I am not a black Friday shopper. As much as I love a bargain, I hate crowds more. Besides, I'm one of those really strange people that buy gifts throughout the year. I love finding a unique gift while traveling. But in honor of black Friday and all of the avid shoppers out there, I want to relay a recent shopping experience.
I've been wanting a festive Christmas sweater. I had quite a few when I was heavy, but they're all long gone now since I'm so much smaller now. I stopped by my favorite retailer earlier this week. I'd seen a circular so I had an idea of what I would find, but I have to see the item in person and sometimes on before I know if I really like it.
I found a beautiful red sweater with red 'fur' trim around the neck and silver, jeweled snowflakes on it. It was quite pretty but I decided I really didn't want to spend that much money on a sweater I could only wear a few weeks per year. I found another red sweater that looked quite festive, but wasn't not particularly Christmas-y looking. I could wear it now, but really during any of the sweater season.
I decided to take a size large in to the dressing room to try on. There was a small, medium and extra large but no large. The medium looked plenty big, so I took it. As I disrobed in front of the mirror, I actually had the thought that I looked skinny. Then I remembered the Seinfeld episode where Elaine accused a store of having skinny mirrors. LOL!!
Anyway, I was quite surprised when the medium was too big. Now, there was a time in my life when I would have rushed from the dressing room and snatched up the small sweater regardless of the price or how it looked on me. I would have worn it with the tag sticking out so everyone could see that I was wearing a small, as if that made it a reality.
This time, I was irked. I know that even if I am thinner than I was, I am not small. Not yet anyway. I'm still getting a little miffed as I type this. Clothing manufacturer's are enabling the obesity epidemic in our country by mislabeling clothes. I've ranted and raved about it on this blog before, so I won't get in to a whole thing about it. I'll just say, while I'll still patronize that retailer, I won't purchase anything from that manufacturer. It just isn't right.
Lessons Learned
4 years ago
I am so totally with you on this one! It is terribly frustrating. Then you get familiar with proper sizing from a specific manufacturer and it's either purchased by someone else or goes out of business! Then you have to start all over.
ReplyDeleteBut the part I like best about this post is the recognition of how much smaller you are! That's fun to read!
there was an article a while back about this. manufacturers are labeling sizes smaller than they are to encourage women to buy more by making them "feel" better about themselves. it IS annoying, mens sizes seem to run the other way often i KNOW i wear an xl and sometimes they're way too small. standardization people come on now! lolol
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry, but I will be happy as hell to wear a smaller size... lol
ReplyDeleteVanity sizing is a reality. When I was this weight in the 80's, I wore an 18/20. Now, I wear a 12to 14, designers sometimes 16. Vanity sizing in action!
ReplyDeleteHubby is 6'1 and 168 lbs. He wears a small (his waist is 31). He put on a shirt the other day and said, "THIS Is NOT A SMALL". Yeah, it as labeled small, but it was loose-ish on him. Male vanity sizing. hahaha
I figure it's just them trying to make us feel better about being huge....they gotta sell wares and make folks feel good.
We still know when we're fat, number aside.
On the sizing of clothes:
ReplyDeleteI so know what you mean. It also irks me that because manufacturers do this, I cannot just go and pull a size L or XL off the rack and buy it. I have to try everything on before I can buy it because one companies L is another's XL.
BUT, I'm not surprised you went for RED sweaters!