size inflation

[Lisalu 89]

Here I am thinking I'm hot sh*t wearing my size 10s, when I decide to try on one of my mom's suits from the late 60s. My mom was about as tall as me and weighed from 125 to 140 at different times. The jacket fit but I couldn't button the skirt without creating a muffin top (and possibly a stricture of some sort). Ok, I think, about 7-10 pounds more for this suit to be comfortable. Then I look at the label: size 12. That means that in 1960s' sizes, I'd be wearing a size 14 now. Wow. Then I remember that I wore 13s and 14s in high school and I weighed 130 lbs. So when they tell us that Marilyn Monroe wore a 12, really it probably was an 8 by 2010 standards. Along with supersizing our meals, they've supersized our clothes.

[peatie 4]

I hear ya..my mom has some sundresses from the 70's that say size 12. It's about the size of a six today. Crazy!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Yes it is very true. It's happened in over the last 15-20 years or so. I have some jeans from back in the late 80's. They are size 14's but they are much smaller than some other 14's I've had since last year. I'm thinking they are more like 10's or so.

We'll see once I get down there. I've saved them all this time to get back into them someday. Once I do though they are going away, no way I'm gonna wear 14's when everything else is 10's!! LOL :001_smile:

[Eureka-C 20]

That means... Hmmmm... I was wearing a 12 in high school, which is an 8 by today's standards so it is possible I will be an 8 when I reach goal!

[Tiffykins 672]

Vanity sizing is rampant in today's market. I guess because I never recall wearing "normal" sized clothing that I'll take the major ego stroking that sliding on my size 0 Gap jeans give me every time! ! !

I'm sure it's closer to a size 4 of years past, but for me, it's a size 0 and I'm going to just not think of "what size they really are".

[Globetrotter 1,340]

Yeah, I first knew something was wrong when my Mom, who weighed 117 pounds the day she learned she was pregnant with me, commented that she never wore smaller than a size 8 in her life!!! This is why I was perplexed for the longest time when I would read here on the forum about people saying they were 130-150 pounds and then saying some really small number size they were now wearing - 130 pounds at 5'3" in high school got me a size 8, but I recently went to the website of an upscale women's clothing store and looked at their size chart and according to them, the measurements I had when I was 130 pounds and a size 8 - would now get me into a 4/6!!!!!!!

So really, the arguement people make now about hollywood being bad for making size 2 the new thin, is a fallacy. Taking into accound size inflation, a size 2 today is probably what a size 6 was 40 years ago. Wonder what size Twiggy was ...

[Maddie 9]

Men are now subject to Vanity Waist Sizes........

Are Your Pants Lying to You? An Investigation

September 7, 2010 at 8:30AM by Abram Sauer

The devastating realization came in H&M. Specifically, in a pair of size 36 dress pants. I'd never bought pants at H&M before, and suddenly asked myself: how could a 36-inch waist suddenly be so damn tight?

6968Share

I've never been slim ? I played offensive line in high school ? but I'm no cow either. (I'm happily a "Russell Crowe" body type.) So I immediately went across the street, bought a tailor's measuring tape, and trudged from shop to shop, trying on various brands' casual dress pants. It took just two hours to tear my self-esteem to smithereens and raise some serious questions about what I later learned is called "vanity sizing."

Your pants have been deceiving you for years. And the lies are compounding:

The pants manufacturers are trying to flatter us. And this flattery works: Alfani's 36-inch "Garrett" pant was 38.5 inches, just like the Calvin Klein "Dylan" pants ? which I loved and purchased. A 39-inch pair from Haggar (a brand name that out-testosterones even "Garrett") was incredibly comfortable. Dockers, meanwhile, teased "Leave yourself some wiggle room" with its "Individual Fit Waistline," and they weren't kidding: despite having a clear size listed, the 36-inchers were 39.5 inches. And part of the reason they were so comfy is that I felt good about myself, no matter whether I deserved it.

However, the temple for waisted male self-esteem is Old Navy, where I easily slid into a size 34 pair of the brand's Dress Pant. Where no other 34s had been hospitable, Old Navy's fit snugly. The final measurement? Five inches larger than the label. You can eat all the slow-churn ice cream and brats you want, and still consider yourself slender in these.

Full Story:

Pants Size Chart - Mens Pant Sizes by Brand - Esquire

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Wonder what size Twiggy was ...

Good Question! :001_smile: I was looking up google to see if it were mentioned anywhere and intead found this... interesting.

With that wherever my body settles I'm just going to be happy. Happy that I'm healthy and happy I can fit in normal clothes!

Twiggy: I Wanted To Look Like Marilyn Monroe

[Maddie 9]

Twiggy: I Wanted To Look Like Marilyn Monroe

WOW! That's shocking.

[AutumnLily 77]

I believe it! I when I have gone out pants shopping and one company's pants I can fit into comfortably and others I have to go up a couple of sizes to get them to fit. Now I really have no idea what size I am!

This is one of the reasons why I hate to shop for clothes.

Lily

[Globetrotter 1,340]

So it's official then, I'm going to just focus on the scale numbers and how I feel in my body, tag numbers be da**ed! 129 is my goal and if that ends up being a "4" or a "12", so be it!

[mp8btpc 32]

So it's official then, I'm going to just focus on the scale numbers and how I feel in my body, tag numbers be da**ed! 129 is my goal and if that ends up being a "4" or a "12", so be it!

:thumbup: Cheers Cheers

[mp8btpc 32]

So it's official then, I'm going to just focus on the scale numbers and how I feel in my body, tag numbers be da**ed! 129 is my goal and if that ends up being a "4" or a "12", so be it!

:thumbup: Cheers Cheers