As someone >90th percentile in height and >75th percentile in weight for the US, I’ve found in the last 5 years I now no longer fit into most “Large” size clothing and need to buy more “Medium” sized clothing. I haven’t lost/gained weight nor shrunk(that I’m aware of). Statistically, numerically and culturally this seems strange.
Anyone else find sizes that “should” or “used to” fit have morphed and you now shop different sizes where your body size hasn’t changed?
A few random calculators: https://tall.life/height-percentile-calculator-age-country/ https://simulconsult.com/resources/measurement.html?type=weight
As a tall thin person, I’ve always worn “Large” sized shirts (tshirts, button ups, jackets, etc). Over the last two years I noticed that the button up long sleeve shirts that I like have almost exactly the same overall length, sleeve length, and collar. The only obvious difference is that they’re much larger around in the stomach area.
About a year ago I picked up a size L insulated flannel shirt and thought “sleeves/length is perfect, this’ll do” and the person with me told me I had a carnival tent in the back that I probably wouldn’t have realized until later. So I picked up the M size, sleeves/length were the same, but still a lot of extra fabric around midsection. Picked up a S size… perfect.
That blew my mind a little bit that the overall length and sleeve length of the Small to Large were almost identical, they just tailored in a lot more fabric to account for big bellies. Makes me think that probably sucks for people who are not tall and wear a Small…
I go between large and extra large, usually dependent on how close I want the shirt to fit. Also, most shirts are sized based on shoulder width over other dimensions.
As for pants, I usually have to try them on as the waist can be off by 2".
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75th percentile in weight for the US
Seeing how 30% of the US is morbidly obese, I’m rather shocked you’re were in a size L at all.
Or you’re using an outdated chart.
The weight has changed much more in sizing than height is likely to since it’s easy to gain/lose weight compared to gaining or losing height; it’s why I mentioned my percentiles. The links seemed like decently recent data so you wouldn’t expect someone in my percentiles to be so strangely missized unless sizing was just flat wrong or targeted to certain body shapes in the last 10-ish years.
My basic experience and data seems to point to height determining size much less than weight now does, which for those of us not rapidly changing weights puts us in a strange spot. There are also many more different global clothes manufacturers than there used to be I’d guess and maybe the newer ones still have no idea how to size for new geographies/cultures? Just guessing.
The links seemed like decently recent data so you wouldn’t expect someone in my percentiles to be so strangely missized unless sizing was just flat wrong or targeted to certain body shapes in the last 10-ish years.
Ehhh sorta kinda. The charts used are intentionally outdated, since they’re supposed to model healthy weight and are used for population scale statistics.
https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/information-for-healthcare-professionals.htm check under “why haven’t the growth charts been updated”
Currently, more than 30% of kids fall in the 95th percentile, for example. Which is statistically a stupid thing to say, but it allows for better tracking if you don’t change your measuring tool.
I was an American large T-shirt for most my life but for the last 10 years I have to get a medium. Americans are just getting too fat and companies dont want to upset them.
Am woman. Lived in both the US and Canada. Clothes never fit me. Sizes and numbers are meaningless. Everything is either tiny or 4X
Nope. Clothes seem to have more stretch and fewer natural fibers every year. Sizes have always been inconsistent. But i think the increased stretch and elastic has accentuated the problem. It also makes fabric wear out more quickly. In the last year, I have purchased sizes from 8-18. I don’t trust manufacturer measurements. I always measure and have returned many items that were much larger than stated. That’s something I have experienced going back many years though. I think measuring the clothes themselves is the way to go. But unfortunately not always possible
Something is definitely fluffed. That’s all I can tell you for sure, matey.
Here, I’m just a 5’8" scrawny dude, and yet I need to buy “large” clothing, in the States.
What’s up with that…??
Maybe it’s your brand and source. I see sizes becoming less consistent, more brand specific. Men’s sizes used to be consistent but now it depends on brand.
- I get brands known for being over resized, because I need them and they’re more comfortable
- a lot of “normal” brands I have to size up, and ts still less comfortable
- others, notably cheap or souvenir t-shirts I might size up twice, or it may not be comfortable at any labelled size
However I’m taller than average which is part of it. For a cheap brand with no tall sizes, I might size up twice, it might even be hanging off me as oversized, yet way too short
Sizing is unacceptably insane. There has to be an explanation other than “everyone in the clothing industry is an idiot”, but I haven’t seen one.
Just got underwear for an 18-24 MONTH old and they’re bigger than my 14 year old niece’s underwear.
I’m a fat black man. Anything non Chinese is 3x. Anything Chinese is 2 sizes larger.
I’m a fat guy with a long torso. Due to ages and aches, I’ve crept up to a 4X which pains me. The thing that infuriates me is that every 4X seems to be very, very short. I don’t know if it’s a scaling issue with the patterns or they think everyone is a short fat fuck…
You need to look for big and tall.
I do, polos are often okay but I have visions of the 80’s T-shirt dresses when I try on a lot of LT style casual wear… 😂 I think my best option are some diet changes and getting back to biking…
No.
As a Canadian, I have to buy small size t-shirts from Costco (an American company) because the medium sizes are what Canadian retailers would label as large.
Yeah I have ended up buying kids extra large lately. Extra small in women’s has gotten huge, even at stores where clothing has usually ran small. Thought I was going nuts.
Women’s clothes tend to be more prone to vanity sizing than men’s.
Vanity sizing, or size inflation, is the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming bigger in physical size over time.
Vanity sizing is a common fashion industry practice used today that often involves labeling clothes with smaller sizes than their actual measurements size. Experts believe that this practice targets consumer’s preferences and perceptions.
Yep. Been aware of that since I was old enough to buy my own clothes. I have several pants in different sizes across brands…there is no continuity. Even waist size isn’t accurate on the tags for women’s pants if they do add it. Hence, in the past, I would typically find a store where stuff fits, find my “size” in that store, and stick with it. Lately even that isn’t working. It’s like sizes have gotten even less consistent, and larger overall. Which is why hearing others are encountering similar issues makes me feel a little comfort.
I’ve been having to size up, but that is probably because of my overly-sedentary lifestyle and fondness for good food. Trying to work on it when my mental well-being permits.
Pants are so annoying to try to buy. Every brand/version currently avaliable is a slightly different size even with the measurements so it’s hard to try to buy them during sales in bulk online. I’m pretty active for work and have bigger thighs so I go through pants more often than the normal person, but even with that I feel like quality is getting worse causing more of those issues, especially unsuspecting shrinkage. I like the lees extreme motion pants but have noticed if I buy 2 pairs online one will be slightly more narrow than the second pair when it’s both the same pant
Levi’s is a brand where I noticed size differences, even with identical pants, where the only difference is country of manufacture
