The Shrinking of Sizes

I think I have adapted reasonably well to the realities of aging UNTIL I have to shop online for an article of clothing and choose “my” size. 

Remember when menopause was referred to as The Change?  The change from monthly ambiguity about managing menstruation was not unwelcome for me and I was braced for ways, as my dad used to quip, “With age, your upholstery slips.”

While gravity and time have definitely changed my topography—my essential volume has not changed like Sizes have. My weight and the size I’ve worn since I could legally drink have not changed much. I’m a Libra so of course it was appropriate to my personality to be an adult woman, size Medium (10-12).

But the The Change for the fashion industry has meant that the size I am does not fit their sizing. Just Google “Vanity Sizing” for perspective on this global problem.

I never was proportioned like Marilyn Monroe but she was considered the classic Size 12 for decades. But thanks to what the fashion industry has decreed, Marilyn’s storied proportions (34-26-36) are now assigned Sizes 4-6—even if she was shopping at L.L. Bean.  And Old Navy would suggest Marilyn was a Size 2.  I like picturing her in L.L. Bean flannel shirts or Old Navy sweats; so comfortable.

This helps explain why the comfortable new cotton LLBean shirt I picked up at the Goodwill Superstore tells me that, without gaining weight, I am no longer Medium but Extra Large.

Of course, getting this shirt on the “green tag” day for $3 saved me at least $30 plus shipping so I will just let my Scottish roots be tickled.

The phenomenon of Vanity Sizing actually discourages me from shopping for clothing at all which is also a saving.  And while I still enjoy browsing through a catalog, the task of guessing at a good fit (or returning an item that fails to fit) often leads to a recycling bin deposit.

If you haven’t read Not The Trip We Planned—or given it as a gift to friends or relative with whom you share a sense of humor, consider it a good item for the coming season of gifts.  With a book you never need to worry about “what size?” (except maybe when travelling…)

Links here (and a peek at the authors’ style choices, including a Goodwill find) 

https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/not-the-trip-we-planned/