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Vanity Sizing

I was listening to story this morning in my car on NPR. It was about something I have never heard of before... vanity sizing. There were two experts speaking on the subject and it was about the epidemic of obesity in America and how it affects clothing purchases. They spoke about how clothing has been re-sized to give customers the feeling that they are smaller than they really are. Basically, a person buys a size 8, but in reality it is a size 12. The fact that they feel they fit in a size 8 makes them feel good about themselves and results in them purchasing even more clothes. They even said that women's bra sizes have been affected. A woman that is normally a B cup might have to purchase a C cup and the true size might actually be an A! Of course, not all brands are doing this but it does make you wonder if you are wearing your true size. About 2 years ago, I was wearing a Juniors' size 9. A year later I was a 7. As of last week, I wear a Juniors' size 5! Even tops, I went from a Juniors' XL down to a small.

This is crazy! Turns out that it has been going on for many years. I guess I always just assumed that every brand was cut differently. Turns out, they are cut to please the customer in hopes of increasing sales. I just had to share this with you all! Has anyone heard about this before? I'm probably so late :)
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3 comments

  1. I knew it! For a while I noticed that the sizes I normally wear has changed. I sorta heard about vanity sizing but didnt know it was this extensive. It's scary

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  2. WHAT?! This is cray cray! I've never heard of this, but I can totally see how this has been in practice for so long. Some of my clothing are a size 0 when I know I'm a 2/4 in most things. This is a potentially very dangerous thing. So dishonest -- shame on those brands.

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  3. I have been complaining about this for years and I KNEW something was up. It's so frustrating to not know my size. In high school, I was a size 3 and even had a size 5. I felt so great to finally be out of 0's. Why do I weigh significantly more but wear a 1/2 in newer bottoms? :-/ I like the waist sizing system better (26, 28, etc) seems more accurate. Don't get me started on maternity sizing at some stores. XS fitting like a darn large. *pfft*

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