This video explains why women’s clothing sizes make absolutely no sense

It’s a struggle we all have to face: inconsistent sizing. You could be a 4 at Zara but an 8 at TopShop. It’s confusing, discouraging, and makes all womenkind want to pull our hair out and never leave the bed.

Well, reporter Dion Lee was fed up by the inconsistent sizing and decided to investigate just why women’s clothing sizes make absolutely no sense, and made us this handy video to explain just why our trips to the store end up being so emotional:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QwlT5f7H1c?feature=oembed

In the video, Lee briefly discusses the history of ready-to-wear fashion. Basically, clothing became mass produced thanks to wars and the need to mass produce uniforms for men. When they tried to do the same for women, it was often undernourished women who would volunteer for the sizing studies (because the studies paid), and women of color were not included in the findings. So the sizing from the start was completely inconsistent with the female demographic.

Plus, remember how Marilyn Monroe is famous for being a size 12? Well, sizes have shifted drastically since then. As Lynn Boorady, PhD, associate professor and chair of fashion and textile technology department at SUNY Buffalo State, explains:

As Lee explains,

Boorady confirms:

Well, at least now we have some answers. But it doesn’t seem like the situation is going to get any better. Until we figure out a better solution for sizing, take comfort in the knowledge that you are more than just a number… especially an inconsistent one, at that.