retailer wants to piss customers off. Our aim was to sell as much as possible each style......every time.
Size 12 in Victorian times would have been 4'7" and less than a current size 4. I base this comment on having actually seen and touched Victorian clothing a long time ago.

I'm an M and S size 12.

I am not VERY LARGE, my waist is 27 inches

I'm just an hourglass shape

😂

I can remember when the clothes in M&S were made in the UK.
Shopping practices have changed a lot since then.

2004/2005 sounds about right for when it changed.

I’m glad you picked up on this. Labelling women very large based on a size 12 - the mind boggles!