On vanity sizing

“A woman with a 32-inch bust would have worn a Size 14 in Sears’s 1937 catalog. By 1967, she would have worn an 8, Ms. Zulli found. Today, she would wear a zero.” –New York Times

If you haven’t noticed already, there seems to be no standard in women’s sizing. It’s hard to just pick up a pair of jeans and be confident that it should fit you like any other pair. That’s not the case. Over the years, clothing companies have been vanity sizing their clothes so that women can feel better and pay more for their clothing (as clearly illustrated in that picture above!).The article says that a woman with a 27” waist is an 8 or 10 in Marc Jacob’s high end line and a triple zero at Chico’s.

Do you find yourself trying to squeeze into a smaller dress size than normal? Are you more likely to buy a size 2 instead of a 4 just because the 2 can zip up now? I think its a marketing tactic but it works on some level, especially when at lot of women try to stay away from the scale and use clothing tightness as their weight gain/loss gauge. This could give a very false sense of weight loss. Use your OLD jeans! Don’t buy new ones as your fit test pants! And please use your scale, your measuring tape, and get your body fat % checked. That’s the best way to see if you’re actually gaining muscle and losing fat through your diets and workouts.

Try not to be so swayed by the number on the pant. Nobody knows what you’re wearing but you anyway. Buy what fits and makes YOU look GOOD. Regardless of what Marc Jacobs or J. Crew says, I would much rather wear a larger pair of jeans than try to squeeze into a smaller pair with a muffin top. (Eek!)