So much size 12 shaming around and it saddens me

[Littlemeadow123]

Seriously, what is wrong with being a size 12 or 14? Read an article in a heauty column the other day where the journalist claims that she flung a jumper down and stormed out of the shop in tears because it was a size 10 and didn't fit. Is the idea of trying on a size 12 really that horrendous? Does she not realize that sizes differ between shops anyway?

I'm a size 12, which according to a lot of people would put me in the overweight category. They dont seem to consider different body shapes at all.

There is nothing wrong with being bigger than a size 16 or 18 either but when they see size 12s and 14s being shamed they must feel awful about themselves at times as well.

It depends on shape and height. I'm about 5'7 and wear 10 top and12 bottom. I'm an ok BMI but close to the overweight end of the BMI scale, and did once hit the 'overweight' BMI whilst wearing size 12.

When I was younger I was an 8-10, but I recently had a clear out and the old (2000s) size 8 are absolutely tiny and even the old size 12s wouldn't touch me, top or bottom. Sizes have definitely expanded.

It’s funny isn’t it? You don’t get many men on public forums discussing theirs/each others weight in so much detail.

I'm a size 12, very slightly under 5 foot 6. I'm overweight but only just, I feel quite big. I reckon if I lose a stone I'll be alright, but will probably just about be able to get into a size 10 with a BMI around 23. I think for anyone shorter than me a size 12 is absolutely overweight but probably not unhealthy.

Meh, I'm a size 12 at 5ft3 (or sometimes 14, because I have massive manly shoulders and tailored jackets don't fit).

I'm slap in the middle of the healthy BMI range. I'm just stubby.

I don't think it's shaming anyone else to be upset you've gained a dress size.

Just as considering different body shapes might mean for some a 12 is a perfectly healthy size for others, including the writer in question, it might not be.

I think you're looking to be offended to be honest.

12 and 14 are both fine depending on how tall you are and your build, ie bone structure. I'm very lean and usually take a size 12 at the bottom but often buy 14 for tops and jackets. A lot of people think I'm much smaller than I am - but I'm not.

I've never heard anybody 'fat shame' a person for being size 12/14. That's ridiculous.

I’m 5’9/10 and size 12 and definitely fat. Big roll around my hips, thighs are big and I have a tummy. I think these days a size 8/10 is a size 12 in old money and we are kidding ourselves tbh

I don't think it's shaming anyone else to be upset you've gained a dress size
Well said. TBH the real problem seems to be the 'everything is about ME' attitude that seems to be so prevalent today. No it really isn't, and learning to accept that is the key to happiness, self acceptance, and generally not taking shit you read online to heart.

I’m usually an 8 and if I needed a 12, I’d be upset. When I put weight on, I notice it. It makes me feel sluggish and lumpy. Having to buy a bigger shoe is usually the kick I need to start eating better and exercising again.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with being a 12/14 but if you’ve put weight on, it’s pretty normal to be not very happy about that.

I don't think it's shaming anyone else to be upset you've gained a dress size

Exactly. Just because I’m upset that I’ve gained weight to become a size 12, it doesn’t mean that I think everyone who is a size 12. To be brutally honest, I don’t really care about other people’s weight. Just mine (and that of my family, for health reasons).

I’m 5’6” and about 9ish stone (I don’t weigh myself). I deliberately wear size 12 tops because I have quite wide shoulders (ex- competitive swimmer!) so I need the room.

But clothing sizing is absolutely meaningless as a gauge of your weight. I think H&M have sorted themselves out now, but last year, when their sizing was all to cock, I was trying on size 14 and some of their stuff still didn’t fit!

Yet in Uniqlo I am an XS. And in M&S I am a size 10 in everything.

It’s just made up depending on the store.

Even at the lowest end of my healthy BMI, I have never fit these hips into anything smaller than a 12. I am tall and curvy, though.

I think I’m mostly sad that so many women give a shit.

I'm a 12. I have been a 6,8, before children and usually a 10 after. I am a 12 now and I'm 5 ft 8. I take several types of medication and two of them are notorious for weight gain. I still look quite slim at a 12. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a 12, 14 or 16 etc for that matter.

I think I’m mostly sad that so many women give a shit

I give a shit about being a size 12 because for me, it’s tipping over into being unhealthy. I have rolls, and my waste measurement is too high to be considered healthy.
I don’t give a shit what size anyone else wears.

Same for me soy. My bmi becomes borderline overweight and I just feel unhealthy.

But do you need to know it’s at a size 12 this happens for you (if that makes sense)? My issue isn’t with women wanting to be (and feel) healthy. It’s the preoccupation with arbitrary numbers like a size (which varies across brands anyway), BMI (which is a tenacious measure at best) etc.

But do you need to know it’s at a size 12 this happens for you

Well it’s obviously not the minute I tip over from a size 10 to a size 12 that I start to become healthy. But in the absence of weighing myself every day, it’s a measure I’m aware of. So I know that if my usual size 10’s no longer fit, it’s time to do something about it.

@Writersblock2 kind of yes, because I don't like to weigh myself, I like to go by my clothes and tend to buy in the same places.

I'm a 12, 6ft and 10st2. Definitely not fat, in fact a lot of people say I'm the opposite. I think it's ridiculous people are saying a 12 is fat without taking height into account. There's enough pressure on young women already, and when my daughter reaches 6ft I hope she steers well clear of all the media that is saying such rubbish.

I find sizing so confusing. I'm in my 30s now but a size 14. When I was 18, I was also a size 14 but 2stone lighter? I imagine because sizes have gone up? So if I fitted into a modern size 12 then I should be a size 14from years ago.

Either way it's all a load of rubbish and I totally agree size doesn't matter. I go by weight now and body shape!

And totally agree it's to do with height. My friend is 4ft10 and so a size 14 puts her into the obese category and she is "healthy" in size 8!

I'm 5'2" and my BMI is currently 26 I think (I'm nearly 10 stone). I'm a size 8 in some things but it doesnt change the fact I am overweight. I wish we could uncouple the way we physically look from the health aspect and look at it logically. Statistically, at a population level, being overweight is a health risk. Statistically, some people - short(er than average) people - will be in the overweight category despite being a small dress or shirt size.

It just goes to show, everyone is different. I'm nearly 8 months pregnant now but before that I had a bmi of 18.6 (weighed at booking in). I was still in a size ten because I am tall and have a broad frame - everyone is different. At a size 12 I would likely still be on the low end of a healthy weight for my height. I've been much much bigger in the past too but I've never bothered about the size of my clothes, nobody is looking at the label.

If I was a size 12, I would be overweight. But I'm also 5'0" tall.