Can anyone explain why vanity sizing exists in children's clothing?

[fly girl]

It's for the vain parents who want to state that their children are 2 sizes smaller than they actually are.



Yes! Those would be great. I actually wear my belt buckle on my side, instead of in front, when I have on tops that can go over my belt. There is no belt buckle bulge that way.

I do too. And have the invisibelt, but I still want a no belt option!

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I am back-to-school shopping and my daughter wears a size 12 or 14 at Target, Walmart, and Old Navy but she is a size 10 at Justice, Macy's, Children's Place and Kohl's. JC Penney is a toss-up, their sizing is dependent on the brand and we have to try on size 10, 12, or 14 in whatever she wants to buy. Why does this have to be complicated? Is consistent sizing too much to ask for?

I get why vanity sizing exists for women, it's much more fun to say that we wear a smaller size, so then we are more likely to shop at the store that appeals to our vanity where we can say we are a smaller size. But why are we doing this to children? Or is it unintentional?

Clothing has always differed in sizing depending on the label.

I remember when I was in school (back in the 1950’s and 60’s) and shopped for clothes, I could wear a smaller size if it came from a more expensive store (Two Guys, Korvettes vs. Bamberger’s, Orbachs, Hahnes, etc. these were department stores in downtown Newark, NJ in case no one has heard of them).

You have to tell your daughter not to get caught up in the sizes and make sure she always has a positive body image no matter how big or small she is.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Heck I have that problem in adult clothes too. Something might be 10/12 or 14/16 but I need a 12/14

I hear you. That's the problem I have, also.

 

[Kitty 34]

I agree with many of you posters!! I don't care who is making the clothes or selling the clothes a Size 10 should be a size 10 just like a cup of water is a cup of water or a liter of pop is a liter of pop. Why the variation (on clothes) here in the US????

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree with many of you posters!! I don't care who is making the clothes or selling the clothes a Size 10 should be a size 10 just like a cup of water is a cup of water or a liter of pop is a liter of pop. Why the variation (on clothes) here in the US????

Because designers and manufacturers are pretty much all businesses independent of each other, combined with the government not seeing any need to regulate clothing sizes.

A liter is a specific measurement. A(n eight ounce) cup of water is a specific measurement. Getting a cup of water in a restaurant, on the other hand, is as random, unregulated, and subject to what measure of size the venue says, as clothing sizes.

 

[Skippy918]

And let’s not get started on shoe sizes which make no sense whatsoever cause they are not really correlated to anything. I’m a women’s 8, yet I can fit into my son’s size 6 boys shoe. My sneakers also fit him.

 

[scrhsa]

I am just so glad I no longer have to buy my girls clothes!!! Good gravy, it was a nightmare. One was tall and skinny, the other was a block( in kidergarten she wore a size 8 kids capris as long pants) and she only wanted dinosaurs and nothing girly. My last one just had a hard core opinion on what she wanted and was VERY stubborn. Goodness, I'm stressed just remembering

 

[wgeo]

Just to throw it out there - it can be crummy for the guys too. One brands 32 inch waist, is actually 33, while anothers is actually 31. Got to the point where I had to bring a tape measure with me to actually measure the waists, and it was incredible how very very few were actually what they said they were.

Not sure if it's a quality control issue or what.

 

[tcufrog]

The worst is Old Navy. I've discovered that they vanity size even the men's pants and shorts. With most brands I have to buy plus size clothing but with Old Navy I can comfortably fit into some of their regular clothes which is a mixed blessing since I never know which size to order if I buy something online. Recently, I had to buy a dress in an XL since the XXL was too big. Sounds great but I would have ended up with a too-big dress if I had ordered it online in my regular size.

 

[wgeo]

The worst is Old Navy. I've discovered that they vanity size even the men's pants and shorts. With most brands I have to buy plus size clothing but with Old Navy I can comfortably fit into some of their regular clothes which is a mixed blessing since I never know which size to order if I buy something online. Recently, I had to buy a dress in an XL since the XXL was too big. Sounds great but I would have ended up with a too-big dress if I had ordered it online in my regular size.

You're right - big pain for online shopping. I did the amazon wardrobe thing for myself and got the exact same pair of shorts in 2 different colors, same size. One fit, one didn't.

 

[lauritagoddess]

The worst is Old Navy. I've discovered that they vanity size even the men's pants and shorts. With most brands I have to buy plus size clothing but with Old Navy I can comfortably fit into some of their regular clothes which is a mixed blessing since I never know which size to order if I buy something online. Recently, I had to buy a dress in an XL since the XXL was too big. Sounds great but I would have ended up with a too-big dress if I had ordered it online in my regular size.

What drives me crazy with Old Navy is the inconsistency in their own sizing. In general I wear a XXL in tops, but some tops I can fit into an XL or an L, or the XXL is too tight. Worse is with their pants and jeans where the lengths are completely inconsistent. I’m 5’3” and the short length works best for me, but I’ll buy one pair of say Rock Star jeans and the length is great, and then I’ll get a slightly different style and the jeans are 2” longer. It’s crazy.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Dresses have gotten bigger over the years because women on average have gotten bigger over the years. And well men are easier to fit. For one dresses have to fit over chest, snug in in the waste a bit, and back bigger at the hips. There isn't just one template per size either. Men on the other hand, don't have that problem. All we need is neck and sleeve for shirts and chest for jackets. And for casual, XS-6XL and sometimes T is sufficient. For pants, it's waste and seam. For women there are far more variations involved. We do run into some problems on the mens side with suits if we have a larger or smaller than average drop or on shirts if we have a large neck relative to body size. But other than that, we're rather easy to fit and sizes run pretty close to advertised. A 30 inch pant might be somewhere between 29-31 depending upon how they calculated. But you won't see nearly the differences in sizing that you will in womens dresses. And really, you wouldn't want all size 8 dresses to be exactly the same because not all women of even the same size are the same. Some 8s are bigger in the hips than others and others might be a bit smaller in the hips but slightly bigger in the waste. If all dresses of each size were exactly the same, lots of women probably wouldn't ever find the right size because they wouldn't match the standardized template.

 

[Skippy918]

I am just so glad I no longer have to buy my girls clothes!!! Good gravy, it was a nightmare. One was tall and skinny, the other was a block( in kidergarten she wore a size 8 kids capris as long pants) and she only wanted dinosaurs and nothing girly. My last one just had a hard core opinion on what she wanted and was VERY stubborn. Goodness, I'm stressed just remembering

My son is hard to shop with. Getting him shoes takes forever cause he doesn’t like anything with logos on it. Then it’s getting him to even look at clothes and try them on. Argh.

 

[tcufrog]

Dresses have gotten bigger over the years because women on average have gotten bigger over the years. And well men are easier to fit. For one dresses have to fit over chest, snug in in the waste a bit, and back bigger at the hips. There isn't just one template per size either. Men on the other hand, don't have that problem. All we need is neck and sleeve for shirts and chest for jackets. And for casual, XS-6XL and sometimes T is sufficient. For pants, it's waste and seam. For women there are far more variations involved. We do run into some problems on the mens side with suits if we have a larger or smaller than average drop or on shirts if we have a large neck relative to body size. But other than that, we're rather easy to fit and sizes run pretty close to advertised. A 30 inch pant might be somewhere between 29-31 depending upon how they calculated. But you won't see nearly the differences in sizing that you will in womens dresses. And really, you wouldn't want all size 8 dresses to be exactly the same because not all women of even the same size are the same. Some 8s are bigger in the hips than others and others might be a bit smaller in the hips but slightly bigger in the waste. If all dresses of each size were exactly the same, lots of women probably wouldn't ever find the right size because they wouldn't match the standardized template.

I don't know. My sons, until recently, had very different builds. DS12 was tall and skinny when he was younger and currently is. When DS8 was younger he was tall and solidly built but not overweight. A lot of the pants and jeans I bought for DS12 and saved for DS8 wouldn't fit him. When I took my DH shopping for clothes recently, a lot of the trendy slim fitting shirts in his size didn't fit him right. He also has to now try on jeans before he buys them because some styles don't fit him comfortably. It isn't as bad as the problems I face when shopping for me, but gone are the days when I could buy my DH clothes in his size and know that they definitely fit.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Vanity sizing is infuriating, period. I don’t care if I’m a 00 or a size 10. Just tell me what size I am!!!! Argh!!!

Sorry, pet peeve. Also, 00 is a dumb size.

No kidding! If 0 has a value of nothing isn't in reality an absolute? So how can you be a double zero? That means you do not exist? So like are you just a ghost or a spirit?So many philosophical questions come to mind. What is truth? Where are the great philosophers? Then again is this just the embodiment of the Emperor's New Clothes? I think they should actually create a college class based on the 00 sizing after all, when I consider some of the junk my kids took in college it would not be all that bad. I know when I was in high school I weighed a whopping 125 and wore a 16 more recently, Oprah when she lost a ton of weight wore an 8 at 165 which btw used to be considered obese. Yeah I know it depends on body type but come on you know
what they say about releasing that warm liquid on my leg and telling me its raining.

 

[DLgal]

And let’s not get started on shoe sizes which make no sense whatsoever cause they are not really correlated to anything. I’m a women’s 8, yet I can fit into my son’s size 6 boys shoe. My sneakers also fit him.

Men's 6 is women's 8. That's what I was saying earlier. Why 2 different size guidelines for the same length shoe?

 

[low-key]

In grade school, I was chubby, my size was "husky"

 

[Skippy918]

Men's 6 is women's 8. That's what I was saying earlier. Why 2 different size guidelines for the same length shoe?

Not a clue why the two different size guidelines. So is a boys 6 equal to a men’s 6? I thought a men’s 6 was bigger.

 

[DLgal]

Not a clue why the two different size guidelines. So is a boys 6 equal to a men’s 6? I thought a men’s 6 was bigger.

Yes, boy's and men's 6 is the same. I started buying men's running shoes for my boys when they reached size 6 because the quality in men's shoes is vastly superior.

My boys are currently a size 6 or 7, depending on shoe, and I always buy them men's styles because there are more options. Hard to find men's 6 though. Have to buy online for the most part. Most retailers only carry men's 7 and up, sometimes only 8 and up.

 

[RangerPooh]

I have a 12yo DD who wears anything ranging from size 16/18 in girls to size 8-12 in womens, and 11-13 in juniors. It all depends on the style and brand. Throw in the fact that she has a curvy frame (aka boobs and butt) and it makes everything much more complicated. We will begin clothes shopping next weekend and I'm already dreading it. I also have one son that wears husky sizes. Try finding that in store. JCP is about all we haev locally who consistently has anything. Target occasionally.