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.

I'm seeing a lot of "of course size 8/6 women don't have cellulite".
Erm, yes we do. Most adult women have cellulite, and you can still have a curvy bum and thighs as a size 8 (especially if you're petite in stature).

I think sizing needs to be standardised, particularly as everything is being pushed online. Don't care what the size is, just make it the same.

My bmi is 23, bang in the middle of the healthy weight range (8 stone or 50kg). I’m wearing size 6 in everything. So what do slimmer/slighter/skinnier people wear? There’s nothing below a 6 on the high street.

I’m also wearing age 11 children’s clothes, do I just keep going down those ages if I was to try to drop to an even healthier BMI of 22?

You must also be quite short too. Because if I had your weight, my bmi would be 19.

No wonder you're getting into children's clothes. Light and also you're not tall. I don't think this is the issue you think it is.

As somebody else said, this is just a stealth boasting thread.Oh, look at me, I m only eight stone and I have to wear such tiny clothes. If you are 8 stone, you should be in tiny clothes. That's pretty light. This is women coming on here and saying they re great, big and fat and wearing a six.It's just nonsense.

If you're only eight stone, then I ll suggest a six is pretty bang on.

If I went down to 8 stone I think I probably be borderline in a six.

Bmi is absolute rubbish anyway, look at the history behind it. You don't need to diet to get to a healthier lower bmi.

Very very short 😆

So your point just fell flat on its face. That's why you can get children's clothes on. I couldn't wear an age eleven dress.It would be too short.

yanbu
however I don't care so much about the vanity aspect as for the inconsistency.

wonderwanderer

well no, my first point is where can I go with adult clothes? If I actually dropped to the bmi you just said of 19 (I’m not, I was aiming for 22) then there is nowhere to go in adult clothes

I think the ability to order clothes from other countries also muddies the waters.I recently ordered what looked like a short dress online, and ordered large as I am size 14 and 5 foot 10. If I had wanted a T Shirt it would have been perfect but it was obviously made for somebody much shorter.

It’s not being a size 6-8, it’s some people’s posts and their wording. Often I notice the same posters popping up on threads like this as well as food threads that show they have disordered eating.

A while back there was a thread that was very pro ana, discussing how little people ate, their small appetites, that they fitted into children’s clothes, that women’s clothes are just so big, them being horrified if they ate too much etc. Someone mentioned that many of the posters had previously posted a lot about food and saying they had eating disorders and it descended into a row with people trying to deny it. Mumsnet did delete the thread as it was really concerning and unhealthy. Unfortunately threads like this are often made by those struggling with food and body issues and I don’t think they’re always helpful.

There is a brand I love for outdoor wear, fleeces and hiking kit, etc that is ridiculously undersized.

I take a medium in an any other clothes but I need a L to XL in this brand as they are so small.

If you want an antidote to oversized clothes as you need to wear a 6-8 at 8 stone then I'll give you the details as you'll need to order a medium most likely.

Exactly this.

wondererwanderer

thanks, that would be great as hoping to walk the Camino in January and have no outdoorsy stuff

My DIL is a size 4. She manages to buy clothes that are not children's clothes but she doesn't buy in cheap shops.

66° North. They have a sale at the moment.

In which case your thread title was wrong. References to vanity sizing are always a criticism of those awful fat people who want to pretend they are still a 12

I'm one of those women! I'm 5ft 3 and have a bmi of around 21 yet Matalan size 8s are too big around the body. I do have a small frame though (need a 30 in bras to fit my rib cage properly). Some people are just built smaller structurally. I'm not complaining though, i do well in sales in most places as there are often lots of size 6s left!

and there it is, as if by magic

Perhaps it’s in the kids section? Or is she buying homeware?
In all seriousness, I haven’t shopped in Next for quite some years so it may have changed. I don’t intend to shop there because I don’t like the clothes.

Well not always, I didn’t realise it would be taken that way when I posted. You are not alone in taking my wording that way though. I’ve asked for the title to be amended this morning.

fair enough @SemperIdem

Off topic, but you’ll love it. I did Sarria to Santiago (115km) in May. Amazing experience.

It’s moaning about inconsistency in sizing nothing to do with people’s weight. Don’t project your insecurities onto everything.

I’m not insecure thanks. You didn’t moan about inconsistency though. ‘Most’ clothes requiring a 6 is something else.

My point was clearly that it used to be a consistent size and now it’s not. Also not as simple as just buying a 6 since most clothes companies don’t stock that size. If you’re not insecure then why do you feel the need to jump on a post talking nonsense about “thick fatties” being blamed?