Vanity sizing is not just an American phenomenon; British stores have caught onto the trend and many stores now display smaller numbers than before. This is because fashion, for women at least, comes fraught with many perils: vanity, fear of old age, and a desperate desire to be young and skinny.
So many fashion retailers have decided – consciously or subconsciously – to cash in on this fear that seizes so many women: they change their designs or their sizing to camouflage the fact that their customers are not as skinny as they would like to believe.
This can cause confusion among women who have become used to wearing a particular size, though most often, it may cause elation – which is probably the original intent. It is indeed a pleasant feeling to fit into a smaller size pants than before. Or to remain the same size for years. And this without any exercise or dieting. This means that many women tend to frequent stores that flatter, ie, stores that make them feel physically smaller than what they really are. But a growing number of women are railing against this. They want to order clothing online with no hassles. They want to know that their favourite clothing store’s sizing be consistent.
These are the women who enjoy shopping at for the ease-of-use and comfort of knowing that their size will not vary from one day to the next.
Most other stores alter their measurements but their sizes ‘shrink’. This means that a woman who has picked up weight over the last 2 or 3 years might be oblivious to that fact only because her jeans’ sizes have remained the same, though the measurements have changed. So she remains a size 12 though in reality her hips are closer to a size 14 or even 16.
Companies such as Merimondo uses consistent sizing charts that do not fool women into thinking they are smaller than what they really are. This is a far more honest approach to marketing and appeals to the more mature women who sees the world – and especially herself – for what it really is.
Author bio:
Gray & Osbourn wrote this article on the joys of consistent sizing that customers can expect from companies such as Merimondo.
