Upon reading the title, I'm sure some of you were intrigued. "Is she going to write a sex article" "Does size really matter?" Well, this is not a sex article. And yes, size does matter. It matters TO ME. I'm not talking about anything appropriate here, I'm talking about this new fad called "vanity sizing". According to a Huffington Post article called "Its Not You. Women's Clothing Sizes Make No Sense", vanity sizing is the "phenomenon of retailers manipulating the size on clothes". What this means to us is "I'm buying a size 10 when I was a size 6 last week".
First off, buying clothes is a horrible experience for everyone. Clothes are made to fit "the general public" and this is left up to the discretion of the company to decide what "general public" means. For some, this means a taller, slimmer figure with a short waist and no chest. For others, this means a shorter, longer waisted woman with a medium to large sized chest. I fall into the second category. Identifying your body type does matter when it comes to buying clothing. You cannot complain about a company's clothing not fitting you if you are not built for the clothing. You should not conform to one company's standards and make yourself miserable. That's why there is a variety of options.
Secondly, people change. We grow and shrink and change every day. Again, this is not the company's fault. I cannot sue American Eagle because my size 4 jeans don't fit my now size 10 body. You don't go to a lamp store and complain that the desktop lightbulb you bought last year isn't big enough for your industrial sized ceiling light. The same goes with shopping. What fit you last year might not fit this year.
Taking these thoughts into account, that I'm bigger than I was and I have a certain body type, size matters. I cannot shop at Justice, a store for young girls, and expect my full figure to fit in their idea of the "general public".Coming from a girl who went from a size 4 to a size 10 in one year in the same store, I understand the huge struggle to find clothing that fits. But this is important to keep in mind: sizing matter TO ME because I want to dress to flatter my body type and avoid being uncomfortable in my clothing. Now, what flatters my body and makes me uncomfortable is not universal. If I don't feel comfortable in a bikini, that's my personal opinion. So if another woman rocks a skimpy bikini, she has the right to do so without degrading comments and hateful stares.
Sizing matters to me in the sense that I can try on different styles of clothes in one store and still remember that this number probably won't be the same in the store next door. Sizing matters in the sense that currently, my body looks BEST in this specific article of clothing. Sizing doesn't matter in the sense that a size 0 is smaller than a size 14 (not making it better). Sizing doesn't mean I am defined by the label on the back of my shirt. Size is not a definitive answer for all of my questions and complaints. In my closet currently I have clothing that ranges from XS to XXL. So when you go shopping, ask yourself these three questions. Do all of these clothes make me feel beautiful? Do they cover the parts of my body I, myself, want covered regardless of what someone else wants me to cover? Do these clothes empower ME? If your answer to any of these is no, try something new!
To those of you who feel discouraged when shopping or avoid it all together because you are uncomfortable, do some research. Find what kind of body shape you have, what style of clothing you like, experiment in different stores and keep an open mind! Staying positive is the biggest and most important part of the process. If you feel yourself becoming upset, take a break and try again a different day. Once you become comfortable with you, size will become something that no longer defines you.
