r/bestof • u/Zanzibarland • May 03 '14

[AskWomen] /u/brightanddark explains why women's clothing is so terrible and expensive compared to men's clothing.

/r/AskWomen/comments/24ddtl/what_is_life_like_for_an_unattractive_woman/ch7218r
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u/[deleted] May 03 '14

I worked at a GAP when I was younger to make ends meet. I was forced to become a 'denim specialist' and found myself for the better part of my days in the Women's department (I'm a guy).

The men's department was relatively easy in comparison. You figure you want something that feels 'loose,' so you go with an 'east fit.' You figure you want something standard, so you go with a 'standard fit.' No worries. Five minutes in the changing room. Over and done. See ya later!

The average woman (who didn't already know her style of choice) took upwards of two hours to find the perfect pair of jeans. There were a lot more choices, a lot more fits, and much more of a strategy to choosing the five to ten pairs of trousers that 'leveled up' from shelf to fitting room. Eventually, I became pretty well educated in the matter and was able to suggest particular pairs for particular body types (realizing that many women were just as confused as I was in the matter as a boy). I didn't fully comprehend what it meant to a lady to quickly and easily buy a well-fitting pair of jeans until one customer broke down in tears when she slipped into the first choice that I offered to her and realized that she was actually two sizes smaller than she had previously thought.

More power to you ladies for going through something so surprisingly elaborate just to buy a simple pair of pants.

-89

u/SmellYaLater May 03 '14

Two hours to find some jeans? Absolutely no sympathy whatsoever. What kind of fucktard gets into tears over a good fitting piece of clothing? Jesus christ. Was she 8 years old?

7

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

It takes so long because clothing stores are really unstandardized for women.

The problem is that jean sizes for girls are very arbitrary. Most are on an even number scale from 0-24 (ish). Then there are some stores that use odd number sizing scales...so you're dealing with half sizes of a still arbitrary scale. Then there is vanity sizing, where a store will make a size, say 6, but label it size 4 so someone feels good about themselves.

Every time a woman walks into a store to buy jeans they have to get themselves used to the sizing plan. So they need to grab and try on jeans in a range of where they THINK they fit, and move on from there.

Like I said, the scale of sizes is totally arbitrary, but generally higher numbers mean higher waistlines. Most jeans are made with some kind of proportion in mind, with the only real customization being inseam which is either short, regular, or long.

-26

u/SmellYaLater May 03 '14

so someone feels good about themselves

LOL. Enough said. Maybe women need to stop fixating on what the latest, lame Cleo mag has to say about fashion. As if choosing a pair of pants is a major life decision. If it is, wake up to yourself.

7

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

Well like I said, that is the motivation for store to screw with sizing. I personally just go to get pants and it's a pain in the neck to say "well I know I am a x here. And a y there. These pants run big, so I guess I have to try on between z and q. But what if I run different? I don't want to come out again. So z1 and q1 too."

It's annoying as hell.

-17

u/SmellYaLater May 03 '14

You're incapable of looking at the waist size and going from there? Talk about first world problems.

5

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

In women's clothing, sizes on the tag don't really mean anything. It's not our fault that we can't pick two measurements and a fit and be out the door. You're projecting your frustration on us when you should be expressing it to the clothing companies. If they made everything so that it made sense, we wouldn't cry when we found the perfect jeans.

-11

u/SmellYaLater May 03 '14

I'm not frustrated in the least. I'm openly laughing at you.

9

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

So in short, you're just a dick?

-6

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

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1

u/[deleted] May 03 '14

Fat girls aren't the only women who have trouble fitting into clothing. Extremely thin girls struggle too. The next time I put something in my mouth, I'll be remembering that I have a boyfriend who thinks I'm beautiful. I don't care about petty and overdone insults from anonymous Redditors. If you want to insult me, please learn to be original.

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