two links and something to listen to

[rose_griffes]

I dove back into the whole vanity-sizing 'scandal' a week ago. Two links:

Why clothing sizes make no sense, on slate.com. The nonsense has a lot to do with modeling women's clothing sizes on shoe sizes: an arbitrary number that doesn't say any actual measurements. Add in that the women whose measurements were taken for the earliest sizing chart were all white, and that they were paid (and therefore potentially more poorly nourished than the average American woman at the time), and you have a recipe for unusability right from the start. (Also factor in that we have curves that men don't have, and it's hard to imagine how a usable size chart could be created at all.)

The Myth of Vanity Sizing examines some of those same factors. No denying that we in the US are getting larger, but the author of this post examines what else is going on in the fashion industry that leads to changing the numbers.

Whether vanity or industry practicalities, the end result is the same: we're getting bigger, the clothing labels are adjusting, and if you're on the lower end of that bell curve, you might find yourself wearing a 00, or XXS, or not finding your size at all in stores.

And now for something completely different: British jack-of-all trades Stephen Fry does a lovely take-down of the snobbery of language purists. I'm embedding the video; personally I listened to just the audio and worked on other mindless things, rather than watch the text moving all around. Definitely worth a listen, though.

Comments

[scifiaddict86.livejournal.com]

Its funny but I haven't noticed sizes getting bigger in fact in some stores they've gotten smaller. I think its a more American phenomenon since Americans are getting larger at a faster rate then Canadians. I'm sure it will trickle down here eventually but that tends to take time. Although there are some more plus sized womens stores lately but there all pretty high end. Plus I know one thing that affecting Canadian sizing is how exponentualy the Asian population has jumped in the last twenty years, we've got a minority majority in quite a few places now. Since they are smaller on average some brand are changing to attract their business. Its also part of why are obesity rates are climbing slower than the US. (That and better food quality and access. Canadians are several times more likely to live near a farm than Americans, unless you live in the North)

Ugh what I really hate is when clothes are supposed to be a bigger size but only one part of the garment is actually bigger. I don't know how many times I've not fit the medium gone back for the large and found out it fits exactly the same through the shoulders as the medium did. Its just stores being cheap they only actually make the shirt longer and don't bother with the sleeves. My favourite brand is my favourite mostly cuz the clothing size covers a good range(they go from 00 to XXL) even if it is slightly more expensive.

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

What sparked the internet search this time was ordering some shirts from catalog company Lands' End... and finding that all of them (size extra small) were too large for me. I'm small busted, but come on! According to the LA size chart, I wear an XXS in tops, and they don't make them in regular, only in petites. *eyeroll*

I'm guessing that particular company doesn't serve many Asian women. I've read that some companies in California are making sure to keep smaller sizes stocked in their clothing lines, to serve the larger Asian population there. But in my state? Not a significant population, apparently.

I don't know how many times I've not fit the medium gone back for the large and found out it fits exactly the same through the shoulders as the medium did. Its just stores being cheap they only actually make the shirt longer and don't bother with the sleeves.

Wow, that's... terrible! Ugh, I don't know why I'm even surprised, though.

[katewallace.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that it has anything to do with how big we've gotten, just that they're using a different a scale when sizing the clothes. If I buy anything today I have to buy a 'large', and if it has bust darts, then I have to get an 'extra-large', yet I have several blouses that I bought years ago that still fit and they are sized '12' or 'medium'. And yes, my bust size has gone up, but not that much.

I ordered new pants for work, I'd gained a little weight, so I went up a size, from a '14' to a '16'. When they came, they were smaller than the pants they were ordered to replace. The whole 'sizing' thing makes no sense anymore.

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's... just weird. Really weird. And demonstrates just how illogical 'sizes' are for clothes.

I always encounter the opposite problem. I'm fairly slender (for an American woman) and really flat-chested, but I haven't gotten smaller over the years... and there are several stores that don't carry shirts that fit me anymore, including JC Penney's and Kohls. At least not in the misses section, and I refuse to shop in the juniors department. THAT'S WHERE MY STUDENTS SHOP. Ugh.

And my jeans size in most brands has gone down two sizes since college, even though my waist is two inches larger than it was at the time.

The lack of consistency in clothing sizes is laughable, except for how it makes me want to cry sometimes.