Talk to me about dress size vs weight plz

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So, this has probably been done to death but what is the deal with eight vs dress size ? Is there some science behind it?

Reason I'm asking is a family friend has been losing weight. They are about the same height as me (5"3) and was telling me they've lost 2 stone and can wear an 18 - fantastic ! Rally happy for them . She was saying she started off at 20st and was a size 22.

This is where I got to thinking. I have also lost a bit of weight, can now get into a size 18. At my heaviest -15st I had to wear size 22, that was when I decided enough was enough

It's crazy how similar weights/heights can have such varying dress sizes :O

Try not to focus too much on dress sizes, in one shop a size 8 will be the equivalent to a size 10/12 in another for starters.

Wear what makes for feel comfortable - cut out the numbers on the tags because a good fit is way better than squeezing into a smaller size "just coz you can".

Well done on loading weight BTW

I am a size 8 in Wallis and a ten in Tu, it varies wildly.

Loading weight....

Loading weight - I'm a pro at that 😂😂😂

I really wish all the clothes shops would get to gather and come up with some sort of industry standard, especially as everyone is buying clothes online, would make things a hell of a lot easier

It also has a lot to do with your shape and height too. I was 21st and a size 20/22 went down to 15st and an 16/18. I'm 5'11 and very much hold my weight around my middle.

It totally depends on body shape everyone is so different. Some people just have naturally bigger boobs or a bigger bum or whatever. I'm 4"11 and I've never been overweight but even in my teens and my twenties when I was only about 8 stone or less I never looked skinny if that makes sense. Ive always been curvy.

I would doubt that anyone who weighed 20 stone at 5 ft 3 was just a size 22. I was a size 22 at 15 stones and I am 5 ft 6.

5 ft 7. I am 12 stones now and a size 12-14

I'd stop concentrating on dress size. People carry weight in different places. I'm pear shaped, and can't wear dresses due to being a bigger size on the bottom than the top. My friend is the same height and weight as me but can wear smaller sizes as her weight is evenly distributed.

Yes dress size has no science/factual basis at all behind it - unlike men's clothing which is in theory at least measured in inches or centimetres, each individual shop can size their clothes however they like. Vanity sizing is a big thing, shops know you will be pleased and happy if you need a smaller size and are more likely to buy, so every few years despite the fact the population as a whole is getting bigger, clothes sizes are getting smaller. 10 years ago size 8 was the smallest you could buy mainstream clothing in and aside from a few unusually petite women or teenage girls, most people needing a smaller size were underweight and looked pretty unhealthy. Now size 6 is pretty mainstream and naturally slim/tiny women actually need to buy size 4s in a lot of places or so I hear.

So whether you fit into a size X depends on how that shop has sized their clothes, your body shape (I have a slim waist but broad shoulders, so sometimes need a bigger size in tops than bottoms), the cut of the particular garment (I can definitely get away with wearing a smaller size in floaty loose cut dresses and tops than tailored trousers for instance). Not to put too fine a point on it, but we probably all occasionally squeeze ourselves into clothes that are probably a bit too small, jeans that give us muffin top or whatever, does that make us a 'size X' in reality? Does it matter?

I know a lot of MNetters hate it, but the scales don't lie and BMI is currently the best way of estimating whether you are the right weight for your height. The other good thing to do is track waist measurements compared to height, as visceral fat stored around the organs is the worst for health and can be an early indicator for things like diabetes risk...