Vanity Sizing Puns

I went to express last night and looking around It made me remember how much of a pain shopping there was last Christmas. I bought all blouses in a 6/M because blouses usually fit tight on me due to the buttons. It was a pain finding a size lower and exchanging it because it seems like everything from them is generously sized to the max. I’m a size 4/S and sometimes even an M because I’m an E cup, but at express I’m an XS or 2 which is ridiculous because a size 4 isn’t even close to super thin for me. So I guess because I’m short I’m screwed out of most their clothing. Why the heck is this even still a thing? Even with online stores I don’t have a problem like this unless it’s Asian sizing and I forget to order a size up. There’s no way people actually think vanity sizing makes their life easier. Imagine thinking you’re a size 2 but then you shop at another store a few months later and you think you’ve gained weight? Yeah no!! lol

bought some XXS sweatpants and they’re too long/wide :( sweaters and whatnot normally fit, but I went to look at a sweater online —keep in mind XXS is sold out, obviously, and it’s online only— and these are the reviews…

“I’m 5”8, 155 lbs, and a D. I got an XS and it still has plenty of room” • “I’m usually a S but sized down to an XXS. ultra oversized is an understatement” • “I usually wear a medium, but I read the reviews and sized down to an XS. it is HUGE”

it’s disappointing bc AE is seen as size-inclusive, yet I’ve repeatedly had to return XXS items. (5”0, 90 lbs for reference)

I am a woman that was a size 6 (pants) and medium (shirts) five years ago. I am now am a size 2 (pants) and extra small (shirts). I have not lost any weight. That is just how extreme the sizing difference is.

It is incredibly frustrating because it is getting harder to find clothes that are small enough, especially for very slim women. I have a petite friend that used to wear a size 2, who is now forced to wear the “junior” clothes, because women’s sizes are no longer small enough.

I recognize that clothing brands used to discriminate against plus sized women (which is horrible), but allowing them to exclude thin women to solve that problem is also not okay.

I used to wear size M around 7 years ago, and then I down size to S.

Now I just bought a sweater that is XS in size. My weight is pretty much still the same, but my clothing size have gone down by 2 now!

Is it me or does everyone have the same experience?

When it comes to dialogue with people who have not been properly fitted there is this sentiment that a properly fitted bra is really “vanity sizing”. Nope. You’re just ill informed on what bra size is. Really “vanity sizing” is shoving women into ill fitting bras because companies refuse to make an adequate amount of sizes to fit most properly fitted people.

I just moved into a early 1990s time capsule of a house. I want to start by replacing the tiled vanity tops. The issue is they are 30.5" and everything I've read said to have 1" of overhang.

They all butt up against a wall on 1 side, so only need overhang on 1 side. Would I be able to install a 31" standard vanity top and just have the 0.5" overhang?

https://comicsgirlsneedbras.com/2021/01/05/vanity-sizing-in-lingerie/

Could folks here chime in about which clothing brands seem to run large, run small, or fit as expected?

Background: I'm dealing with a relapse in behaviors (restricting) but not losing weight from that for now. However, my body has changed shape somewhat with age and my booty is no longer the cute little bubble butt it used to be. This means my pants and even my underwear (!) seem to have gone down a size. Again, my weight is stable (and "normal" for what it's worth).

Anyhoo, I ordered some great jeans and made sure to go only by the supposed inches measurements, not the number size. As we all know, sizes are all over the place between brands and not reliable.

The pants are a size down from my typical, non-ED size. I was blown away when they fit, then kinda scared. I realized I needed smaller underwear, too. Then I got mad. I'm shrinking in the wrong places largely due to age, partly due to the ED relapse (it's recent). I don't know what to think now.

Like, isn't this kind of what I want, though? Or is the number on the scale that important to me that I am not satisfied if my clothing got smaller but not the number on the scale?

Grrrrr...

P.S. I am familiar with the apps and websites which show brand comparisons for how they should fit a particular actual size. In my experience those are either super accurate but only discuss like 5 brands, or they are way off (like the "find your fit" algorithms from actual clothing brand sites, where the size they 'suggest' is never the size I really should order).

Thank you! And seriously: THIS THREAD MAY TRIGGER SOME OF US. Please take care if you read on for any discussion.

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TW: clothing sizes/ sizing between brands

I need to replace a vanity top with sink and the size is 46 X 22. Everywhere i look, the sizes are 49 X 22. If the top is three inches longer, it will make the toilet space feel tighter (I'm assuming).

Is there a site or somewhere that I can get custom made?

Why YSK: It doesn’t matter what size you are. You’re beautiful no matter what, and don’t ever let retail companies prey on your insecurities! The size is just a number and it’s gross that companies directly market towards people’s insecurities.

Okay so I was introduced to Athleta through the Lululemon thread and I wear a true size 6 in all bottoms at Lululemon. I come to Athleta and fall in love because I am only 5' and their petite sizing is chef's kiss. Size small in Elations and Salutations fits perfectly compressive. Then I try the joggers..... I got a bunch in this past sale and unfortunately I guess the joggers run huge. I got the North Trekkie, Venice, Attitude, Rainier, and the Balance ankle pant and they are humongous! I had to size down to a size 2 and could probably even do a 0 for a more form fitting look. What is up with this 😂😂 are all pants/joggers like this?

Note: The Salutation joggers I found more true-ish to size and are a loose fit in my regular size 6.

I know this is completely superficial, but I am over vanity sizing. It makes shopping online absolutely impossible. Here in the US, I wear anything from a size 00-7. I try to purchase clothing with measurement and some stores have even changed what an inch is. How can you vanity size 27"? Guys have it so easy with purchasing pants and they get real pockets too. Rant over, haha.

This morning I was looking at upgrading my pants and I needed measurements of what I currently wear and what fits. Boredom led me to measuring the waist of every pair of pants that wasn't in the laundry or dirty clothes. My hypothesis was that certain brands size differently than tagged was supported though the results lacked significance.

Overall I measured 22 pair of pants and 2 pair of shorts. The average increase in actual waist size over the manufacturer's reported waist size was 1.4" per garment. The highest increase in any item's actual vice reported waist size was a pair of J Crew 484 Cords that measured 35" with a tag of 32x34 (3 inches). The largest decrease was a pair of Brooks Brothers Regent fit Wool Pants which measured 33.25" with a tag of 34" (.75" smaller). Of the 10 brands measured the only two that eschewed vanity sizing of at least 1.5" were Brooks Brothers (-.2" per item) and J Press (-.25' per item). So besides not giving you vanity sizing they short you a fraction of an inch.

Full Results (note if the chart loses formatting I did on mobile) Brand (n) average vanity size (inches) Ban Rep F (1) 2.75"

Bonobos (2) 2.5"

Gap (1) 2.5"

And Christ (1) 2.0"

Ban Rep (1) 2.0"

J Crew (8) 1.9"

Levis (2) 1.6"

Good Fel (1) 1.5"

BB (5) -.2"

J Press (1) -.2"

Methodology. I buttoned the pants and attempted to align the front and back of the waistband. I then measured across the top of the back of the waistband with a standard tape measure. All pants were taken straight from my closet regardless of wears since washing. Items in the hamper were not included. My usual laundry technique is to wash all items (excluding dry clean only items) in cold water and air dry. I used excel as my computational tool. All work is my own and all errors are the authors.

i love this sub but i swear there’s a new post about people being too small for clothes in size XS/XXS/0/00 US every day and they of course attribute it to vanity sizing being artificially small. christ does it make me feel like shit to read these posts about people who can’t iMaGiNe who could pOsSiBlY wear something bigger than a size 2 because size 2 pants are fAlliNg oFf. i know in my heart that most of these people are shorter than me (i’m 5’7) but it’s so incredibly triggering! i’m a size 6-8 right now and can’t imagine that i’ll be smaller than a size 4 literally ever—that’s my estimate for when i’m deeply UW.

Fast fashion, vanity sizing more flexible and inclusive sizing sorry all! , boxy/loose/baggy cuts and cheaper materials get a lot of (mostly deserved) shade on this sub, but I wanted to point out something that doesn't really get discussed much:

These things are, in a way, good things! It's the democratizing of fashion. Without dismissing the very real environmental, human rights, and ethical/sustainability concerns around fast fashion, I'd say on the whole, the democratization of fashion is a net good.

"Fashion" in the sense of expressing your style and values through clothing, used to be almost nonexistent for the middle or lower economic bandwidths. Sure, you could knit a little lace collar for your dress or buy a glass brooch, but a closet full of specifically chosen, on trend items that you changed every season? Only for the out of sight richest women in the world!

Most women of "means" but not super rich would get clothing tailored to them or buy copies of Paris-originated fashions. Fashion was very strict--department store buyers dictated hemlines, shapes, and styles, and if you wanted to deviate from that, you had to make it yourself!

Women were expected to not only be a certain size and shape, but to maintain that shape with uncomfortable undergarments like girdles and long line bras. Yes, fashion is baggy, boxy and often shapeless. But what people sometimes don't get is that highly fitted and tailored clothing requires either serious undergarments OR a rigorously trained, ballet-style body under it!

Today we have almost unimaginable luxury in the form of volume, choice, fabrics, options, sizes, and more. Every time I wear velvet or lace or detailed, unique items I think "I'm dressing like a king! Holy COW am I lucky to be alive now!"

This movement also allows people to move more easily through class lines, and discourages snobbish or appearance based discrimination (if everyone can score a certain look or very close to it, natural fibers, runway looks, trendy items, and so on are no longer an indicator of wealth or status). It smooths over clothing as a class, gender, station in life, or wealth indicator in the way it used to be as recently as 30 years ago.

I'm open to discussion on this, and certain it's not black and white. It's not either a coarse linen sack or 3 wool dresses every day OR terrible H&M polyester nonsense, but I just wanted to open the discussion a little on this point since I rarely see it discussed!

Vanity sizing, of course, refers to how the labeled size of an article of clothing has gone down over time while the physical size of the clothing has gone up. I feel this happening in language learning materials (only in reverse). Courses are often labeled as an entire CEFR level above what they really are. The HelloTalk app especially comes to mind. Their Spanish B2 audio course carefully teaches the words for flight, suitcase, and complaint. These are B1 words at best and likely closer to A2, if one goes by the standards of, say, the DELE exam. But I've also encountered this with podcasts and other materials that are not published by any major companies.

Has anyone else encountered this with other languages? Do you think this might negatively affect the way language ability is judged in the future?

I'm trying to find a dress for a wedding I have to go to in a few weeks. I went to four different stores and I couldn't find a single dress even in my size in the women's department. I am 5'7" and weigh anywhere between 125-130 pounds. I wear a size 0 or 2 and couldn't find anything below size 4. I am thin but I am not "skinny." I am almost 30 years old, I should not be shopping in the juniors department just to find something that fits me.

I've bought a few size 0 or XS dresses or skirts online in the past and they were STILL too big. I don't think it's always a matter of different clothing brands having different dimensions because I have bought the same brands consistently and the sizes that once fit me are getting bigger and bigger. I don't see the problem in just admitting you are the size you are. Why do you feel better about yourself if you were once a size 10 but now you're a 6 and look exactly the same? I sure as hell am not getting smaller as I age, I should not be wearing the "same size" I was wearing before I hit puberty and had no hips or boobs. I mean I'm trying on a size 1 in juniors and it's too baggy? That's what I wore in 8th grade!

I have been sized out of almost all my favorite stores. Vanity sizing in women’s clothing has gotten out of control with the rise of the body positivity movement. Brands say they have adjusted their sizing to include larger girls, but really they have just moved all the sizes up. There is no such thing as XS anymore, and there is no reason I should be falling out of a size 24 pair of pants!

BIG TW. i hate vanity sizing. i’m 5’4 and >!borderline severely underweight!< and i can only JUST squeeze into size 6 jeans, however my waist fits a 4 (H&M). there was a post on a certain sub where someone was showing how loose their size 2 jeans were and that they usually fit into 1-2. they body build. they are a normal weight. i’m fucking shook, there’s no way they’re a 2, right? they were very muscle-y and logically i can see i am smaller (this is getting so toxic i’m am so fucking sorry) but my brain is SCREAMING that i must be HUGE because i have absolutely no muscle and i can’t fit into a fucking size 2 like they can.

there’s just.... no way. i don’t believe it. they look fantastic but it can’t be true. i’m so triggered i’m so sorry

Vanity sizing seems to be a particularly hot topic on that sub (you know the one) and it seems like everyone there is getting sized out of XS’s left and right and saying they have to order special clothes from Asia or get kids sizes because everything is just sooooooo big. Then half the time they claim to be average height and a healthy weight 🧐? One guy commented that his wife “must now be Asian” because the smallest American size was just sooooo big on her and she had to order a similar dress from Asia. Yet she’s supposedly 5’7 and 135lbs?? I have very similar stats and the smallest sizes in my closet are a 4 or a small, with a lot of 6s and mediums thrown in that all gasp fit me. I could easily lose 2 more sizes before I have a problem finding clothes that fit, at which point I’d be underweight or close to it.

I get being frustrated about not being able to find clothes that fit, but a lot of times it just seems like either a not so subtle humble brag or a flat out lie. I know some stores have weird sizing but I kinda refuse to believe that you can’t find anything that fits if you’re not underweight or insanely short.

Good morning r/fatpeoplestories! You guys were a huge part of my weight loss (F 5’4” SW:170 GW:120 CW:149) and have kept me on track all summer. I have a short 4 piece McFatlogic for you.

Most of my family is fat, including all of my aunts. I recently had dinner with one such Aunt, who is 5’4” and around 220 lbs (BMI 38). She asked what unexpected challenges had come from my weight loss.

I told her that clothes worry me. At 10 lbs overweight, I am comfortably wearing sizes S and XS. What on earth am I going to wear when I lose another 30 lbs? Vanity sizing is already becoming an issue.

She said that she had the OPPOSITE problem, and that vanity sizing made large women’s clothes smaller. She couldn’t fit into an XL, and she was “not even that big!”

I was squeezing into an XL at 170, which was my wakeup call. For my aunt though, it’s not that she’s way too big, it’s that an XL (which should be saying something already) is way too small.

My other aunt unfriended me over my post about that HuffPost article being BS. Not sure which I prefer.

Vanity sizing is literally so frustrating and fuels my dysmorphia so much like I wear a 2 at target and today i bought 0 and 00 at american eagle but i’m a 6 at a lot of other stores and at this point i don’t even have any frame of reference for my body and it fucks with my head so much!! I don’t mean this as a flex but my ED brain is like yeah you bought double zero but you’re not actually because the store is just trying to make you feel better about being big and you’ll never actually be that size and my head noise is so loud and i have no idea what i actually look like ahhhhh okay anyways rant over