sizes

we come in all sizes. it's been a pet peeve of mine for a while to see that sizes are changing. i'm a huge believer in standardized sizes. you should be able to go into any store and pick up a size and know it's going to fit you. an 8 should be an 8 should be an 8. it's easier in pants where we use waist sizes and it's measured in inches - then you know what size you should be.

as the population has been ballooning (thank you coke and french fries), stores have been adjusting sizes to make us women feel better about ourselves. they're trying to trick us. a couple years ago, if you were a size 8 - you suddenly became a 6 ... and so on and so forth (sorry, just wanted to use "so on and so forth", it seems ever so eloquent). as a result, the lower end sizes have basically fallen off the map. now instead of a size 2, there are size 0's and size 000's ... which seems just a little bit more than wrong. it seems as though teeny tiny ppl are no longer allowed to exist for the purpose of many clothing retailers. (which i think is sad - shouldn't shopping be accessible to all? it sucks to not be able to find clothes that fit properly - whether you're big or small, short or tall - we all have issues finding well fitting clothes. do we need to make it even harder?)

so the reason for this diatribe? i think that this upsizing is becoming a little ridiculous. sure, if you fit into a size smaller than usual, it's flattering. you feel as you might have actually gotten rid of those couple pesky pounds that just wouldn't go away. but when you suddenly need to go down 2 or 3 or 4 sizes smaller than usual - then i feel like the retailers are just insulting our intelligence.

however, we, the female masses, seem to fall for this trick. we feel somewhat reassured that we can fit into smaller sizes, while knowing that we have not in fact lost weight or even knowing that we have gained it. we're so easily manipulated. and now, i must admit, that i too have fallen for this manipulation. yesterday, i was out shopping and was trying on jeans. i fit into a size that i haven't fit into since i was probably 14. i'm unsure if they're the perfect jeans, great jeans, comfortable jeans - but i couldn't let them go b/c they fit.

while i try to be vigilant, i too have fallen for this marketing trick. and whenever the marketers' manipulations have an effect on my behaviour, i must applaud them.

so bravo, marketing minds, bravo.