to think there is no such thing as vanity sizing and in fact sizes are now much much smaller than they used to be?

[AtYourCervix]

For example.

I used to be able to go into topshop and fit into clothes. No more.

I used to be a size 10 to 12. Now I'm lucky if I can squeeze into an 18.

I am the same, i am sure.

I believe that actually sizes and much smaller and what was a size 12, 20 years ago is now 5 sizes smaller.

This would also account for slebs being size zero. In my day there was no such size available - Look at 'Pretty Woman', for example, 22 years ago Julia Roberts was a size 6 (American size so Equivelant British size 10). Would she be a size 10 now? Or would the lady in the shop say 'you're a zero right?'

AIU? I think not.

Last year I lost a lot of weight and joyously found I could fit back into a dress I loved and bought 20 years ago. I looked at the label and found...it was a size 14! At the same shop today I bought a dress which fitted and is marked size 10.

I have some old Simplicity fashion pattern from the 1950's in which my measurements are counted as size 16, if I buy a Simplicity pattern today my measurements are classed as size 10.

So yes, they have been slowly increasing the measurements for the sizes.