Do I have a really odd body?

[outcrops]

I keep reading and hearing how sizes are much bigger now than they were, that a 12 today would have been a 16 in the past etc and that designer clothes tend to be smaller than high street etc. I’m not arguing with this at all as there seems to be universal agreement about it, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for me and I’m wondering if it means I have really odd measurements.

When I buy vintage as I occasionally do, I’m pretty much always a 12 (and good sales assistants in vintage shops tend to recommend me this size). When I buy higher end high street (reiss, whistles, jigsaw etc) I’m 12 or occasionally a 10, however in the high street and supermarkets (new look, M&S, Tesco) I’ll quite often try a 12 and have to change it to 14.

Given everyone else in the world seems to find the opposite, I think I must have odd proportions. I don’t know exact measurements but I’m tall (5,10) and carry my weight around my hips but have ok waist and smallish bum and long legs. Does anyone have any ideas why I’m such an anomaly?

You're tall for today and very tall for vintage so clothes won't necessarily be where they were intended on your body. Are you evenly proportioned in your height or do you have long legs or a long upper body, etc?

I am a slim hourglass which I has the impression would fit vintage but definitely not. I'm a 10 and my few vintage items are 16 and tailored to make them fit. Lucky you fitting them, don't question it!

Thanks. Yes maybe it’s the height so waists sit higher. I think (hope) they don’t look like they’re sitting wrong. I’m pretty much evenly proportioned. Fairly long legs but not a short body.

I don’t understand why people keep coming out with the argument of “a size 16 in the past is a 10 now” etc etc. Does it matter? We’re not living in the past. Just buy clothes that fit and don’t worry what the size says 🤷🏼‍♀️

For me my size partly depends on the item (shorts vs dress etc) the fit (loose, stretch, fitted) and the shop

i am often a size 6 in M&S/boden but recently bought some size 12 denim shorts from Zara.

How 'vintage' are you talking about? 20 years ago will be very different to 50 years ago.

When I was young in the late 70s and early 80s I wore size 12. I am bigger and heavier now and wear size 16, I'm pretty sure if I was the same size I was in my youth I would still be wearing size 12. My friend and I used to share clothes - we couldn't now - but I think she is still wearing the same size she did then, and is still around the same weight.

What I find much weirder is people on MN who are the same height and same weight as me and yet are wearing a size, or even two, smaller clothing.

MY BF is 5ft 8, Im 5ft 2 .She is a pear, Im an apple , Im 9 stone, shes 13 stone, shes size 7 feet, Im a 4, yet we wear the same size clothes bought from the same shops -12 tops and dresses - 10 jeans

Think a lot of it has to do with torso length and bust measurement. BF is very broad in the hips and thighs, has legs that go on an on and is as flat as a pancake, where as Im all boob, no bum and skinny legs. I carry my weight above the belly button, she carries hers below and theres not a lot of distance on me between boobs and belly button where as she is much longer. If we were both wearing high waisted bikinis she would have more flesh on show then me

I often wonder similar - same weight all my adult life, size 10-12 in the 80s, still size 10-12 now 🤷‍♀️ Suspect I wouldn't remotely fit into proper vintage.

I wonder what it is that people are calling vintage?

For me it would be clothes pre 50's and I certainly wouldnt be getting into those size 10s :)

Vintage is 20+ years old. Has been a bit of a shock to see things I remember owning in the early 2000s being sold as vintage!

@suki1964 I'm guessing it's more recent than that - these days vintage could actually be pretty recent 😂

When I was at uni in the 80s I used to buy vintage dresses from the 50s and 60s. They were gorgeously made, lovely fabrics and very very tiny! But I was skinny and young back in those days so it didn't seem unusual.

You could also buy really lovely suede jackets from that era - I would love to get my hands on one of those now - although they'd be 60 odd years old so probably wouldn't look that great 😂

I think sizing has always widely varied between brands, shops, countries, and even within the same shop. I’ve worn 8 to 14 over the years, depending on where it’s from, when I bought it and what the style of the item is - fitted, relaxed, oversized, regular etc.

I start with a basic assumption I’m going to be around a 12 but that can be way off depending on the shop.

I dont think clothing size has any real meaning anymore TBH.
I recently came out of a shop with items that fit in sizes XS to L!

A prime example of the weirdness of it all. I'm one inch shorter than your BF, and one stone lighter - yet I wear size 16 and she's in 12s and 10s!!!

Because body composition makes all the difference

Why does it matter? It's society that has convinced women that we should all look a certain way and be a certain size (or within a specific range of sizes). When in reality, women come in all different shapes & sizes. So provided we're healthy, I just don't understand why it's a big deal what size or shape we are.

(Obviously I'm not saying it's ok to be bariatric-obese, that's what I meant by as long as we're healthy).