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| I was so excited. Those shorts were a size 4. |
I remember shopping for clothing and shoes when I was in my twenties. Not that I had much money or wore much other than jeans, so maybe I noticed it in when I was in my thirties or forties.
Back then, even in department stores they had women on the floor who were there to help, (read as sell, but still) you to find what you were looking for. I'm not saying that doesn't exist anymore, but more often than not the workers on the floor are busy with stock and are generally there to help you find the section of items you're looking for.
That brings me to my title question. I no longer have any idea what size I am, so even if a salesgirl were to ask me, I don't know what to say.
Yes, I have gone up and down the size scale over the years. Luckily, I'm in my favorite "down" place and the sizes are smaller then they were. Usually. Except it doesn't actually mean anything any more.
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| some of the chubby years. |
You have to have noticed that in the olden days, if you were a size 8, you would take size 8's into the dressing room. Pants, blouses, skirts, dresses but not bathing suits. For some reason they have always danced to their own music.
Whether you liked how they looked, or what they cost, they usually fit. You knew you were a size 8. Sometimes a particular manufacturer was different, but you at least knew it they ran large or small. (*AD) PS on the photos. I would have to shift through some thousands to find the fat ones, so I'm posting the ones I found easily.
Shopping today is like a crap shoot.
The first thing I noticed over the years was, that even though I hadn't lost weight or inches (I'm assuming, I wasn't one to measure myself), the sizes were getting nicer. Nicer you may ask? What the hell does that mean?
It means that if I had been buying that 8, suddenly it was big and I needed it in a size 6. Man that made me feel good. It most likely happened around the time that models became wraiths, and everyone became discontent with their bodies.
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| Possibly my heaviest. Hiding under the hair. |
The garment industry pulled a fast one. They changed the sizing and didn't tell anyone. Suddenly you were no longer as fat or dissatisfied. I mean, dropping a dress size makes you feel good. Especially when you didn't give up cake.
Again, years ago I found myself very troubled by something. I was at one of my thinner selves. My mom who had always been two inches taller, bigger boned and weighed a lot more, was cleaning out her closet. She had a very nice blue blazer that was classic and she gave it to me. It fit, although a bit snug under the arms I think. When I looked at the label I was aghast. It was a size 12. I wasn't. Maybe I was wearing an 8. I can't recall what size, but it was one of those wake up calls that tells you that you had been hoodwinked.
That was tough to deal with. Realizing they'd been toying with me for years. Little did I know that things were going to get worse. Much worse.
Today, when I go shopping, I have to take in more clothes than they allow into the dressing room. An example would be: I like a pair of pants. I look at them, but can't judge if they measure similarly to some I already own. So, I could take in sizes anywhere from a 4P to an 8R and have no idea which will fit, if any.
The same goes for tops that come in S,M,L,XL etc. All my life, well most of it, I was a small. A few years of having porked up got me into mediums. These days, some of the smalls fit, some are way too tight. Especially tee shirts. I don't like things that cling, so I would rather have the M if it's more comfortable. Only sometimes even the large is tight.
I feel guilty writing this because many of my friends wear larger sizes than I do and I can't imagine how their egos feel, if I, the little one am getting annoyed. So, I'll just say I'm sorry. I'm writing this for all women, not just me.
It's not like it was when you could feel good about being a small size and believing it was a reflection of reality. Speaking of reflections, I'll believe they buy special mirrors that shrink you, you know, like in the old fun houses.
I wonder who the hell is doing the sizing? The Chinese? The Indonesians? The Vietnamese? Firstly, they have different body types. And maybe they hate us. Yeah, I'm sure they do. Why not? Everyone does.
So they can monkey with us. Oh, let's make a size 4 in this skirt and in the other style, but same label, make it a 6. That way there's not even consistency in brands.
The good news is that you can decide what size you wear. Since you wear all of them, choose your favorite. The only problem you may have is when someone gets you a gift. You'll probably need to return it, but if you're like me, you would have anyway. (Sorry, I have very specific tastes and although many of my friends get close, it's not a game of horseshoes.)
And my condolences for males. I hear that they are starting to monkey with you too. My husband tries on pants, no shorts, I forgot, Florida. Men don't wear pants. Shorts. He tries on shorts and different manufacturers fit and others don't. He has a point. At least for men's' pants and shorts it's measured in inches. You're a 34 by 30 or a 40 by 36. Inches are supposed to be standard right? So how is it that the 36 from Ralph Lauren isn't the same as Nautica, or Columbia or no name? When did inches become arbitrary? They can't do that. It's a standard measure.
Men, if you're reading this, it will perhaps give you an idea of why it take us women so long to find something in the store. We have to try on 6 of the same thing just to find our size. And only in that particular thing. Multiply that by the number of items we need and it's a six or seven hour ordeal.
My theory, well you heard part of it. It's a conspiracy by the people sewing them to make us crazy, so when they take over we'll all be in TJ Maxx, cursing in the dressing room and won't even notice that our government has changed hands.
Or maybe it's that no one gives a crap any more. Cut it so you use the least amount of fabric so you can sell it for the cheapest price. And do it fast. Time is money.
Take you pick. Choose your own theory. I'd ask you to tell me about it but I still haven't had the patience to work on the comment situation.
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| Halloween and I don't know the size. I just like the photo. It's my blog and I'll do what I do want to do what I want to do what I want to. You would do it to if it happened to you. [name that tune] |
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