[WhitneyF]

I thought this article was interesting.

Stop the insanity!
As if the city hasn't gotten skinny enough, stores are
rolling out size 00 jeans. You heard us right.
BY TRACEY LOMRANTZ

A brand's smallest size was too big for Victoria Beckham.
Poor Victoria Beckham.

When British denim company David Bitton recently sent her premium jeans, the former Spice Girl Posh found herself swimming in them.

Seems the size 24, the brand's smallest, didn't fit the celebutante, her stylist reported. So Bitton crafted a size 23 to grace Beckham's bony backside. A quick tape measure, however, proved that their 23 was really more like a 25.

That's because of "vanity sizing" - a brand's way of appealing to a customer's ego by slapping a size 2 label on a garment that's much more like a 6 - and it's gained incredible momentum in the past few months.

Banana Republic recently introduced a "00"; Old Navy now has XXS tops and bottoms, and the desire to become a nearly negative size is taking over the retail scene.

Vanity sizing has become a pop culture touchstone. Eva Longoria's supposed size 00 measurements were even written into an episode of "Desperate Housewives."

"Retailers don't want size 16 women coming in their store and saying, 'I need to lose some weight; I'll buy this later.' They want them to think they're a 12 and buy it now," says Tim Gunn, chairman of the fashion department at Parsons the New School for Design, and fashion authority on Bravo's "Project Runway." "The sizing is so much a part of a woman's self-esteem."

Paige Adams-Geller, a former denim fit model, created her own line of jeans that are true to size.

"There are brands out there that don't focus on fit; they focus on the visual appearance of the garment, which can cause sizing issues," says Adams-Geller. "These companies use their own sizing criteria, therefore a true 28 can end up being a 26 or 30 in their brand."

A recent national survey noted that in the past 50 years, the average woman's waist has gone from a 27 to a 34; still, more and more females are miraculously fitting into smaller and smaller sizes. "The consumers seem content to be deluded," says Gunn.

Originally published on July 13, 2006

[Aquilah]

Wow! Great article! I know I vanity shop, and I LOVE it! LOL!

[ivette]

thanks for the post

interesting article

[Jennifer]

very interesting! thanks for posting!

[Retro-Violet]

i just get annoyed when they change sizes in jeans. its dammit i want one that fits not having to try to figure out what size i am now since they moved the sizes down (IE: Express).

[Heather12801]

I thought 00 had been out for a while now. I remember buying that size at A&F like four years ago. Or maybe I read the article wrong....is it just saying that the smaller sizes are becoming more main stream and not just offered by certain stores anymore?

I don't really see anything wrong with "vanity sizing". I mean, who wouldn't rather say they wear a 2 instead of a 4? Maybe there is a down side to it that I don't see, though.

[mehrunissa]

I really don't like it. If I've been working hard to lose weight in hopes to get into a TRUE 6, I don't want to find myself in the fitting room with something that says 6, but is really a 10. I'll end up content and lose my incentive. As Americans, we're unhealthy, and allowing ourselves to be deluded is an even unhealthier attitude. How will we ever be able to improve upon ourselves if we don't see ourselves for who/what we really are?

[sadhunni]

very interesting article. thanks for sharing.

[WhitneyF]

Originally Posted by mehrunissa

I really don't like it. If I've been working hard to lose weight in hopes to get into a TRUE 6, I don't want to find myself in the fitting room with something that says 6, but is really a 10. I'll end up content and lose my incentive. As Americans, we're unhealthy, and allowing ourselves to be deluded is an even unhealthier attitude. How will we ever be able to improve upon ourselves if we don't see ourselves for who/what we really are?

I agree completely.

[lynnda]

Interesting....thanks for posting.

[Tesia]

I totally agree with mehrunissa. i personally hate it. Maybe because I am on the same boat as Victoria Beckham. I always have a hard time finding a nice pair jeans that fit me well.

[Heather12801]

Originally Posted by mehrunissa

I really don't like it. If I've been working hard to lose weight in hopes to get into a TRUE 6, I don't want to find myself in the fitting room with something that says 6, but is really a 10. I'll end up content and lose my incentive. As Americans, we're unhealthy, and allowing ourselves to be deluded is an even unhealthier attitude. How will we ever be able to improve upon ourselves if we don't see ourselves for who/what we really are?

Ok, now I see the downside of it. I never thought of it that way. Good point!!

[Nox]

YES, it's about time that this is called out. I for one, I am kind of sick of vanity sizing. I see women all the time with rolls everywhere on their body, coming out and boasting about how they are fitting into size 8 or 10 . There are women who would love any opportunity to "fit" into a smaller size, and the clothing companies exploit it to get more money. Understandable, yes. Good in the long run, no. I think Mehrunissa explained it all very well,

When I was in Hong Kong and mainland China, I always found it amusing to see the lightbulb go off in many Western women's heads about what their true size is when taking a trip to the malls. LOL!

[Heather12801]

So how do you know what your true size really is? Is there any way to find out?

[jet]

Brilliant.

I'm a two. Really. =p

[4getmeNot]

Originally Posted by mehrunissa

I really don't like it. If I've been working hard to lose weight in hopes to get into a TRUE 6, I don't want to find myself in the fitting room with something that says 6, but is really a 10. I'll end up content and lose my incentive. As Americans, we're unhealthy, and allowing ourselves to be deluded is an even unhealthier attitude. How will we ever be able to improve upon ourselves if we don't see ourselves for who/what we really are?

omg..i so agree with what you're saying!!