Is Vanity Sizing REAL?

I worked at a popular, semi-expensive retail clothing store as a student.

First day on the job, a woman asked for my help locating a size 8.

My coworker jumped between us and handed her a size 6.

“You’re too tiny for an 8,” she said.

Hesitantly, the woman went to the dressing room, but moments later, we heard a joyful shriek:

“OMG they fit!”

She burst through the curtains to show me, twirling like a schoolgirl…

euphoric as a new bride…

Never mind that the burgundy corduroy pants looked positively dreadful on her skin tone.

“I love this store,” she said to another customer.

I admit the size of clothes affects me. It shouldn’t, but it does.

But it’s also fake.

A trick to get you to buy burgundy corduroy ;)

My coworker later said to me, “A size 8 is a size 6 here. Helps them buy.”

There’s another downside to these size shenanigans.

A member shared recently:

I'm always reading things like "I've lost 10 lbs and 2 sizes". I lose 37 and wear the same size. Really?!? No. This is what happened - my clothes got tight and I bought new clothes. Miraculously, the new clothes were the same size of the tight clothes but I didn't question it because I didn't want to buy the next size. There is only one logical explanation - the clothing industry has redefined the clothing sizes to keep women like me from admitting the truth all the while gaining more and more weight.

Then other members chimed in with similar experiences…

I have a dress/gown that I wore back in 99 that was tight on me then (even though I was about 20ish pounds heavier) but it should be really loose on me today if sizes didn't change.” - Amy B

I used to wear size 9 back when I was in high school in the late 70s, but that translates to a size 2 or 4 now. When I weighed 120 about 10 or so years ago, that was a size 14 then, but it's a size 6 now.” - Doris S.

I had my own experience recently with clothes I wore in high school 20 years ago.

I’m the same height and weight, and the clothes still fit, but the sizes are 8-14, whereas now I’m in a 0 or 2 in those stores.

Have you experienced vanity sizing?

If so please leave a comment below.

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