i've always wondered?

Feb 13, 2012
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before vanity sizing and size zero was around
i remember many years ago that people made a huge deal out of being size 8, but what was size 8?
is today's equivelant of size 0 the same as size 8 a decade ago?
i've always confused about this because we have different sizing here
 
Back in the late 80's my Mom was a size UK10, I've seen pictures of her and she was tiny, easily a UK6 today. About a decade ago I was a UK8 and my measurements were 31-24-34. I remember the big fuss when Miss Selfridge brought out size 6, everyone was shocked that such a small size could be needed and used to hold up size 6 clothes in the shop and marvel at how tiny they were. Now you can get a size 6 and it has the measurements 31-24-34. Size 8's are generally about 33-26-36 although many stores are closer to 34-27-37(I've seen bigger than this too!). Which makes it a bitch to find clothes in highstreet stores if you're thin. Miss Selfridge now stock a size UK4, people were shocked when that came out but now nobody bats an eyelid-I give it another 2 years before they bring out a UK2.
 
Back in the late 80's my Mom was a size UK10, I've seen pictures of her and she was tiny, easily a UK6 today. About a decade ago I was a UK8 and my measurements were 31-24-34. I remember the big fuss when Miss Selfridge brought out size 6, everyone was shocked that such a small size could be needed and used to hold up size 6 clothes in the shop and marvel at how tiny they were. Now you can get a size 6 and it has the measurements 31-24-34. Size 8's are generally about 33-26-36 although many stores are closer to 34-27-37(I've seen bigger than this too!). Which makes it a bitch to find clothes in highstreet stores if you're thin. Miss Selfridge now stock a size UK4, people were shocked when that came out but now nobody bats an eyelid-I give it another 2 years before they bring out a UK2.

That's crazy! I don't understand why they just can't make higher sizes so the fatties know they're fat
 
Pretty sure size 0 in the US = size 4 in australia. So size 8 in Australia is size 4 US. Technically size 0 doesn't exist here, the smallest size is size 6 (US size 2), and a lot of shops don't even stock that size.
 
That's crazy! I don't understand why they just can't make higher sizes so the fatties know they're fat

Because then they wouldn't be happy to blow all their money on that shops clothes 'Look! I'm a size 10 omgomgomg!' No, you're a generous size 12, deal with it. :meh:
 
I'm not quite sure if it fits into this thread but I just found an old trouser suit from my mum. It's from Jean Paul Gaultier and a 36 (UK 8) and it´is definitely smaller than the average size 36 from today.
 
At least in Canada (we use US sizing), you can find size 2s, 0s, and even 00s. So even if the vanity sizing is absurd (a size 00 is probably a size 2 from the '90s), you can hunt around and easily find small clothes.

As for the UK size 8 thing, I guess that's around a US size 4, and that's just kind of the 'skinny' size for adult women. Like, if you're a 4-6 and average height, you can deem yourself very thin (lol). A lot of female celebrities here in their 30s and 40s claim to be that size, too.
 
In the 1960s 2 was the smallest size. In the 1980s there was the birth of the "0/2", a hybrid vanity size for aspirational types. Instead of just being a yucky old 1960s 2, you could be the new, improved 0/2.

In teen sizes, which also had some cross over for adults, the goal size was 5. Anything smaller than that was really small. I wore a 1980s 3 back in the day. I don't think there was 1.

Nowadays, 1 is the teen size and is even big in some lines. 0 is the super small size for adults and 2 is the "average" size. For petites though you can still look big to super skinny girls, be wayyyy smaller than the average WW soccer mom, and not remotely wear anything like a size 2.

For years I wore the Gap size 1; I really wish they had never discontinued it because it is my real size: 24.5 inches, about as skinny as a model. Now I wear the Gap 00 but I really just go with F21 for my sizing. If I can wear the F21 size 25 jeans and size small I'm good.