Why I’m Fed Up With Retailers’ Inconsistent And Unrealistic Clothing Sizes

Fashion and clothing brands have been under fire for years about labels and the sizing of their clothes. Abercrombie and Fitch was in hot water a few years ago for not making XL and XXL sizes. And Old Navy received some heat for charging more for plus-sized clothing.

The most recent brand to be scrutinized? H&M. This photo was posted on Facebook by Ruth Clemens on June 13th. Her photo has been shared over 10,000 times.

In her post, she writes, “I am not overweight (not that that should matter) and although I’m 5 foot 11 my body is pretty average shape-wise. It’s already difficult enough for me to find clothes that fit well because of my height, why are you making jeans that are unrealistically small?”

She continues, “Am I too fat for your everyday range? Should I just accept that accessible and affordable high street and on-trend fashion isn’t for people like me?”

Ruth respectfully defends an important message about body image. According to National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), over 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Having clothing sizes that significantly vary from store to store doesn’t help.

I personally can relate to Ruth’s frustration. It seems that every store I go into has a different size chart for pants, tops and dresses. I have to always bring 2-3 different sizes into the fitting room with me because I never know how they’re going to fit. Yes, sometimes I have a little more wine and work out a little less, but it’s not like the pendulum is swinging 20 pounds in either direction.

And yes, yes, I know the cuts can drastically change the way an article of clothing fits, but why can’t women get clothing sized like men’s apparel?

My husband is a tall, lanky fellow, but he has no problem finding 30×32 in every store, and they fit him perfectly every time. I know my waist size and I know my inseam—if pants for women were made the same way as men, it would be a lot easier and less time consuming to shop (something I think all husbands would be thankful for).

What are your thoughts? Share them with us on our Facebook page.

[h/t: The Insider]