Don’t judge your health and weight by the size you wear

By Jill Kokkonen May, University of Minnesota Extension

ST. PAUL, Minn. (9/28/2009) — What size are you, really?  When I was a teen in the early 1970s I was a consistent size 12. Recently, my niece found an old skirt that I had worn when I was her age and it fit her perfectly. My niece says she’s a size 6 or 8, but I wondered how that could be. My old skirt was a size 12!

Recently, an episode of a reality weight loss television show had one contestant fitting into a size 12, but she was still more than 200 pounds. How can these constantly changing sizes affect how women view their weight?

In 1941 the average woman was 5 feet, 2 inches and 129 pounds; today she is closer to 5 feet, 4 inches and weighs 144 pounds. One can’t compare current sizes to past standard sizes—women today are taller and heavier, more pear shaped and less hourglass shaped.

The average woman today wears between sizes 12 and 14. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, clothing sizes used to be standardized, but in the early 1980s those standards were withdrawn. Manufacturers discovered that sales increased when smaller sizes were assigned to larger clothes, a practice called “vanity sizing.” That means in today’s fashion world, you may find that you wear many different sizes depending on where you buy your clothing. Pattern companies appear to be the only ones to use consistent sizing according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Museum.

Marilyn Monroe, a size 16 in the 50s, was actually more of an 8 by today's standards. Generally speaking, clothing sized in the 1950s can be cut in half for an idea of today's average sizing. For example, a former size 12 is now a 6. However, it appears vanity sizing has a larger gap in the lower sizes, but not as much has changed in the plus sizes.

Now, although many women still decide if they are happy with their weight by the size they wear, clothing size means little today. A woman who finds that she can fit into a size 12 at one store may allow herself to deny that she may be, in fact, overweight.

If you are one of those women who uses size to gauge your weight and health, now is the time to change your thinking. Forget what size you wear and instead, consider your Body Mass Index (BMI) and other health indicators such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Keep one clothing item to use as a gauge over the years to determine if you are gaining unhealthy weight.

Until women’s sizes reflect actual measurements like men’s sizes do, the best advice is to ignore the size on the label and look instead at how your clothes fit. Focus on eating healthy foods and engaging in regular physical activity. For guidance on healthy eating, visit University of Minnesota Extension’s nutrition website at www.extension.umn.edu/health.

Any use of this article must include the byline or following credit line:
Jill Kokkonen May is a health and nutrition educator with University of Minnesota Extension.

Media Contact: Catherine Dehdashti, U of M Extension (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu

URL: http:// www.cyfernet.mes.umn.edu/extensionnews/2009/clothing-size-health.html  This page was updated Sept. 28, 2009 .
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