Is size 12 seen as "big" generally?

[piperoo1095]

Hi all,

Not trying to cause controversy here as I am genuinely interested. But do most people consider a UK size 12 to be "big"? I only ask because I see a lot of posts online at people "horrified" that they reached a size 12 and to me it's never seemed bad at all. Perhaps I've been living under my nice little rock of ignorance. Of course I'm sure height and build plays a massive role too!

Depends on your height and bone structure surely

I'd deem it big. But also deem it the normal now

Around 2009ish, I was around 10st 10 and I remember being a comfortable size 12 or a "squeezed in and can't sit down 10". I definitely look a healthy weight or even slim in photos and my BMI was around 25 so the top end of healthy medically as well.

So I’d say a 12 back then was not big at all, although I’m not sure if a 12 now is different due to vanity sizing. I’m currently just about a size 18 and am definitely fat (BMI of 40). For my height (5ft 5) I’d say a size 10 was slim, a 12 is normal, a 14 is a bit overweight, a 16 is chubby and an 18 is fat.

I'm a 12 with a bmi of 24. It's borderline big healthwise, but it's below average comparatively.

Completely depends on your height really.

I'm 5ft 11 and size 12, I am very slim, in fact if I was a size smaller I'd be positively ill looking.

5 ft 6. Size 12 I'm.between 10 and 10 stone 8lb which is manageable. Happy with that size. I've been size 10 post pregnancy but it took a lot of work..wasn't natural for me..loved it though.

I'm 5ft 11 and usually a 12 top, 14 lowers - very much depends on height and build, but 12 isn't big on my height. I have a smallish waist, small boobs, broader shoulders and hips/thighs. I'd look too thin at anything less than a 12.

Good grief.

At just under 5ft with a tiny frame I’m fat at a size 12, as now. I’m in my 50’s so okay with being a 10 which I’m on my way to and sometimes in. At size 8 I’m slim, when I was occasionally a size 6 in the 90s and 2000’s I was very slim. I think average height people don’t realise the impact of height, it’s exponential, so I don’t mention my existing weight if I mention losing weight because people act with incredulity and it sounds like I’m being a twat but if I’m over 9st I’m significantly overweight.

Size 12 isn’t big for someone who is average height, it’s not slim just normal.

I don't think 12 is big but someone who was a size 16 said they were midsize the other day.

Surely 16 is large?

12 is midsize?

A size 12 is massive let alone "BIG", they must have hobbit feet, just about acceptable on a man but a woman, I would phone the Guinness book of records or do that Chinese feet binding.
Maybe a specialist cobbler will suffice or magic ring.

The sizes vary so much between retailers. It's hard to know what is a 12 or a 14 etc

I'm a weird triangle shape. 5ft 4 and 9 stone. I'm 12 on top as my shoulders are wide and size 8 on the bottom. Looking at me, you never say I looked overweight.

At an average height/build, I would say that 10 is an average size (‘neither slim nor big’) and 12 would definitely be on the bigger side. That’s just me though!

I'm 5'0 so size 12 would be very big. It so happens that most of my friends are between 4'11-5'2, so in our group size 8 is probably average. I am a bit chubby, but due to height my size is still between 8-10.

When I’m a size 12 I am overweight according to BMI so it’s big to me, yes.

To be honest a lot of the time I don’t really think you can tell based on the size of the clothes. Some of my clothes are XS and some are medium. Some are 8 and some are 10, but when I put them up next to one another they basically look almost the same. My jeans are normally a 10-12 but that’s because I’ve got wide hips. On top I’m always a lot smaller. In my experience sizing is really inconsistent so I can’t really judge off it. My mum is horrified when she needs to buy a 14/16 because since I was born she had been a 12, but I really don’t think she has gotten any bigger, if she has it’s really not noticeable. It makes me sad that my mum gets so hung up on it, but I think maybe in the past sizing was a bit more consistent and that’s why she gets mortified buy it.

I’d say it is unless you are 5’9 and up

I imagine if you've always been a slim size 8, then a 12 feels big to you.

I've not been as small as a 12 since my mid teens so I'd love to be a 12 again, having been almost a size 22 2yrs ago, slowly losing it now thanks to WLI.

Bloody hell, no a size 12 is not big and there are not many adult 30s 40s that is a size 6. It's certainly not ideal that would be really skinny for most people unless they were very short. Where are you getting that idea from? My dd is a size 4/6 she is a child and has an eating disorder it's definitely not an ideal size for a grown woman. All women have different shapes hips for example I am a 12 sometimes a 10 I run three times a week I'm quite slim 5'5 with hips. I dispare if people think a 12 is big makes me even more concerned for my child in the future.

I'd love to be a 12 again 😂😂😂

My bmi is 21 and I'm between a size 10 and 12 so I must be doing something wrong somewhere.

Let me break it down…

4.6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24 +

So 12 is pretty much slap bang in the middle, you’re welcome x

As posters have said, it depends in your build.

My friend is a size 8 on the bottom and size 16 on top because she’s tall with long arms and big boobs.

Im size 12-14 I am about 1/2 stone overweight but I also have big boobs and bum.

I know size 12s who are bigger and smaller than me and so I don’t think you can really go by clothes sizing.