I went to do some back-to-school shopping recently
and discovered that I am now a size 0. Isn't
that an oxymoron?
I've seen people on the street who are smaller than
I am. What size are they -1? Actually the answer is 00. And that's it. There are no smaller sizes. Well I guess that's fair since only 2-3% of
store inventory is size 14+ while 68% of American women are. (George-Parkin, 2018)
Clearly the situation has gotten ridiculous. But research shows that among people with low
appearance self-esteem, smaller size labels evoke more positive self-related
mental imagery. And this in turn leads
to more purchases. (Aydinoglu & Krishna, 2012)
Unfortunately, while I can, and usually do take
three sizes into the dressing room, I can't do the same thing online. I was amused to see that some of the online
reviews on Speedo's site reflect the fact that they have not adopted vanity
sizing. Therefore I still wear a size 10
bathing suit. It is also labeled
36. I guess the reviewer didn't notice
that.
Personally I think actual waist and bust sizes are
probably the best way to go. But if you
want to combine them with an arbitrary number that's ok with me.
George-Parkin, H. (2018, June 5) Size, by the Numbers. racked.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019, from
Aydinoglu, N. & Krishna, A. (2012,
October) Imagining thin: Why vanity
sizing works. Journal of Consumer Psychology. Retrieved
August 13, 2019, from
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