Okay, retail sizing is f**k’ed up. (Pardon my French)
Let’s talk about it.
Have you ever tried on two pairs of jeans from the same brand, only to find you're a completely different size in each? Left a dressing room more frustrated and confused? Me too.
Over the years brands have strayed from universal sizing charts to adjust their sizing to meet “needs.” What needs you ask? They say it was to meet the changing bodies of consumers, while maybe true-ish, I beg to differ. Feels like it’s to meet their bottom line. Let me break it down more.
The ugly truth is that psychologist have proven that we are more likely to spend money in two given scenarios:
When we feel bad :(
When we feel good :)
More specifically, if we feel bad about ourselves or really good about ourselves we are more likely to buy clothing. So, many retailers use this to drive purchasing behavior. We are seeing more and more brands lean into Vanity Sizing to capitalize on the emotional sale. Unfortunately for us shoppers, whether we feel good or bad, it can lead to purchases.
We also live in a world where “body positivity” has been on the rise since the 2010s but we’re currently experiencing a shift where there’s a big emphasis on being “skinny” and weight loss again (thank you ozempic).
And regardless of where we are in the movement, retailers have never fully gotten on board. Retailers started with vanity sizing. An 8 in 1967 is a 00 today (based on universal sizing)— a size that was “made up” in 2000’s to help retailers keep up with their ever-changing size scale.
But as the years progressed and brands struggled to keep adjusting size scales to meet “vanity needs,” they introduced shame sizing. Essentially it was allowing them again have the upper hand and drive purchasing, but this time by making us feel bad.
So, as you can imagine, people are more confused than ever. They can be a small in one brand and a large in another based on the sizing strategies at play.
I was with a client recently, and for what it’s worth, I usually do everything I can to keep my clients from focusing on size. But she happened to notice that one dress was a size bigger than her usual. However, in that same brand, she also fit perfectly into another dress that was two sizes smaller.
We had the honest conversation about how no one would ever know what size she was wearing, only she would. So sizing up and tailoring in a few places would actually make her look smaller, not that that was the goal, but also better flatter her figure. Not to mention, it would just be more comfortable! We were able to work together to help her move beyond the size on the tag, because it truly doesn’t mean anything.
Sizing is tricky. I’ve avoided shopping and even disliked pieces just because they weren’t the size I wanted to be. It’s taken years—and a career in styling—to finally reclaim that power.
And let me tell you, it’s empowering.
Often times I am sizing up and tailoring or just purely sizing up because I want a bit more room in my everyday items.
Now we are a small sample size of buyers, but I always wonder, what leg would retailers have to stand on if we took back the power and didn’t allow these sizing tactic to drive our purchases? What if we took pride in finding the perfect fit, not the perfect size?
It’s so much easier said than done, but is truly worth the effort. It might just be the only way to force retailers to standardize sizing (as best they can). And wouldn’t that make shopping a whole lot easier?
That said, sizing can be a sensitive and complex topic. I've found that the best way to understand is by learning from a diverse range of voices and lived experiences. Here are a few creators I recommend checking out:
What are your thoughts? Let us know below in the comments!
xoxo,
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