Vanity Sizing - Alive and Well

Have you ever heard the rumor that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12?  Well, it’s no rumor.  Back in the 1950’s Marilyn was actually a size 12.  By today’s standards, Marilyn would be a size 6.  Why does this large discrepancy between sizes exist?  Two words – vanity sizing: the apparel industry’s dirty little secret.

Vanity sizing, or “size inflation, is the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming larger over time”.  Vanity sizing is certainly alive and well, and many American apparel companies use this sizing technique to seduce their customers into purchasing jeans that appeal to the “small body” aspirational archetype that society embraces .  Vanity sizing occurs when clothing companies cut their products larger while labeling them with small size tags.   In this way clothing companies are persuading women everywhere into believing that they haven’t gained pounds or inches in years.  A 2006 Good Morning America segment, found here on YouTube, highlights how three separate women fell victim to vanity sizing.

Why does vanity sizing seem to be less prevalent among men’s clothing?  Although vanity sizing certainly occurs in men’s clothing, it is definitely not as dramatic as the sizing discrepancies we see in women’s clothing.  Men’s clothing sizes have been standardized since the government, needing to outfit Civil War soldiers rapidly, found consistencies among men's measurements and labeled them with sizes that corresponded.  Those sizes, based on exact measurements, are still in use today by men’s clothing manufacturers.  That is why it is much easier for men to buy clothing off the rack without always needing to try things on.  

Women’s clothing on the other hand has not been standardized in almost fifty years.  The last time there was any standardization of women's sizes was in the 1940’s when the U.S. Department of Agriculture did a large-scale study of women's measurements, urged on by the mail-order clothing industry. This standardization was extremely short lived, many garment manufacturers instead developed their own sizing scales using measurements that suited them.  Today, it is becoming more and more common for manufacturers to create various sizing scales, even within their own brand.  Few companies are motivated to conform to a sizing standard because vanity sizing is a source of competitive advantage whereby companies can cater their sizing scales to flatter those who they view to be their “core customers” and influence more frequent purchases.

The vanity-sizing phenomenon has now begun to make its way overseas.  A recent Times article, “Revealed: The Jeans that Tell a Sizeable Lie,” exposes several brands, including H&M, Gap, and French Connection, who have begun practicing vanity sizing.  According to Time’s findings, French Connection seems to be the most embellished brand, with some of their pants being up to six inches larger than what was actually stated on the tags.

Because there is just no standardization in sizes, True Jeans takes the time to collect data and sizing information on every jean we carry.  Thus helping you to determine which size your unique measurements match up with for each style of denim we carry.

Our reviews thus far have been great, and everyone at True Jeans wants to continue to offer premium and niche denim brands to suit every need.  So I guess the question is now, does vanity sizing really change how you purchase clothes?  Or is it just a trend you think will eventually work itself out?  Should apparel companies standardize their sizing scales or continue to diverge?