NO! The answer is no, a million times no – and here’s why.
Many people are obsessed with fitting into a particular size, whether it’s the size they wore in high school, the size Hollywood tells us we should be or the size the skinny girl in the office says SHE wears. It becomes an unhealthy focus and can lead to serious self-esteem issues and/or eating disorders.
Let’s talk about the numbers on that tiny piece of material attached to your jeans and why they don’t matter.
- It’s a game! Designers know that people, especially women, will buy a garment that has a size 4 label, over one that has a size 8 label, every time. So while your TRUE size might be 8, you’re going to buy the brand that tells you that you’re a size 4. In the end, the designer who tells you what you want to hear (read), wins.
- Individuals of the same height and weight can wear very different sizes. You can have a “pear shaped” woman who weighs 150 lbs, she may wear a size 12 in jeans, while a 150 lb, top-heavy woman who is slimmer through the hips may wear a size 6.
- Brands and styles have very different cuts. Have you ever noticed that a particular store who caters to a younger crowd, carries pants that are longer and slimmer? These stores are targeting individuals who have a particular body shape. Someone with a more “mature” body shape, who usually wears a size 4 will not be able to pull this store’s size 4 pants up over her thighs. The clothing in this store is not made with a her body shape in mind.
- Many of us are not one uniform size. Some may have a small waist and carry weight through the hips and thighs, others may have a wide waist and very thin legs. While there are some people who slide right into those pants, the rest of us need a good tailor.
In the end, who, besides you, really knows what that tag says – or cares for that matter? I don’t think anyone really knows what a true size 0,2,4,6,8……is anymore.
Why do we let that number bother us so much? Does it determine our value as a human being? Does it make us a better person?
The best fashion advice I’ve ever received was, buy for the largest part of your body and have the rest tailored. A nice, tailored, put together look beats squeezing yourself into something that makes you look and feel like a Vienna sausage, just because the tag, that no one can see says “4”.
