Body Blog: My Clothes are Lying To Me

November 1, 2010 11:00 am     Posted in Body, Fitness  Jackelyn - San Francisco State University g+ page

You’ve made some big, healthy changes in your lifestyle (i.e. skipping the elevator and opting for the stairs en route to your dorm room) and you’re hoping they’ve paid off when you try on some new jeans. But don’t rely on your fave fashion store to accurately determine your size. I apologize for bursting your bubble, but chances are that your jeans might be a couple inches bigger than what the tag says.


By Jackelyn

Ladies and gents, it’s called VANITY SIZING.

In short, companies are starting to realize that when their consumers think they can fit into a smaller size, they feel better about their body image. Let’s face it: when we can fit into pants that would normally be difficult to zip, it’s super exciting. As a result, stores are thinking that we’ll keep coming back to purchase more stuff because, well, we are always guaranteed to feel good when we try on their clothes.

Personally, I think that vanity sizing is completely ridiculous, but I’m sure all you business majors know that it’s a great marketing tactic. Just as long as consumers are aware of the size differences, it’s not a big deal. But you see – that’s the thing. People are starting to believe their true size is not what it really is.

Girls are going around thinking that they are a size 6, when they really might be a size 8. For me, it sucks when I try on a different brand of jeans to learn that it is shockingly inaccurate. Plus, how annoying is it that you never really know what size to order online because every company follows a different sizing chart? Let’s face it – not every 34” waists fit the same.

In addition, a lot of girls are in the mindset that they only wear one size and refuse to buy anything bigger than that. As a result, when they do come across a cute pair of jeans, they are more likely to purchase their regular size – even if it fits more snuggly than if they had gone a few sizes up. Little do people know…not all sizes are the same.

How do we fix this? The only way to really tell what size you are is to take a measuring tape and measure yourself inch for inch. This way, you can refer to each brand’s sizing charts and purchase accurately.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, size should not be the main determinant for someone’s healthiness. Yet, when it comes to vanity sizing, it concerns me to hear that stores are doing this. Is it because they are ashamed of their heavy set population or is it because they are promoting larger waist lines? Why is it so satisfying to think that we need to wear clothes that are smaller? Sure, it makes us feel better to hear we’ve gone down a size, but what does it mean if all of that is a lie?

According to Esquire, the biggest vanity sizing culprits include H&M, Calvin Klein, Alfani, Gap, Haggar, Dockers and Old Navy.  The shocker is that stores also do this for guys! And we thought girls only had body issues…

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do about vanity sizing except for be aware of its existence. Don’t let a store reel you into their web of deceptions. Be informed and if you’re ever unsure, measure out their clothes yourself. You might find that their 27’s are really 29’s. At the end of the day, buy outfits because they make you look and feel awesome, not because of the size on the tag.

If you are the type to use clothes to monitor your weight loss, keep track by measuring yourself every so often and use clothes you already own to see how the fit changes overtime. Do not rely on the latest clothing – the newer the item, the more likely the sizing is off.

All in all, be proud of your body and know that how you feel is more important than what the label says. Wear clothes that accentuate your figure and watch those heads turn (towards your fab abs and lovable legs) as you walk down the street.

What do you think about Vanity Sizing? Twitteroo me @jackelynho.

18 Comments on "Body Blog: My Clothes are Lying To Me"

  1. Allison says:
    Mon, 1st Nov 20107:06 am 

    Yes! This is so weird. At Gap, I used to be a comfortably snug 4 (and a 6 everywhere else); now a size 2 is big on me! I have no idea what people who are actually petite wear now.

  2. Jen says:
    Mon, 1st Nov 201010:22 am 

    This makes a lot of sense. I recently dropped 40 lbs yet I haven't actually moved down a size in the pants department. I did get excited when I fit into a smaller size at H&M. I'm sad to see them first on the list.

  3. rox says:
    Mon, 1st Nov 201012:37 pm 

    H&m is actually terrible at this, so is Old Navy. I pretty much know that I wear 2 sizes smaller at these stores. sad.

  4. Heather says:
    Mon, 1st Nov 20105:49 pm 

    Great article! I find this issue with clothing stores very frustrating! Allison mentioned above about wondering what petite people wear now – I fall into this category, I'm 5'3 and 112 pounds. It's very hard finding jeans to fit properly for me!

    A personal experience of this happening:

    When I was 15 I used to buy my jeans at a store called stitches(Canadian), where I wore a size 3. I have not grown since then and I no longer shop there but I tried on jeans there a year ago (age 18) and I fit a size 0 or 1!

  5. L says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 20107:52 am 

    I used to shop at gap a lot as a size 0/2, but now there's nothing there that actually fits properly. I may get a sweater or something that I don't mind being slightly oversized, but for jeans I can't shop there anymore.

  6. kileyrae says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 20108:57 am 

    I work at old navy, and i can say that yes they do do this! i will be helping people who say they wear a size 10 in some stores, yet at old navy they end up being a size 8 or even a 6… also the different fits of jeans fit different sizes for people as well. especially in the women's section. They do also have slight differences in tops too. Some women that fit into a large top at some places are able to fit into as small as a size small top at old navy now. It's crazy how the sizes are… you really have to try things on to make sure it's the correct size you need, because most things do run big.

  7. Jackelyn - San Franc says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 201010:41 am 

    I'm glad you guys can see the sizing differences! I know I already said this, but it is sooo annoying. Someone needs to come up with a standard sizing chart.

    Kileyrae, out of curiosity, do your customers get excited when you hand them a smaller size? Or do they already know it's a tag difference?

  8. Leigha says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 20107:29 pm 

    I, like Heather and and L, have a serious issue with vanity sizing. Look, the largest size I can wear (normally) is a 3, and that's pushing it. I'm not going to shop in the kid's section just because you (by which I mean the stores…well, manufacturers really) insist on trying to make people feel skinnier (I assume that's the reason).

  9. julia says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 20108:17 pm 

    i have the same problem mentioned above- i'm 5'2, very small-boned, and wear a size zero or double zero in most stores. but places like old navy, express, the limited, ann taylor–their size zero is what i would consider to be a 2 or 4. i can't even buy clothes from them! no matter how hard i try, i can't spend money at their stores!

  10. Nicole says:
    Thu, 4th Nov 20101:18 pm 

    I'm also one of those small boned petite girls (5'0), and as much as I love the Gap and Old Navy, it is next to impossible to shop there. The last thing I got at either store was a plain black long sleeve v-neck tee from the Gap in a size small (which is still huge on me!) that I pretty much only wear when I layer it under jerseys or short sleeve shirts.

  11. Jessica says:
    Sun, 7th Nov 20101:07 pm 

    I have lost almost 40 pounds, and my Old Navy size 16 jeans drive me nuts! Some of my size 16s are too big, some still tight despite losing 40 pounds, and my Calvin Klein jeans from Costco are getting too big! So what the heck gives? According to my measurements (which I go by more so than the scale or pants sizes) I have lost an inch and a half in my waist and about 2 inches in my hips (and inches other places like bust and upper arm and thigh) yet the pants sizing is still all wonky.

    Do you know how depressing it is when you've lost 40 pounds to put on a pair of jeans in the size you wore before the weight loss AND THEY ARE STILL TIGHT?! It's SOOOOOO aggravating! I usually shop at Old Navy too because well, I'm putting myself through college, don't have unlimited access to mom and dad's money so I have to buy my own clothes and am on a budget. Old Navy is usually pretty budget friendly. Oh, and, a pair of Old Navy size 12's from a few years ago that used to be big on me before I had health problems and gained weight, well i can get them on, but can't quite get them closed yet. I could probably fit in CK size 12s though, based on how baggy the size 14s are getting

    But after that experience I'm totally turned off from Old NAvy. It's really just kind of mean to mislead people with sizes like that. Why can't they just be honest? What's a girl losing weight to do? I try not to get down about the sizes, the measurements are really what I base my progress off and how everything I wear fits (starts getting too big, etc) because those things don't lie, unlike jean sizes!

  12. alex says:
    Sun, 7th Nov 20103:52 pm 

    I love the vanity sizing at h&m. I'm a size 16/18 and I fit a size 14 there. It's my go-to store my classy work clothes. But the sizing at old navy is ridiculous. I love their clothes, but every shirts i have from them range from a small to an extra large. I would never buy anything from their online store because the sizes are completely inconsistent.

  13. Christine says:
    Tue, 16th Nov 20102:31 pm 

    I used to think that vanity sizing was the sort of thing you could avoid if you shopped at the really fancy places, but even there it's a problem. I'm 36-30-38 or thereabouts, so I should be a size 14, right? I understand that the size 6-10 for my skirts or jeans at Marks* is vanity sizing. But even my wedding dress was a size 12.

    *Yes, even Marks Work Wearhouse has fallen to the vanity sizing, they're the best about it of the stores I shop at though.

  14. gary says:
    Wed, 13th Apr 201111:20 pm 

    Hi，can I say something to you ? I will marry with my girlfriend at next month. I love her very much. I promise to hold a good wedding ceremony and give her a beautiful wedding dress. But I have visited weeding shop already, I found the wedding dress are so expensive, and looks bad. I was so bother about that. When I search the internet, I found a online shop Weddingdress（dot）com.ph. It sell many kinds of wedding dresses and prom dresses. I found it so cheap, and the picture looks so beautiful. But I still doubt about that. And I can not help but temptation. When I get a wedding dress from the online shop, I found it beautiful. And the most important my wife likes it very much. When she wears it, she looks so beautiful, and I can not recognize her. The quality also good too, when you touch it, you can feel the material are best. Thank for the shop, now we are so busy to prepare the wedding, I will love my wife forever.

  15. karen mileln says:
    Thu, 30th Jun 20115:32 am 

    interested

  16. Rachel says:
    Sun, 30th Oct 20115:07 pm 

    It's so weird. I've constantly heard that H&M and Old Navy are major culprits of vanity sizing, and yet I'm always the same size there as I am at stores such as Sirens and Urban Planet, which are notorious for running on the super skinny side. I've never noticed a size discrepancy between my H&M/Old Navy clothes and clothes bought elsewhere. All pretty darn consistent.

  17. levep says:
    Fri, 11th Nov 20113:32 am 

    You can also bling out by dressing shining dresses,here is the website for nice and cheap dressescheap brown dresses

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