When I were a lass, a size 10 was a 24" waist...

[clary]

Admittedly that's a while ago but I was a size 10 or 12 in 1978/80. Size 12 was 26" waist, 36" hip. 2" off that for size 10.

I have lost more than a stone in weight and dropped clothes sizes too (obv). Measured my waist the other day after reading about the diabetes risk associated with a measurement of more than 35". It was 27.5 which I was v happy with but that would make me a size 14 in old money.

But my size 12 skirts from before I lost the weight are sitting on my hips or below; size 10 is even too big in some shops.

I know that shops have sized up to make us all feel happier that we are still a size 12 or whatever, but surely this latest research shows that's not a good thing? If my 27" waist is a size 8/10 (!!) then 30" would be a 12, maybe 32" a 14, maybe 35" a 16? A lot of us would say, oh well, size 16, that's not that fat really. But suddenly it's in this diabetes danger range...

Are we not in danger of normalising being fat and making it acceptable? When I say we, I guess I mean clothes shops. And on another point, what the heck size does someone who is genuinely slim buy?

[melissa83]

Chibi - Im not much more than 7 stone when not pregnant and am very fit. Im still doing loads of exercise and only a few weeks until my third. I could still run faster than most people I know even this pregnant as I was skinny and fit before.

[chibi]

i am delighted for you that you are 7 stone.

are you also at least 5'6? do you lift weights as well (actual weights, no 2kg handweights)

[melissa83]

Im 5 foot 3 and ex forces so used to doing full hardcore exercising daily including recruit training. I still do 40-50 hours exercising a week now and never been much more than that weight I agree with toddlerterror its genetics.

[hellymelly]

Waist size is determined by your rib cage if you are not overweight. So not everyone can get a 23" waist, however thin someone is, their ribs will dictate the waist. I have my families narrow ribs, am 26.5" around my bra band, and was 25 when thinner, that is why my waist was so small. I am 5'8" so not petite, but all my mother's family have teeny ribs.

[StillWishihadabs]

A 24" waist is perfectly normal in a young woman. Less common after pregnancy and child birth. I had a 24" waist until I was 25 (weighed 54kg, 8st 8 I think) I am 5'5" so a very normal height. I was never skinny just very hour glass. After 2 dcs my waist is 26" on a good day.

[KittiesInsane]

Chibi, I wasn't seeing it as something to aspire to either ! Just an illustration of how both size and shape have changed within one rather runty family.

[StrawberryCheese]

My mum always used to say how she had a 24" waist when she got married in 1984. She's very proud of that.

At my slimmest my waist is 27". I've noticed a lot more recently that rather than going for my default size 10 top, I am having to try on size 8 as well, something I would never have considered before. I'm currently wearing a pair of size 12 Mango jeans which need holding up with a belt. I looked in Mango last week for jeans and half of them on the rail were a size 4 or 6.

[chibi]

i find it more interesting that anyone would be proud of a measurement of an arbitrary body part, than the idea that sizes have changed

but those of us without 18 inch waists have to take our kicks where we can get them i guess

[almapudden]

I measured myself for the first time in ages last week: 38 27 39. I'm 5'11" and pretty fit (do a lot of exercise) but because I'm so big - by which I mean tall and wide, not fat - I will never have an 18" waist or fit into size 8 trousers.

Nothing ever fits though; everything either gapes at the waist or strains at the hips :(

[Boleh]

As a western person living in Asia I can testify that there are a variety of body shapes here but the vast majority of them are naturally far slimmer and more delicate frames than -most- western women. I have a 29" waist, fit comfortably into a UK 12 and can not buy clothes here, the few western brands they carry very rarely are stocked in a 12 or above. As other have said, sizing is too unreliable to buy online so I get to buy clothes once a year! I can well believe that some of my friends who are perfectly healthy would struggle to bit clothes that fitted in Europe.
That said, I have a mid 1990's New Look size 12 skirt that does up just fine so my experience is not that sizes have changed that dramatically.

[grumblepuss]

It depends in your body shape/ size?
I'm 5'8" and straight up and down, my hips are the same as my ribs.
I have a bit of a waist, but I'll never have an hourglass waisted shape.

I'm a 12 on top to allow for boobs and a 10 in trousers.

[clary]

superscribbler I wasn't wearing a girdle to get into my 1978 size 10 skirts (I was 14!) - I was just slimmer then than I am now :)

That's not a big surprise - I am 50 and have had 3 children - but it just seems a bit a) daft (cos you never know what size will fit, and does the number really matter if you are healthy?) and b) dangerous.

Thanks for your thoughts ladies. lots of people of my-ish age seem to have had the same experience. I haven't kept anything from way back when but if I had I am sure it would be laughably small!

I agree people's figures have changed - maybe du to more emphasis on exercise, or perhaps just the kinds of things we eat - so that even slim women don't have such a clear waist as was once common - but I am concerned about the normalisation of being fat, especially among young people (I think there is more of an excuse for 40yos!)

LEMmingaround if that was directed at me it's a bit rude; and yes, how do you know I am healthy? I am a healthy weight but I might be dealing with all kinds of other issues. I'm not, as it goes, but I am still concerned about the issues, not least because of the possible strain on healthcare in this country caused by people thinking they are a healthy weight because of the size of clothes they buy.

chibi I know someone mentioned an 18" waist but I don't think anyone here (except you) is talking about aspiring to that! I certainly was never smaller than 24" once I was a teenager and I am pleased actually to be within 3-4" of that measurement now. I was certainly slimmer then tho and yet somehow the same size which is kind of my point.

[Notsoskinnyminny]

Boleh we should come to some arrangement DD is 19 and the only place she can buy off the peg is Japan as size 4s when she can find them still need taking in. She tries to go at least once a year to stock up and the rest of the time uses a shopping service and then gets hammered by Parcelforce for customs and admin fees.

[unweavedrainbow]

when i was younger i was a 22" waist, 18" in a corset. I am only 5'2" though and small framed. It is perfectly possible though

[DownstairsMixUp]

When I'm not pregnant I'm between 26/27 inches in the waist and a size 8-10 and 9 stone, if I actually stick to doing weights, I usually hover at 9 stone 4lbs but am a bit firmer. After I had ds1 i dropped to 8 stone randomly, my waist was 25 inches and I did look awful. My mum has a 25 inch waist but she's shorter than me but I just looked like a skeleton. Not a good look for me. People are definitely fatter but I do think a combination of a bigger population, women are taller and have different builds etc. At school I was always one of the taller girls at 5'4 but now I walk past them coming out of school and I'd say most of them are taller than me. :S

[TheBuskersDog]

hellokittymania less than 5 1/2 stone? How tall are you? No wonder even the smallest women's clothes are too big for you, you must be tiny.

[DinoSnores]

Doesn't really contribute to the vanity sizing debate but this website is great for telling you what size to buy in which shop:

sizes.darkgreener.com/

[melissa83]

Its definitely how your frame is as Im only an inch taller than downstairs but am 9 stone now and I am absolutely huge. I have a massive baby bump and size f boobs.

[higgle]

My mother was 5'4" 8st 10lb and a size 14 in the early 70's.

[Babiesbabieseverywhere]

his thread has inspired me to measure...

I've currently got a pair of size 10 next jeans on. They are a couple of years old and the only pair of jeans I own right now. I'm three months post baby and wearing a size 12 in most things

My waist is 31"
Round the waistband of the jeans whilst they're on is 36"
Widest point of my hips is 38"

These must be a particularly large size 10??

[goodasitgets]

I tend to ignore sizing now. I wear a size 16 but bought an asos curve dress the other week and needed a size 22
I aim to be healthy and strong, my body has a natural wide frame, the weights and exercise I do mean I have biceps and large shoulders. Other than that I'm hourglass shape with 11 inches difference between waist and hips

[ouryve]

In 2014, size 10 is not a 24" waist.

It's just numbers and nothing to get worked up about. Other countries have entirely different sizing systems. 6, 8, 10, 12 etc is pretty artbitrary and meaningless, anyhow. If anything, the US system is more logical as that actually does start at zero. I've never seen anywhere stock anything less than a UK 6.

[PiratePanda]

At 5'7" despite having an hourglass figure I only just managed a 24" waist when I was aged 16 and 7 stone 12 and starving myself I can tell you though that I was definitely a size 10 and no smaller. This was 1989 or thereabouts.

I don't really care (can't afford to as I'm currently 14-16 in today's money :( ) But I would like some consistency and regulation.

As for Gap and the ridiculous idea that my jean size is 31" you can fuck off. 36 maybe.

[DownstairsMixUp]

Next come up big don't they? 31 inch waist and getting into a 10, I'd have thought that was more a size 12-14? Think my waist is 29-30 inches at the moment (38 weeks pregnant) and wearing 12's on the top.

[Missunreasonable]

That link posted by dino is quite good, I hope it is accurate as I am going to save it.