I fit in pants sized 8 through 18
In case you needed affirmation that clothing sizes don’t mean shit
It is no secret that women have it harder than men in more than just a few ways, and shopping for clothing that fits is just one more item on the unattainable list.
Most women are already onto the truth about clothing sizes – that for us, they essentially mean nothing – but I decided to put that theory to the test.
While men get pants and shirts that are sized by inches, women’s sizes are pretty much arbitrary, and are entirely different from brand to brand. Hunting down clothing that fits can take hours depending on your body type.
Something that has always bothered me in the first place is that women have been taught to place such great importance on a number, but I now know that these numbers are unreliable.
Being a dress size 0 or 14 should not add or detract from your worth. My mom has fit into ‘Medium’ size clothes her whole adult life, and has expressed worry over ever having to upgrade to a ‘Large.’
For all of the wonderful plus size women out there, the issue is even worse. Depending on your body type, you could fit into an XL in one brand, and then find that XXL is too tight in another. And unless you’re looking at places like Torrid, a good percentage of plus size clothes aren’t attractive or well-made.
The fact that mainstream designers haven’t figured out how to make clothes for plus-size women is total and utter crap, but that is an article for another day.
So how many different clothing sizes can I fit into? Just how large is the range?
I’m not plus size, but because of my height (5’11”) it can be difficult to find women’s clothes that fit my body in all the ways they’re supposed to, especially in pants – so that’s exactly what I decided to use as my test subject.
First off, a baseline.
Size 10, American Eagle
Size 10, Charlotte Russe
They still barely go all the way down to my ankle. (Aside from these, I also own pants/shorts in M, L, size 7, 11 and 12.)
I started off my experiment at my local Old Navy. Keep in mind, all the pants pictured in this article are just the ones that fit me. I had mounds of ill-fitting pants in each dressing room I went to.
Size 8, ‘Boyfriend’ jeans, Old Navy
Size 12, ‘Flare’ jeans, Old Navy
Old Navy only sells one brand, so I set off for a smorgasbord of brands – the Marshall’s just one store down.
I did catch a Bellsprout on their sidewalk, so that’s one good find on this trip.
Here are my pants finds from Marshall’s, where I do genuinely love shopping for cheap clothes.
Size 8, Artisan NY, Marshalls
Size 10, Bandolino, Marshall’s
Size 12, d. Jeans, Marshall’s
Size 14, Lucky Brand, Marshall’s
I fit into sizes 8-14 in different brands. Hmm.
Last but not least, I went to Target (which I also love). There, just by coincidence, all of the pants/shorts I tried on that fit me were Mossimo.
Size 12, Mossimo, Target
Size 14, Mossimo, Target
Size 16, Mossimo, Target
Size 18, Mossimo, Target
I NEVER expected to be able to fit into a size 18. I feel like some women would be shamed/feel ashamed for fitting into a size 18, just because of the importance people attach to clothing sizes.
So there you go. On my experimental shopping trip, I fit pants in sizes 8-18. If you ever needed affirmation that clothing sizes don’t mean shit, I found it by going to just three different stores. You’re welcome.