Have Women's sizes changed?

Ok, I'm so puzzled.  I remember in the 80s (last time I was little!) I weighed about 105-115 and usually wore about a size 6-8.  

Now, I see comments and photos of people weighing 135+ saying they wear a size 6 or a size 4!  I'm soooo confused!

Has the sizing for our clothing really changed that much in the last 30 years?  I was thinking I'd be victorious if I made it down to a size 10, but now I'm wondering if at my goal weight of 140, I'll be back in a size 8 again?

Vanity sizes are definitely more prevalent these days but I also think it depends on what sort of clothes you wear.

I'm very tall (6ft) and often wonder how people who are 6-8 inches shorter than me and the same weight wear the same size ...

You may well find yourself in a smaller size than you ever imagined!!!

I have discovered that sizes vary widely by brand and store. Target, WalMart are the most generous to me. Head up to Kohl's, JCP they will brands that seem to run small and brands that are a good fit.  I can wear a 10, 12 or 14 pants depending. If I head into Macy's or a more expensive store...I have to start going up in size. I stay between 160-163lbs.

Then I see women who say they are a size 8 and I think, "How??" I'm not as large, I don't think and I can't wear an 8!" I began to suspect we ladies might be a bit vain and reduce our clothing size at times when we tell others. I know, it sounds crazy. Us? Vain??

But, yea, now I have to carry at least 2 sizes in the fitting room of each item and work from there. Soon you will get an idea of what brands work best for you and that helps a lot. But the choices will be overwhelming at first. It's not, "Ok, what will fit me here?" It's "where should I start??"  

And my absolute favorite day was the first time a store didn't have an item small enough for me. What??? I was giddy with delight.

 

I do reAlly think that sizes have changed.  I am currently 5'2" and 124lbs.  The last time I as this size was about 30 years ago and I was a size 8.  I am now very comfortable in small or extra small tops and 2 or 4 petite bottoms depending on the brand.  I have had some clothing store employees tell me that they have modified their sizing in the past few years.

I graduated high school as a size 11/12 at 125lbs.   Now I'm 135lbs and wear a 4 or a 6, depending on the brand.   I have been able to put on a size 2 and zip up and although baggy I can wear a size 8 -- but an 11/12 is WAY too big now.   So the answer is, yes, sizes have changed.   No question about it.   I am pretty thin for me, now, but still could go a long way, based on the numbers.  I have no clue what size I would wear if I dropped another 20 lbs.

Well, take into account that Marilyn Monroe was a 14 or 16 in her day and would be a 2 now and you have your answer.

My aunt is a CLOTHES HORSE! She has closets filled with clothes that still have the tags. They are very classic styles, lots of things from Talbots and the size 20s she has given me fit the exact same as the 12s I bought recently. 

 

Yes, vanity sizing has run rampant!  I still had a pair of Dockers from 1990 when I was losing my weight in 2008, and those size 18 pants fit when I was buying new pants in size 14 (from a variety of manufacturers).  

I only own ONE pair of size 8 pants, and they are from Old Navy because people who are about my same height and weight were talking about wearing a size 6 (!) and kept mentioning that as somewhere they shopped.  A size 8 at the usual places I shop, though, (e.g. Macy's for work clothes) would not even BEGIN to fit (I am usually a size 10, sometimes a 12), so it also depends on manufacturer.  

Whether you will fit a certain size at 140 pounds really depends on how your body is shaped.  Not everyone of even the same height and weight can wear the same sizes because of their body type, muscle mass, and how their weight is distributed.

Lora

i think sizes have changed, but it also depends on your body type.  I have friends that are overweight that are size 8, but they are much shorter and smaller boned than I am. 

I love vintage clothing. I where a 14 now, but the old 18's fit.

I agree that the sizes have changed, and well put to the poster who said that it's more of "where do I start?"....I run between an 8 and a 14, depending on the brand....and I am still shopping at the thrift stores, so some of those clothes have been washed already and shrunk, so I don't even know.  I am wider in my hips, because of bone structure, so I doubt i will ever get to the vanity size, even if i was a skeleton. Since someone brought up Macy's, what in the heck is the difference between a PS and a PM?  I am 4 foot 11 and trying to do the LEAST amount of hemming as possible....Thanks