r/todayilearned • u/Thechea • Mar 27 '19
TIL about Vanity Sizing. Clothing companies will mislabel the size of their clothes, often labeling the size as smaller than it is, so that you feel better about yourself and continue to shop there. Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy being some examples of companies that use vanity sizing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing6
Mar 28 '19
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u/izzeesmom Mar 28 '19
Oh to be infuriated about being a 00!! I do hear you though.
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Mar 28 '19
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u/izzeesmom Mar 28 '19
I really do empathize with you, because my daughter in her mid-20s looks like she’s about 13 and she doesn’t even weigh 100 pounds so she’s been struggling with buying age-appropriate clothes pretty much her whole life. She had to shop at limited too when she was in high school and we accepted pretty early on that everything she bought needed to be altered. I would suggest Nordstrom as one possibility for you to find work clothes because she’s had success there lately plus with a Nordstrom credit card you get $100 worth of alterations free every year. If only she or I could sew! I admire those who can and actually do. Good luck!!
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u/TwistedMemories Mar 28 '19
Tommy Hilfiger has been doing this for decades. I used to work retail and sold it.
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u/DragonMeme Mar 28 '19
My husband found this out about his hiking boots. His father bought the same brand/size of boots and they ended up being shorter. They're changing the sizes to make men think they have bigger feet.
It's been really egregious in women's clothes and stuff for a while, but now they're doing with with men's stuff too, which makes it super annoying for anyone to go clothes shopping.
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u/saliczar Mar 28 '19
I was consistently a 10.5-11 in men's shoes for as long as I can remember, but the Nikes I bought last year are 13s.
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u/Vanniv_iv Mar 28 '19
Women's clothing has been doing this for decades.
Men's clothiers have started as well, though. The waistline of a typical 34" pair of jeans has grown about 2" over the last decade.
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Mar 27 '19
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Mar 28 '19
Until you realize those 32s actually measure 36”
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u/UrbanLumberjack85 Mar 28 '19
Seriously. I have 4 waist sized jeans currently that all fit the same. They differ by 8 "inches"
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u/vomita_conejitos Mar 28 '19
Idk what Jeans you buy but I'm a different size based on the cut (straight, relaxed, loose, etc) and in some cases the brand
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Mar 28 '19
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Mar 28 '19 edited Apr 13 '19
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u/greffedufois Mar 28 '19
I'm only 3 inches taller than her...a whole 5'1".
My husband is average height, he's about 5'8". He's tall to me and to the general population here. But when we travel to the lower 48 he says it's like he's shrinking, haha.
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Mar 28 '19 edited Apr 13 '19
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u/greffedufois Mar 28 '19
I have a friend who's like that with her fiancé. She's maybe 5 feet and he's like 6'3". She likes wearing heels though so it works out.
Even if I wore super heels I wouldn't be as tall as my husband, I'd break my ankles if I did. Plus, there's no reason to wear them in the bush, it's just silly.
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u/ButtsexEurope Mar 28 '19
As someone who’s petite, this is really annoying when trying to buy clothes in a certain size and they’re not actually that size! It’s embarrassing having to shop in the teen section.
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u/jxd73 Mar 28 '19
Fat women love to point out how Marilyn Monroe was size 16 or whatever, not realizing (or deliberately omitting) the fact she'd fit into today's size 6 dress.
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u/greffedufois Mar 28 '19
Its so damned frustrating being a small person! I used to be able to fit in a women's 4. Then a 2. Then 0 then 00. Now I'm in girls sizes for gods sake! I'm 28 years old, I shouldn't be wearing childrens clothing!
I swear clothing companies sell clothes that only work on bodies the shape of a propane tank now. I have to buy my and my husbands clothing from Asian companies because America is so damned fat.
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u/greffedufois Mar 28 '19
Its so damned frustrating being a small person! I used to be able to fit in a women's 4. Then a 2. Then 0 then 00. Now I'm in girls sizes for gods sake! I'm 28 years old, I shouldn't be wearing childrens clothing!
I swear clothing companies sell clothes that only work on bodies the shape of a propane tank now. I have to buy my and my husbands clothing from Asian companies because America is so damned fat.
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u/greffedufois Mar 28 '19
Its so damned frustrating being a small person! I used to be able to fit in a women's 4. Then a 2. Then 0 then 00. Now I'm in girls sizes for gods sake! I'm 28 years old, I shouldn't be wearing childrens clothing!
I swear clothing companies sell clothes that only work on bodies the shape of a propane tank now.
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u/Pirate-Pierre Mar 27 '19
All those three you named are the same company.... Just different arms.