Are retailers sizing up so that you can size down?

Okay, so I've heard a lot about vanity sizing lately and thought it was something worth talking about.

For those of you who don't know what vanity sizing is, it's the idea that retailers have increased the size of their patterns in order to stimulate sales. If shoppers can fit into smaller sizes they will be more likely to purchase the item they are able to fit into and in turn become a loyal customer. 

I have to say that I feel there is some truth to this statement. I have had friends say they prefer to shop in certain stores because they can wear a smaller size. I have personally had this experience in stores like The Gap or New York & Company. I am pretty much always a size 6 in pants, but in some stores I can wear a size 4. I have to be honest, whenever that happens, I'm pretty excited! That being said, I still don't feel compelled to buy things I don't really like just because of what size they are. 

Retailers have been getting a lot of criticism for this practice lately, because some people feel that it is actually dangerous to our health. There was a whole segment on Dr. OZ about the dangers of vanity sizing. It was really interesting to see an example of a size 12 dress from the ‘60s. The dress was taken to the mall and tried on by modern size 12 women. None of them could fit into the dress. While it was enlightening, it also felt a little Mean Girls to me. It was easy to see that the women were pretty shocked and embarrassed when they were all unable to fit into the dress.  

After watching the segment and reading some other articles, I decided to do a little research of my own. I measured four pairs of size 6 pants. While they all measured differently, I choose to believe this has more to do with differences in the cut of the pants than a devious trick to make us all think we're thinner than we are.

I would like to think that we are all a little smarter than that. We all know if we need to stay away from the brownies in the break room or cut back on the happy hour cocktails.

In addition, most clothing designers will deny that such a thing exists. I have read that patterns have been enlarged to coordinate with the new standard. People have gotten bigger, so we have a need for bigger clothing. I hardly think we can blame the garment industry for the fact that obesity is running rampant through our country.  

I'm not sure if vanity sizing is contributing to the epidemic of obesity, but I do hope all the talk about it promotes some consistency in sizing among retailers. For most women, including myself, finding clothes that fit is a bit like getting a root canal: a painful, drawn out process that leaves you drooling and wanting to cry!

I LOVE shopping, but I LOATHE trying on clothes. Combine the terrible lighting, fun house mirrors and over bearing sales people with the fact that out of ten items in your size, you may only find two that fit, and I can't believe more women don't have full on meltdowns in fitting rooms on a regular basis! 

However you feel on this subject, I think we all agree that finding clothing that fits is annoying and that we would like to see a more universal sizing chart used. Let's hope that in the future some changes are made and that we can all find clothes that make us look and feel good no matter what size we are!