That MM thing is an urban legend. A few years ago some museum did a retrospective of her more iconic gowns and they published the measurements. I compared them to a Gap size chart. She would have been a zero, four at her largest (which probably WAS a 12 at that time). You can look at the pictures, she's teeny.

I hate LB. Their clothes are awful. They haven't always been, but they're so awful. How you can charge that much for something made of polyester - and POORLY made at that, I'll never know. I also hate that when you walk through the store, you can see the size 12 clothes clamped and tucked onto the size 8 (which is bigger than the average mannequin, to be fair) mannequin. THAT is the real lie - something will look like it has some structure and shape, then you pick up the actual garment and it's a big ol' box with sleeves.

I don't ask that they use models on the largest end of their size range. I know if that would sell clothes, they would do that. They are not in the business of boosting my self esteem, they are in the business of selling clothes. We all SAY we want to buy clothes shown on women our size, but the research and sales do not hold up. I DO think they should not be allowed to PIN a garment into a shape it does not make and show that online. That is false advertising.

I am so disappointed in LB. Ten to twelve years ago, they sold things that were pretty current and on trend with regular size clothes. Now they're like this super special bedazzled fat girl line of stuff that either looks like it's made for a five year old or snazzy granny.

I do agree with this. Lately I haven't found as many things there that I would buy. I'm just holding off buying too many things until I drop into the size 18 range when there will probably be a couple more choices.

I used to like them for more professional clothing, but lately it seems that their connection with Fashion Bug is having an effect on their clothes.

I can totally understand the rant, but Lane Bryant I believe sells down to a size 12 ( or is that Torrid? ) but it's at least a 14, cause that is what I wear from them. I got the same mailer, and I thought they looked like they could wear the clothes, just the smallest size they came in.

i am one of those nearly 6 ft women. according to those useless bmi charts, i could be as low as about 120 pounds and be "healthy"((. and, sizes and pounds are constantly assessed in terms of an "average" shorter woman. So if I wear a 14, I'm considered huge according to clothes sizes. And I do have fat in my stomach that I want to get rid of. But others say that I'm not fat. it has been a long time since i even tried on anything at lane bryant so i can't say about there. but in general, i don't buy plus size tops (if the top don't go all the way down to my hips) or even plus size pants but i do have to have bigger pants because my bottom is bigger than my top. now fashion and the media have gotten so bad that size 10 is often considered "plus"??? so if you tell anyone you wear a size 10 or over, they sometimes assume you are fat. i'm just so sick of how women have to be so small to be considered "acceptable."

thinner...I envy your height, and I lie about mine. The lie has nothing to do with my weight...I just like "being a little taller."

This made me laugh.

hah well thanks i guess. being taller has its advantages sometimes, but it's also a disadvantage because men seem to prefer shorter women, who can be described as "cute", or "petite", where i will never inspire that "cute" feeling. i used to want to be short soooo bad. and my preference is for a tall guy my height or more, but they tend to get swamped by the barbies and some of them want the short women. so it's a no win situation, but the height is the one thing i can do nothing about regardless.

To be honest, I'm less likely to buy clothes on Lane Bryant and Torrid-sized. I'm conscious of the fact that I like even basic clothing on Gap models more than I like similar clothing on Torrid models, which makes me buy it from Gap instead, even though I know it's not actually going to look on me the way it does on the size 2 Gap model. If I'm on a clothing store's website, it's because I'm willing to spend money. Looking at the clothes on the bigger models already makes me frustrated because I don't feel that it looks good on them, which makes the shopping experience less enjoyable. If they looked like me, it would feel even more like a chore.

I've seen a lot of taller men/shorter women combination and I wonder if it has to do with the guy wanting to (subconsciously, maybe) "protect" his woman. Men are taught from a young age and grow up in a culture that enforces this idea so it probably does play into who they are attracted to. It also plays into who women are attracted to and may also be the reason the poor short guys have trouble getting dates.

I'm 5'3" so while I'm on the "short" side, I'm kind of just around average. I guess that makes it easier for me (most men are taller than me anyway) but I've been attracted to men of varying heights. I ultimately ended up engaged to a guy a foot taller than me...following my mother's footsteps I guess (her and my dad are around a foot apart). However height wasn't one of those deciding factors for me and I've been attracted to men much shorter than my fiancee.

You shouldn't box yourself in the height mentality though I've seen taller women dating men shorter than them and there are plenty of men that don't mind a taller lady. There are even some celebrity couples where the lady is the taller one! Look at Obama and his wife too; they're both around the same height, but she doesn't hesitate to wear heals and when she does she's taller than him!

A LB 12/14 is larger than the same size at Gap. There was a long time when I wore a 12 or 14 at LB and couldn't fit into the (rare at the time) 16 at Gap.

Even so, their "plus" models are tall 8s (really, if you ever recognize a model, you can look up their agency and their measurements are right there) and a few years ago, when they upsized their mannequins it actually made the news. They sized all the way up to an eight. If you look at the back of their mannequins next time you're in, the clothes are pulled tight so the boxy tee folded on the table looks like it has some structure to it, when it's really just a sack with sleeves. They do the same on the website. A shapeless dress will be pinned on a model with serious t and a so it looks like there is some actual structure to the dress, then it arrives at your house and it's literally a big bag with sleeves and no structure at all.

I don't shop from Torrid at all, I'm too old, I don't like the quality or style, and their tops are always ALWAYS too short from me but at least they do use models who could possibly wear their clothes (even if they usually appear stuffed into a size too small).

I just wanted to jump in and say that my daughter is 6 feet tall, weighs about 180, and wears between a 12 and 14 but she doesn't have rolls or lumps and bumps. She is a healthy weight for her size. Everything from LB would fall off her. She is probably the body type that is used by LB for models.

I couldn't agree more. About 10 years ago I used to buy my clothes exclusively from LB. I could spend hundreds of dollars there. The clothes used to be tailored with darting sewn into shirts and the pants had a flattering cut. Not to mention I never had a problem with the quality. Everything always washed nicely.

Now the clothes lack all of these things; style, cut, quality. The last shirt I bought from LB was a super thin, boxy blouse that became discolored in the wash. That was a few years ago and I haven't made a purchase with them since.