Gotta get it off my chest!

G

getnfit@38

Cathlete
I am clearly about to discriminate against you lovely ladies that are a size 10 and under, but please don't take it personal, I'm just having a "big girl" moment!

So I get this catalog (that I didn't even send for) in the mail the other day with the cutest workout gear, pricey, but so cute I was actually contemplating purchasing an item or two. Well the sizes ran XS, S, M, L, XL, but no numbers were attached to the letters, so I email the magazine and ask them for the actual numbers that went with the letters so I could place an order. Well, I assumed prior to the email that I could probably fit the extra large, and even if they ran small, it would be an "incentive" thing to get into it! (I CAN rationalize ANY purchase!)

Okay, so I get the email back very quickly from the company and DIG THIS.....
XS=2
S=4
M=6
L=8
XL=10
Hello~my big a** is a size 14! They might as well have said, "LEAVE THIS PLACE FAT GIRL....OUR DAINTY CLOTHES ARE NOT MEANT FOR YOUR HUGE A**!"
So I'm feeling REALLY huge at this moment, then I move to feeling really ticked off! Don't they think that someone larger than a size 10 MIGHT want to wear cute workout clothing? And what IS the message if you're a 12+?
I know eventually I will be a size 10, then hopefully a 6-8 (gotta have a dream to have a dream come true!), but it really bites that a fitness clothing catalog could call an XL a size 10!
Okay, venting over, I'm feeling better, and I know I shouldn't let things like this get to me, I've gone from a clothing size 30 to a size 14 and I feel great about that, I do, but I hate for someone to "pigeon hole" me based on statistics, or make me feel "less fit or worthy" because I'm not quite small enough for them!
Anyway~moment over :) thanks for listening :)
Donna
 
Donna, their sizes are so out of line that it's ridiculous. They must be made for teenyboppers (am I dating myself? what are teenagers called now-a-days?)

Stay with it girl, and ignore that kind of mislabeling. don't let it get to you...it's not worth it. Go walk in the sun in your fab size 14 bod and smell the flowers and believe yourself the goddess you are meant to be.

Susan
 
Donna,
That sizing scheme is actually a sizing scam! They need to hire a new marketing person, or they will not be in business too long with a limited market like that!
You should only be proud of yourself. Keep up your hard work!
 
They do need to carry larger sizes, but maybe they don't sell very many. Most big women don't exercise with Cathe, as far as large numbers and statistics go, right?
 
Holy Smokes! Those sizes are completely out of line! I mean even as an average sized (8) person, I would never buy clothes sized like that. That's just crazy! I can't believe they wouldn't think that someone larger than a 10 wouldn't want to wear nice workout clothes. How discrimentory of them!

GettingFit!
 
They should just call themselves "Looking Pretty For the Gym" for crying out loud. Do those clothes come with makeup kits and hairspray too?!
 
The sizing on women's fitness clothing is ridiculous & we don't even need to go into street clothes. I often buy a large size & I'm not a large person - 128 lbs. I've tried to point out to retailers that if I'm classified as a large, they're missing a major share of the market. This is even at stores like REI, not where you'd expect waif clothes.

Petites were ignored for years, so I guess this is their time.
 
RE: A Petite Speaks Out . . .

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but petite women take it in the chin, clothing-size wise, a lot. And I too have noticed that the way women's clothing is sized has changed over time, leading to nothing but confusion.

Back in 1988 I bought a skirt that fits me perfectly to this day and at that time was tagged as a size 4. Now, all the skirts I buy are tagged as a size 0. And while I was able to find a fairly good selection of clothing, especially office attire, back in the late '80's / early '90's in my size at a variety of stores, I now have a grand total of one store in the Twin Cities that consistently carries my size.

It is a stark fact that the average body weight and clothing size of Americans, women and men, has increased a great deal over the past decade, and I would argue that there are far more selections in larger sizes than smaller sizes, simply because that's what more consumers need. I personally am tired of having to shop at one store; I can't go into junior sizes because those are "junior" styles as well and I'm a little long in the tooth for that. And I'm tired of people implying that the solution to my problem is to gain weight, or that mine is no problem at all.

Annette
 
Those clothing sizes are bizarre!

Since you did mention that they replied to your email pretty quickly, maybe a less knowledgeable employee posted the sizes. Maybe it was a man :)

If you really like their clothes, maybe give them a phone call.

Don't let anyone make you feel bad about yourself.

Joyce
 
RE: Jeez, I woulda been upset too.

Donna-
I have been a size 16, and am now a 10. Or sometimes a 7. And others, a 12. On the same Day! My point is, I totally agree with you here. I tend to avoid malls becuase most of the clothes are made for bodies with no hips. A size 10 at Contempo feels like it is 4 sizes smaller than a size 10 at Ross or Victoria's Secret. My roommate worked in retail for years and tells me that if the plant runs out of 10s, but has a stack of 8s, they routinely label them 10's and send them off with no problem of guilt.
A designer will pick his/her idea of a perfect 6, measure her, and that's a "6" on that label.
OOOOkay.
If you really like those work-out clothes, ask for measurements, not sizes. Sizes are too subjective. Some places only put an inch between measurements for each size, some go up as much as 2 inches or more between sizes.
A really tall girl can be a size 10 and skinny. Alternatively, when I was a size 14, my butt was firm as a rock. and still is. And I bet yours is too. A size is but a label that can be torn off and disregarded. (But it still burns, I know :) )
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-18-02 AT 07:45PM (Est)[/font][p]:-hmmm
I went to the mall looking for a sundress to take to California and not only are the sizes smaller but uglier! What's this low waisted bell bottom pant thing? Well, my friend asked the sales girl what size she was. She said 0. Yeah, she was small, but most my young life I was a size 7/8 and she didn't look that much smaller than I use to be. I asked her what her waist size was & she said 25". Correct me if I'm wront in the 80's that was a size 5/6. I was a 27 waist and size 7/8. So what's the deal with it???? I think if you are a 5/6 and go to the mall with your friends and your young and love to buy clothes, you will buy twice as much thinking your a 0 than a 5/6. What do you think? That's my theory. It's a marketing thing!!!!!!!!! yeah it stinks,
:-mad
I like things from Newport News and such where you can get nice styles and Actual sizes!!!!!
 
I buy men's clothes. 30 waist 34 inseam. No more hassles. But I hear what you're saying. I have noticed it too. I agree that it's because of marketing and because Americans as a whole are fatter all the time. One thing is, if you shop at thrift stores, the clothes are mostly small because as people gain weight, which is the general trend, they give away their clothes, so there are lots of new trendy clothes, even athletic stuff, in small sizes. I bought my last two pairs of spandex shorts there, Nike and Pearl Izumi! Two dollars each.
 
It's really a shame that as women we should have to struggle so much to "figure" out what size we are! My hubby can go into any store and buy khaki's/jeans/dress pants with a 34w x 34l and they fit him with no problem! But it's getting so now that I find a store/catalog that I "know" what size I am, and I end up sticking with them just because I know whatever it is will fit! I too am a "Newport News" fan because as soon as I began buying clothes again, they were the first catalog that listed their sizes by measurement and I could figure out what size I was. I never had this problem when I was 375lbs because everything had elastic and everything I got was a 4X, so it took no figuring! But the up side is when I do purchase something and it is too small, I keep it and tell myself, "I'll get in to it soon enough!"
Hey, aren't we running things enough in this country to have some universal sizing for our clothing yet? I mean, if men can figure it out, come on!
Donna
 
The way they size the job bras is really bizarre...I have to get a large or XL, and I'm not all that big (size 6 most of the time).

Way back during the Johnson administration (LBJ, not Andrew)I weigh about what I do now and wore a size 9. I've seen dress patterns from the 1930's, and their size 12 probably equaled a 6 or smaller now. I have read that Marilyn Monroe (1950's)wore a size 16! I can't imagine....it's just that the sizes are different now.

The fashion industry knows women get caught up in numbers, so I'm sure that's why they play around with sizes so much. Guys don't care that much except for the waist sizes. I get Men's Health magazine, and you never see an article or letter to the editor about the sizing of men's clothes.

I'm so indoctrinated that I DO pay attention to the numbers on the scale and on the clothes tags. But, that's just my way of making sure I'm on track and not allowing myself to gain weight. I don't think I have to look like anybody in a magazine.

Anybody remember Twiggy?
 
i've been lurking here for a while but registered just so i could add to this rant... i have ordered a lot of work clothes from jcrew because their sizes seemed to be consistent, and they have petites so i don't have to pay to have them hemmed. i have several skirts and pants that are 6P. it's been about a year since i ordered anything, so yesterday my new shipment just arrived. 3 pairs of pants, all 6P, all waaay too tight in the hip/butt/thigh area! i've noticed the shrinking thigh-room trend in pants these days, and that doesn't go over well for this short chick (5'3") with 22" thighs! i was so frustrated!

also, i was on a recent mission to own a pair of earl jeans. these are pretty expensive designer jeans that run in waist sizes (22-32, i think). i went to the store to try some on, and i fit into a 30! me!!! the one who wears the previously mentioned 6P's! i was so irritated b/c it made me furious that this company is completely excluding even average-sized (8-10)women... ridiculous! i can't imagine the person who wears the 22's! oh, and they're all 34" inseam too, HA HA.
 
Honeybunch, you are really right about the old sizes. I love to make my own clothes, and have made several of the Vogue patterns reissued from the 30s and 40s. When I do, I jump from an 8 or 10 to a 14, because the old patterns were definitely sized differently.
 
Title 9 goes to size 16

And their clothes are gorgeous! http://www.title9sports.com/

I have problems getting clothes that fit since I have an odd bod! I have long legs and a really short waist. My waist is 30 inches, my hips 34. I need those low rise pants! I am always afraid when I order clothes. Should I fit the waist or the hips? It all depends on the cut. It's a pain in the butt! It would be great if "they" standardized the sizes but I doubt that'll happen any time soon.

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
Hey have you ever tried the Lands End catalog? www.landsend.com The clothes are made for real female bodies, the sizes are normally sized (small is a 6-8 (not a 0-2), they have all sizes up to 20s (18W-26W), petite, and the BEST part is that they will hem your pants at the inseam measurement of your choice, for free! I started ordering from them two years ago and have not bought one single pair of pants from anyone else since then! I have short legs and an awful time finding pants that aren't made for skinny 16 year olds with 6 pack abs and super model long legs. The clothes are cute, good quality and the customer service is EXCELLENT. Check it out!
 
RE: A Petite Speaks Out . . .

>I hope no one takes this
>the wrong way, but petite
>women take it in the
>chin, clothing-size wise, a lot.

>
>It is a stark fact that
>the average body weight and
>clothing size of Americans, women
>and men, has increased a
>great deal over the past
>decade, and I would argue
>that there are far more
>selections in larger sizes than
>smaller sizes, simply because that's
>what more consumers need.
>I personally am tired of
>having to shop at one
>store; I can't go into
>junior sizes because those are
>"junior" styles as well and
>I'm a little long in
>the tooth for that.
>And I'm tired of people
>implying that the solution to
>my problem is to gain
>weight, or that mine is
>no problem at all.
>
>Annette

Annette,
I'm right there with you on the small clothing size problem. I simply cannot find clothing to fit me. It has become a huge problem for me as I've gotten older.
I am 5'7" tall and weigh 110 lbs. I can usually wear a size 2, but even most 2's are too big for me. The junior styles, as you said, are too young for me (I'm 45).... what are we to do?
Just today, I received an order from a catalog called "Boston Proper". Some of you may have ordered from here.... they have really cute clothes, a bit pricey, but they carry a size 2 and that is becoming increasingly hard to find. So, I tried on the size 2 skort that came today and it's too BIG! What's up with that? Where do you go when the 2's are too big?
The department stores are no better. They simply don't carry many smaller sizes because that isn't what sells. I have actually asked the sales clerk why there are not more small sizes on the racks, and she told me because nobody buys them. HUH?
Anyway, my point is, I understand the frustration with the larger sizes not being available, as the smaller ones are not either. :(
Jeanne
 
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