Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by a sizing label… yep, me too. And I can tell you right now that we’re not the only ones. The fashion industry has been low-key gaslighting us, and shoppers everywhere are taking to the virtual streets with #SizingRant TikToks to criticise inconsistent sizing labels from brands including House of CB and Primark.
As someone who owns jeans in sizes ranging from a UK 12-16 – that all fit perfectly well, too – I have realised that for years, we’ve simply accepted this issue without fully taking stock of the psychological damage it’s doing to us.
A study in the Journal of Gender & Society found that women experience a knock to their self-esteem when they no longer fit into their standard size. Research also reveals that when we can’t fit into something, we blame ourselves rather than the clothes. “I hate shopping for this very reason… I find it demoralising,” says Bianca Foley, presenter and founder of Sustainably Influenced, echoing many women who believe that sizing labels have stopped retail from being therapy.
As a fashion psychologist, I decided to look deeper into the issue – and find some solutions – once and for all.
One size fits none
How did we get here? Virtual personal stylist and sustainable fashion educator Lakyn Carlton blames the fast fashion system: “It’s impossible to keep things consistent across such a wide span of sources and the lack of any sort of centralised quality control”. According to fashion bookings editor and stylist Lila Flint Roberts, inconsistent sizing at shops like Zara could be down to the brands’ Spanish roots that cater to “the average physique over there, which is slighter” compared to “the average size of a woman in the UK, which is a 16”.
Jillian Clark, the founder of sustainable fashion brand Roboro, argues that “high street brands still take their cues from luxury and designer brands… made to fit the… Western beauty ideal.” While these reasons are valid, only one speaks to the route of most (if not all) fast fashion decisions – money. Inconsistent sizing labels mess with our heads just enough to encourage us to part with our hard-earned cash.
Vanity sizing meets humility sizing
Most of our favourite brands still rely on outdated, American standardised systems that are based on a small sample of slim, hourglass-shaped, white women. While standardisation allowed for the birth of the modern fashion industry, it soon gave way to the plague that is “vanity sizing”.
Vanity sizing is the practice of altering measurements to allow customers to fit into smaller sizes. Because Westernised beauty standards glorify thinness, when we discover that we can fit into smaller-sized clothing, studies prove that we unconsciously feel more positive about ourselves. Brands use this tactic because this positivity causes us to spend more.
With my fashion psychologist hat on, I analysed the sizing charts from six brands: Zara, ASOS, PLT, Oh Polly, House of CB and SHEIN between sizes UK 6-16. I then compared how each brand’s measurements fared against the average. ASOS, PLT, Oh Polly and House of CB showed signs of vanity sizing, as all of their sizes ran larger than average, but Zara and SHEIN’s sizes almost always ran smaller.
If we supposedly spend more when we feel happier with what the label size says, why do some brands use sizing charts that do the opposite? It’s because it also makes money, and it’s what I’ve also coined “humility sizing”. Hear me out…
You might think that not fitting into your regular size would put you off, but a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology revealed this isn’t the case. Instead, having to size up causes “compensatory spending” – essentially, we end up buying more to assuage our body hang-ups.
If brands know they can encourage you to spend more by messing with your body image, inflating your self-esteem one minute and humbling you the next, what incentive do they have to get those labels in order? Absolutely none.
And yet, there *might* be some light at the end of the tunnel. Since I started writing this article, in the wake of rumours about H&M charging shoppers for in-store returns, the brand has admitted that it needs to improve sizing consistency. This acknowledgement is a great step forward, but we can’t leave things up to the brands alone. We, as consumers, have power, and it’s time to regain some control.
Here are my three tips for protecting yourself from sizing label tactics, and to help you to shop more mindfully:
Don’t be naïve
Lila is a UK size 8/10. She tells me that when shopping, she’s had to size up to a medium or even large. Still, due to her experience in the fashion industry, she’s knowledgeable about sizing issues. Research suggests that this knowledge acts as a shield. It’s proven that if we know that a brand uses vanity or humility sizing, the tactic simply won’t work. So stay sharp!
Ditch labels and stick to measurements
“Do NOT look at the size on the label, ever” – I’ve followed this advice from writer, stylist and consultant Aja Barber for years. I always thought that ignoring labels and using a brand’s “find-my-fit” service, which gives size recommendations based on height, weight and age, was the way forward.
However, virtual stylist Lakyn Carlton suggests this feature is far from flawless. She suggests that our best bet is to get personal with a measuring tape. “By knowing your numbers, and the numbers that the brand is using, you’ll more quickly realise that it’s not just about body size, it’s also about proportions and shapes and weight distribution and all these things that make bodies impossible to standardise the way mass production demands we do,” she says.
Get that self-esteem up
24-year-old online content creator Pink O is a TikToker who went viral for her comedic rant in response to Zara’s inconsistent sizing. She was surprised to see comments like “you’re still beautiful, don’t worry”, because Pink knows something that many should understand – just because you have to size up doesn’t make you any less beautiful.
“I learnt not to attach my value to anything outside of myself,” she explains. “People can’t fathom the idea of a fat person genuinely loving themselves, and I’m not the one to convince them… I’m way past feeling inadequate because an inanimate piece of material doesn’t fit.” Studies also prove that having high self-esteem can make shoppers immune to the influence of larger sizes. Self-love is literally label-proof!
Shopping shouldn’t be psychological warfare. It’s time to stop ranting, arm yourself with these tactics and remember that clothes should work for you – and not vice versa.
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