Glamour Sizing

By Bridgette Raes

It is now an established fact that we are getting larger as a nation and the obesity rate is growing by leaps and bounds. The average woman today is 5'4" and a size 14. Because of this, there is an interesting phenomenon going on in clothing. While we are getting bigger as a nation overall, the fashion industry has paid close attention to these statistics and has started doing something that has left me a little unsettled.

It's called Glamour Sizing. Glamour Sizing is what some of the fashion industry is currently doing to make us believe we can actually wear a smaller size. How they seem to be doing this is by making a size on the label actually one size smaller than the actual size of the garment. So for example, the label may say size 6, but in actuality, the size of the garment has the measurements of a size 8! While it's always a boost in confidence when any of us can fit into a smaller size, there is something about this that makes me feel like I am being lied to. Because of this Glamour Sizing, I am left to wonder whether I am accepting a lie about my current size, and maybe I am not as small as the label is telling me. Am I falling victim to Glamour Sizing?

Another problem with Glamour Sizing is that it ignores a population of very slim people. Many of us find it hard to sympathize with the slim. No matter what your size is, not being able to find clothing that fits is a tough thing to deal with. New York Magazine just published an article about the ramifications of Glamour Sizing (click to read article here). While we are addressing the ever- expanding population through Glamour Sizing, there is a small percentage of people out there who now have a hard time finding clothing small enough to wear. Scoff if you want at the idea that slim people have a hard time finding clothing to fit them, but when I asked a very slim colleague of mine where she shops for clothing, her answer was, "Wherever I can find clothing small enough."

Isn't there a better way for us to feel good about our bodies without being lied to? Is Glamour Sizing really the answer? And why do we look to clothing sizes to validate our beauty in the first place? I have always been upset that our society has trends in body types. For the longest time, super-skinny, waif-like and boyish bodies were considered beautiful, and now the trend has been moving towards a larger, rounder derriere and curves, thanks to Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce´ Knowles.

Being a curvy gal myself, I am happy to see that the rounder backside is finally getting its moment, but it leaves me wondering, at whose and at what expense? There has been constant media coverage about woman having butt-implants or wearing padding in their pants to create a look of a larger behind. The women having these surgeries are the same women who were considered beautiful not long ago because their butt resembled that of a twelve- year-old boy. If we want to talk about how we can all accept our bodies as beautiful, we might want to stop honoring one body type as the ultimate beauty, while leaving all the others to suffer and patiently wait for their moment in the sun.

My feeling is that part of the reason we have an obesity problem in this country is because we aspire to have bodies we will never attain. I can find no better reason to sulk and feel badly about my body image than by having the media constantly remind me that my body isn't what's "in", or beautiful. Part of taking care of our bodies comes from knowing that we have bodies worth taking care of. If we are bombarded with messages that our bodies don't fit the bill, where is the incentive to make a change?

The bottom line is that clothing is about fit. Glamour Sizing, though it hasn't always had a name, has been going on in fashion for years. Just look at how small vintage clothing in your current size actually is. Additionally, no manufacturer's measurements are exactly the same. Therefore, the size on the label means very little, when you think about it. Unlike men’s wear, women's clothing isn't sold by measurement; therefore, what exactly is a size eight or a size six? If every designer's interpretation of size is different, doesn't that make those numbers irrelevant?
My solution is to stop putting so much weight (no pun intended) on those numbers. Buy what fits and what looks good on you. If it makes you feel any better, rip the size tags out of everything you buy. To me, this is a much better and realistic alternative to Glamour Sizing.

(c) 2004 Bridgette Raes Style Group