Vanity sizing needs to be stopped

[SemperIdem]

I appreciate this isn’t shiny new subject matter but it’s been really niggling at me the last few days.

I’ve relatively recently had a baby, back in my pre-maternity clothes if not quite at pre-maternity shape (granted I felt I was out of shape at the point of falling pregnant).

I bought a pair of jeans from Pull and Bear, size 10. They are absolutely enormous. There is not a chance I’m a size 8 at the weight I am. I then reflected how as a 5’6, barely 8 stone teenager, I was a size 10 in Topshop jeans. How am I, at a significantly heavier weight, still a size 10 anywhere let alone smaller than a size 10?

Am I being unreasonable to think that there must be a way to get shops to end vanity sizing, the variance between shop sizes is also ridiculous.

It's really really annoying.

And we are allowed to talk about frivolous things even while the world is shit.

I lost a lot of weight a few years ago due to illness. I was in measurements a size 6. In shops I couldn't buy clothes to fit me.

I've put on 2 stone and the clothes I bought then (the smallest sizes) still fit.

The only true to size clothes i could get were expensive designer items bought cheaply off Ebay. They don't fit anymore.

I find some places have very small sizes and others are bigger or you can get two size 10's from the same place but different item so two dresses and one will fit but the other will be too big or too small. Its all over the place. I don't really think of it as vanity sizing or some kind of prestige sizing (if the sizes happen to be smaller) I don't care if the size 10 or the size 14 fits me I just want some consistency.

There are a lot of awful things going on in the world, absolutely devastating

But people are allowed to be irritated by other things

You are a massive liar yourself, I can’t imagine you being happy and never annoyed about anything in your life time. Get a life,

Do you post this on every thread that's about a trivial matter?

You must have an awful lot of time on your hands as most of MN is about trivia.

Blimey, bad day?

I don’t agree with op, I use a tape measure as I buy various styles from multiple places but I don’t feel the need to act like a child to a stranger on the internet because I disagree with them.

It makes clothes shopping just exhausting. To the point I just don't and get by with what I have as much as possible. I can range from size 8 to size 14 so I have to buy so many different sizes and styles only to return so many it's exhausting and too expensive. I'd say I'm an actual 10 to 12 I Could cope with trying on two sizes but 4 is too much. Then I need petite ranges ideally which is so hit and miss. If its vanity or variation whatever it is is really unhelpful.

My dh can pretty much order a medium in everything and knows its going to fit its so straight forward.

Agreed. It’s infuriating. I chose the garment that looks similar in size to those I already own and don’t give a shiny shit what the label states

Should we go back to 1960s sizing? That would make your 2000s Top Shop jeans look like vanity sizing.

The reality is, that people are getting bigger. Not just fatter, but people's dimensions are also changing over time. Just measure yourself and check out the shop's size guide or try on a variety of sizes, its not that difficult.

My dh can pretty much order a medium in everything and knows its going to fit its so straight forward.

There’s a lot more variation in women’s shapes than men’s shapes, though.

I haven’t noticed vanity sizing particularly in the shops I buy from. I have noticed that I can’t buy from some shops any more as their sizing doesn’t fit my shape.

This is well known. 🤷‍♀️Cheap brands like Primark, New Look , H and M etc all cut the clothes skimpy to save money 🤷‍♀️ Brands like Albaray, Wyse etc are brands where the sizes are larger compared to the cheapies.

FfaCoff

I've speculated before on these threads that it must be high end brands who do this - it comes up regularly on Mumsnet but I don't see it in real life in the lower end shops I buy from - h and m, Uniqlo, Primark. I was a size 10 as a teen and and at 2 stone heavier I'm a size 14. Seems right to me.

I said about pants and pjs that were size 12 but huge on me, that was Primark (pennys in Ireland)

This is one of the reasons I tend to stick to shops where I know the sizing. I wish they would ditch the numbers and just use measurements, especially as online shops are trying to reduce the amount of returns.

BobbieTables
Oh yes, this is totally up there with the pressing matters of the day. How terrible that the number on your clothes doesn't match your idea of what it should be.
This is BIG. HUGE. MASSIVE IMPLICATIONS.
Probably more important than the situation in Gaza, climate change or Ukraine.

We’re on mumsnet. There’s definitely a place here for escapism and chat

How on earth do you envisage this working? Especially with womens bodies that are, as a pp pointed out, more varied than mens.

I’m aware, this conversation has been going on since I was wearing said Topshop jeans, if not longer.

It’s just mildly irritating. I don’t particularly care what size I wear, but some consistency would be nice.

It's probably just the style. Oversized/baggy is trendy these days amongst the youngsters, and that's pull&bears market.

It's all phycological though isn't it. Fundamentally, we have a number system rather than the easier to understand small, medium, large system that men use to make people feel better. If I buy my husband a large it invariably fits. Shops know that if they inflate the sizing women often prefer to wear a size ten and twelve so purchase the size ten that fits rather than size 12 even through they are actually the same size. Some shops want to see to thinner women so shink the larger sizes to put be people off. It should be standardised This has become more important with the growth on distance selling.

@SemperIdem YANBU

although US/North America centric, this article is interesting

eta; @BobbieTables dinnae look 🙉🙈🙉

I do use the size guide - unfortunately most seem to be inaccurate.

This whole thing always confuses me - I’ve been a 10-12 all my adult life and my weight hasn’t changed, shouldn’t I be a 6-8 by now?

Absolutely this.

I haven’t noticed vanity sizing but I have noticed cheaper shops cut their sizes small. And if you’ve ever bought something cheap online from China (gasp, the horror!) then you’ll know that you have to go up about four sizes 😂

It would be very nice if sizes were consistent. It would also be nice if the dimensions could be updated from the unrealistic 1950s model which suit very few women. Neither is going to happen any time soon.

YABU to suggest it’s to flatter the egos of women who can’t accept they’ve put on weight - “vanity sizing”

YANBU to suggest that all clothing manufacturers get together and make their minds up about which sizing charts they’re going to use.

Oh good, another “let’s bash the fatties” thread. Good old MN.

'YABU to suggest it’s to flatter the egos of women who can’t accept they’ve put on weight - “vanity sizing”

Yes I do always hate this implication. People aren't stupid. They have eyeballs and can see they've put on weight. They're not going to be bamboozled into thinking they're thin by a label on a pair of jeans.

It's not even true. At least in the case of Gaza and the Ukraine this will be an issue for long after those situations are resolved.

Ahhh I miss topshop jeans and lovely old Topshop on the high street 😢

About 25 years ago I was a 8-10 but am now a 6, I had a lovely old bay trading tailored dress in a 10 that I would not fit into now.

The thing I miss most abouts clothes is darts being used in high street clothes, that will play into it too as dart free clothes have more "give"

Me too. I’m about half a stone heavier now than I was 30 odd years ago. I used to wear a 10-12, now I wear 12-14. I do still actually have clothes that fit from 20 odd years ago, so don’t see that sizes have changed that much. I think it’s more a variation between brands and styles.