With summer just around the corner, I recently went shopping and looked for new shorts and jeans. I had a hard time finding shorts that fit me and my size changed depending on the store and brand, it was beyond frustrating.
This is a problem that a lot of girls have had with clothes over the years. I even found old shorts that were from the same store, same brand and had the same appearance, but were three different sizes from three different years. How is a size 5, 3, and 1 all the same in everything but in how it's labeled?
I learned a few years ago that guys pants come in two sizes based on their waist and inseam measurements and they can pick up a pair that is that exact size and check out. They don't even really need to try them on. Why do guys get exact clothing sizes? Why do these sizes not change? Why are girls pants and shorts different sizes from store to store and on top of that, why don't stores accommodate all sizes? Why are shirt sizes so drastically different? Why are bras the only easy garment to buy, but even that is an entire process?
I was curious and googled women's clothing size history and ended up at this chart and this article.
Women's clothing sizes are up to designers and aren't regulated by any standards. A size eight could fit anyone from a 26 size waist to a 31 size waist. That's a five-inch difference for pants that should theoretically be the same size. So you could be a size eight at one store and a size 12 in another.
Not only does it make it harder and more time consuming for women to shop, but it also is detrimental to our mental health, plus online shopping is always a gamble. When you can't find pants that fit or change drastically in size, you can start to feel crappy and have negative body images, which you shouldn't feel bad about your size and it should NEVER be hard for you to find clothing.
It's so frustrating. I wish that there could be some kind of standard for women's clothing and more variety because everyone should be able to go to a store and find pants and a shirt that fit without having to go through an entire process every time. It's really not that much to ask for, is it?
