Why Size Doesn’t Matter
Like many women I know, I spent (wasted) more time than I’d care to admit wishing the size labels in my clothing were a smaller number. It took me until I reached my 40s to stop being so hung up on clothing sizes (and weight, and the like…), yet even still, I have my moments when I slip back into that mindset and feel an unnecessary need to be a smaller size. Although we’ve made great strides as a society around the ideas of body positivity and body acceptance, this idea that smaller and thinner is somehow better still exists. It can really mess with our minds when it comes to shopping and learning what fits because we focus so much on size. When you go into a store, you more or less know your size—or so you think—and start there. And you take a few pieces to the fitting room and realize, this size seems really small, or these jeans feel really big. Whatever the case may be. Ultimately, size isn’t what matters when clothes shopping.
Vanity Sizing
You might find that you can wear different sizes depending on the store you’re shopping at, and this is something I hear from my clients and experience myself. This antiquated idea of smaller being better is a big part of the problem. You can thank vanity sizing for inconsistencies across the brands you like to shop. Vanity sizing is the practice of slapping a smaller size label on a piece of clothing that’s physically increased in size over the years. As Americans grew larger, brands shifted their sizes to help consumers feel skinnier. So today you might walk into H&M and try a size small dress that fits perfectly, and then you can go to Anthropologie where you might wear a size large dress. There is no such thing as size consistency across brands today.
Colors
Color can also impact fit. Have you ever found an item you loved and purchased multiple pieces in various colors? And have you ever experienced those seemingly identical items fitting differently? I have three pairs of J Crew 7" stretch chino shorts in three different colors: Honey Brown, Storm Grey and Navy. Each pair fits just a bit differently, but enough to be noticeable. There are a lot of reasons this can happen, including a change in the manufacturer or even a slight change in the fabrication across the colors. I’ve found different colorways fitting differently to be a common hiccup when I’m shopping, particularly with bottoms. Not only have I experienced this with the shorts I referenced, but it’s also happened with different denim rinses.
If Not Size, Then What Matters?
Fit is it. A much better gauge than size is how your clothing fits. It doesn’t matter what size a garment is if it doesn’t fit you properly. What this translates to for you is trying on multiple sizes when you’re in a store, or ordering multiple sizes if you’re shopping online. For some of us, it can be a mental hurdle to get comfortable trying sizes that are larger than the ones we’ve worn previously. It will likely take time to acclimate to lessening your focus on that label and shifting to how you feel. But ultimately, when you’re wearing something that fits your body properly, it’s going to look better, you’re going to feel better and you’ll likely feel more confident because you’ll feel comfortable.
If you’re predominately an online shopper like me, knowing your body measurements can be super helpful in getting a proper fit, and it’s so easy to have these important data points on hand. It’s easiest to have someone take your measurements for you but you can certainly do it yourself. And if you’re not sure where or how to measure, a quick Google search will give you plenty of solid instructions. Once you have your measurements, store them on a note on your phone or keep them near your computer so that when you’re shopping online, you can easily reference your measurements against the size charts on the retailers’ websites. It really does make a difference.
This all continues to be a work in progress for me, but I’ll share an anecdote that’s been helpful. Sometimes, when I see pictures of myself from years ago it’s obvious how much thinner I was back then. Yet, at the time I remember feeling like I was “so fat.” It blows my mind now that I even thought that at the time. And then I start to think about times in my life when I’ve been different sizes—and by that, I don’t mean size labels in clothing but my body shape. And when I think about all of the different sizes I’ve been—be it smaller or larger—I think about how I felt at that time and my overall happiness and satisfaction. Was I happier or more fulfilled when I was skinnier versus when I was heavier? No, not really. The thing I remind myself of is that size has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the big picture. At no point in my life have I been happier, more satisfied or more fulfilled based on my size.
Have you experienced this? Have you had any mindset shifts when it comes to size and finding clothes that fit your body properly and comfortably? I’d love to hear in the comments below.
