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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think size 12 isn’t Large?

248 replies

Vastimir · 31/07/2025 19:28

I’d say it’s more Medium. Vinted disagrees. AIBU?

OP posts:
NooNakedJacuzziness · 01/08/2025 19:24

Disturbia81 · 01/08/2025 19:05

Basically we are all different shapes. Can you imagine if men talked about this stuff..

Exactly - do you think there's a male version of this thread out there? 🙄

Cherry8809 · 01/08/2025 20:07

Limonades · 01/08/2025 19:21

What do you think a size 18 is?

I would consider 18 as XL/XXL

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 20:08

NooNakedJacuzziness · 01/08/2025 19:24

Exactly - do you think there's a male version of this thread out there? 🙄

Men couldn’t give a flying fuck, women are their own worst enemy.

Disturbia81 · 01/08/2025 20:15

NooNakedJacuzziness · 01/08/2025 19:24

Exactly - do you think there's a male version of this thread out there? 🙄

Definitely not apart from maybe bodybuilding forums where they measure their body gains but that’s so niche.
It annoys me that we focus so much on it and hate that I join in! But watching our appearance is forced on us from an early age so no wonder we all reply.

Disturbia81 · 01/08/2025 20:16

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 20:08

Men couldn’t give a flying fuck, women are their own worst enemy.

We are in that we don’t stop talking about this shit but then is it our fault? I blame men, Hollywood and society 😆

irregularegular · 01/08/2025 20:22

Yes Vinted sizing is annoying. Because mostly if an item is labelled S/M/L then I will be S. But I am a 10. So I have to search for both 10/S and 12/M on Vinted to find what I want.

Straightjacketsandroses · 01/08/2025 20:30

CurlyKoalie · 01/08/2025 08:58

The average clothes size for women in the UK is 16 (Google it )so surely this should be "medium" size as "medium" by definition is middle or average?
Having smaller sizes classed as "medium" perpetuates an outdated idea that to be "normal" all women should aspire to fit these sizes whatever their build,muscle mass or body shape.
Its interesting watching these posts. Lots of "smaller" people debating how average they thing they think they are with very little appreciation on what the real "average" size is. Are they seeking validation in some way?
Not many posts from true "average" or larger ladies.Perhaps the silent "larger" majority have embraced the feminism of the last 80 years or so and don't see their worth by a measure of a number on a clothes label?

Whilst I agree from a maths perspective, size 16 is actually quite large and I would imagine the vast majority of size 16 women are overweight. I don’t necessarily think us normalising that is a good idea. I’d say size 12 is more ‘normal’ in terms of a healthy weight for an average-sized woman

TakeMeToAnIgloo · 01/08/2025 21:16

irregularegular · 01/08/2025 20:22

Yes Vinted sizing is annoying. Because mostly if an item is labelled S/M/L then I will be S. But I am a 10. So I have to search for both 10/S and 12/M on Vinted to find what I want.

Yes, exactly, which was very much the original point of the post! It's not about judgements of what large or medium or whatever should feel like, or how they relate to the average person, or whether people are in denial about their size, or how sizes have changed over the years. It's the annoying aspect of Vinted of equating two things that most people don't find go together - size 12 and size L - and the subsequent pairings of the other number/letter combinations. I don't care what the moral/statistical/lexical aspect of "large" is, I want to be able to search on Vinted for something that fits, and not have to check every time whether they really mean (for example) size 12 or they really mean size Large, which come together in the search, and then also have to include size 10/M in the search just to find size Mediums, but then have to sift through tons of things that are properly size 10s. Most people here have replied that for them, wearing size 12 tends to mean they also choose Medium, and that's what they'd like Vinted to group together.

But I guess this gives a chance for people to bring out the usual cliches about vanity sizing, how people don't know how big they are, how fat everyone is nowadays, how the average size is way too high, how everyone in the past was nice and slim, how tiny they are themselves, how much slimmer other countries are etc etc. Yeah we know all that, it's repeated here often enough. But the point here is about which sizes go together from numbers and letters, and how Vinted has possibly got it wrong.

Limonades · 01/08/2025 23:27

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 17:06

This. 18 might be the average size but that says more about how xl everyone has become.

I’m a 12, and certainly feel large.

Size 18 is very large. I agree it’s not healthy to normalise such large sizes as ‘normal’. it’s unhealthy

Someone2025 · 02/08/2025 00:05

LadeOde · 31/07/2025 20:42

Size 12 in the UK is medium.

8-10 (small) 12-14 (medium) 16-18 (Large) 18-20 (X Large)

But what are sizes 10-12 and 14-16 etc

bindin · 02/08/2025 00:27

I'm 5ft 9 & a 12. I usually buy medium, in some shops eg Cos I can wear a small.

bindin · 02/08/2025 00:34

As PP said - today's size 12 was once size 16.

People's body shapes were different though, shorter,m with more defined waists. However this didn't mean everyone looked like willowy models, because they didn't. Just look at old photos.

Miyagi99 · 02/08/2025 01:19

Vastimir · 31/07/2025 19:39

Most things on this website don’t 😂

Is it a website based on East Asia? I’d say 12 is classed as large there.

Denimrules · 02/08/2025 01:26

6 and 8 are below standard sizing, ie extra sml, 10 and 12 are sml, 14 is medium and 16 is large

Westfacing · 02/08/2025 06:59

MyUmberSeal · 01/08/2025 20:08

Men couldn’t give a flying fuck, women are their own worst enemy.

But men don't have this crazy and inconsistent sizing problem to deal with! They just order by measurement e.g. 32" inside leg, 44" chest, or collar size, etc. Casual shirts are SML, ex L and so on but the majority of their clothing is more accurately described.

As women we have to take pot luck - look how many posts there are on various threads where people are asking do Cos/Uniqlo/Zara clothes come up big/small.

Not only do we have to guess what an 8/10/12/14 might turn out to be we also have to guess at xxs, xs, s, m, l, xxl and so on.

Men would give a flying fuck if they had navigate this when buying a pair of trousers!

Limonades · 02/08/2025 07:18

Men’s sizing is indeed SO much easier. I wish women’s trousers & jeans were clearly labelled with waist size (eg 28, 30) and inside leg length (eg 30, 32). Even in the description it rarely states these measurements, let alone in a single size number, like 8 or S?!

And people were definitely slimmer in the past, just look at old films and documentaries, especially of people at the beach

EscargotChic · 02/08/2025 07:54

I’m half tempted to start my own thread now - “If you are a UK size 12, and a shop has clothes in S, M and L, which one would you select as most likely to fit you?”
I’m not really interested in fat-shaming or how women’s dress sizes have changed historically, but I do use Vinted a lot and agree with OP. It’s very useful when people include a photo of the label so I can see if it’s a 10 or actually a medium. Not that brands are consistent but that’s a whole other gripe!

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 02/08/2025 10:29

@EscargotChic I'm a Size 12 and I would go for a M .

Vinted sizing is a nightmare. As a PP said, I've fallen foul of the 12 = L sizing and ended up with a top that's an L ie a 14. Now, if it's not clear, I email the seller to clarify.

I haven't tried to sell on Vinted yet, but when I do, I'll be putting helpful descriptions eg " This is L, I'm a 12 and it's too big for me but would fit Size 14"

EscargotChic · 02/08/2025 11:25

@AnnaQuayInTheUk Very helpful. Also much appreciate it when the seller lets me know if trousers are cropped or full length!

Limonades · 02/08/2025 17:07

EscargotChic · 02/08/2025 11:25

@AnnaQuayInTheUk Very helpful. Also much appreciate it when the seller lets me know if trousers are cropped or full length!

I prefer the seller to actually measure the inside leg length! We’re all different and have different leg lengths - what does ‘standard’ even mean?

jmh740 · 02/08/2025 18:18

iamnotalemon · 31/07/2025 19:54

I’m a size 16. Oh dear 😆

Me too and I would buy a large and expect it to fit

Allseeingallknowing · 02/08/2025 18:20

My clothes range from 14-22 depending on where I get them . Makes buying online a bit difficult!

Allseeingallknowing · 02/08/2025 18:22

Limonades · 01/08/2025 23:27

Size 18 is very large. I agree it’s not healthy to normalise such large sizes as ‘normal’. it’s unhealthy

I don’t resemble a hippo in size 18. What annoys me is when celebrities who are my size say they are size 12-No way!

Allseeingallknowing · 02/08/2025 18:23

Anything from Amazon, go up a couple of sizes at least!

SuperBlondie28 · 04/08/2025 20:48

This is from my listing on Vinted. It's a dress I wore in the late 90s. M&S.

So its a size 8. How does it compare measurement wise to a size 8 today?

I've no idea lol

To think size 12 isn’t Large?
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