Shops may be adjusting clothing sizes to make customers feel better about buying them.

Shopping for clothing can be a frustrating experience. For many of us, the thrill of finding the perfect item of clothing on the rack in our size can quickly turn sour when we head into the changing rooms.
Social media is filled with people complaining about the inconsistency between clothing stores, with some claiming to be ‘in tears’ when they can’t find anything in their usual size. One consumer recently said, “I’m so sick of all these sizes changing between brands but also within the same brand?!?!”

So what is causing this inconsistency? Vanity sizing, or size inflation, is the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming bigger in physical size over time. This plays into societal beauty standards that unfortunately still tell us that slimmer is better. And the opposite is also true - known as ‘humility sizing’ - where clothing is assigned larger sizes than they actually are. This can cause ‘compensatory consumption’, where people end up buying more in a bid to repair the damage inflicted on their self-esteem.

In the UK, sizing standards are set by the British Standards Institution, but these don’t specify which measurements specific sizes must have, leaving shoppers in a tricky position. This is likely why one may be a size 14 in one shop and a size 18 in another.

Charlotte Broadbent, a fashion stylist and founder of charlotteloves.co.uk, suggests moving away from traditional numbers like 12 and 18 and instead using inches to determine fit. She also encourages shoppers to worry less about the size and more about finding the right fit, and to do their research into which brands work best for their body type. To make sure you’re getting the most comfortable fit, she recommends checking the % of lycra or elastane an item contains on the label.

It’s important to remember that clothing sizes don’t define who you are as a person. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding the right fit and feeling confident in your own skin.

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