What happens to us when we step into the dressing room can sometimes be paramount to a nervous breakdown when things don’t fit. Watching ourselves squeeze into a pair of pants, marked ‘size 8,’ we are mortified when we cannot get the zipper all the way up. We walk away defeated and depressed. The next time you go shopping there are some things you should keep in mind in order to avoid a tearful exit from your favorite boutique.
1- Not all sizes are created equal. There was a time when sizes were standardized. That all changed in the 70s when some Madison Avenue genius figured out that if clothing reflected a smaller size than the ones instituted by the ‘National Bureau of Commerce,’ we would be more inclined to purchase. They were right. Just to give you an idea of how dramatically sizing has changed, in 1953 a size 16 or 18 was equivalent to a size 8 today. A size 16, according to the NBC, was 34 bust-28 waist-37 hip. A size 8, according to today’s specification charts is 35-28-39.* [Read more…]
