For those of you over age 30 have you noticed a change in sizes from manufacturers?? I think the numbers are going down, but the sizes are bigger. Example, as a teen when I went from a size 18 to a 10....at size 18, the same height I am now, I only weighed 180. Now I am 257 and a 20 and still fit into some size 18's. I see on the height, weight and size thread that people in the 5'5"-5"7" range at about 140 are size 6??? Something definitely has happened to sizes over the years. I am very curious what size I will be when I reach my goal weight of 150. I was thinking I would be ecstatic to be a 12 but perhaps in new sizes it might be a lower number!

Sizes aren't consistent, and they really never were, but the gap is getting much broader. So, I think we'll find that eventually a size 10 from one maker will be equivalent to another manufacturer's size 20.

Yes, when I was down at 127 a couple years ago I was in mostly size 4, some size 2, some size 6 depending on how things were cut. But I still couldnt fit into the size 10 jeans in my closet from college. Some of it is cut and how my body shape is changing - after kids I have a bigger waist and smaller hips than I did in college

Even just in the last couple years. In 2007 I bought a pair of size 8 gap jeans. In 2008 when Gap redid their line, I bought a pair of size 6 jeans in what was supposed to be the equivalent style & cut and when I started regaining some of the weight I realized that the 6's were bigger than the 8's

Definitely.

When I was 20 I weighed 120 and wore a size 8.

When I was 30 I weighed 130 and wore a size 8.

Now I'm 40 and I weigh 140 and wear a size 8.

I think I will have great fun getting into my jeans hanging in the closet, but if I can walk into the store and buy a size 6 or 8 I will be doing a big happy dance. LOL

One thing to remember as well if you are wearing plus sizes is a women's size 18 is different than a misses size 18. Right now, women's size 14 is too big on me but misses size 14 is too tight on me.

I'm too lazy to write a long reply on this topic, but...

Sizes were never meant to be absolute. Size 10 is the "average" size. So, it stands to reason that as Americans become larger, a size 10 would be cut more generously. That's why a US8 = UK10. The average woman in the UK is the size of a size 8 woman here in the US.

It's why saying "Marilyn Monroe was a size 14" is factually true, but cannot be applied to today's sizes. Her measurements put her at about size 6 or 8 today.

Yeah I think there was a major shift in the early 2000s. I bought new Lane Bryant Red 4s, equivalent to a 20, around the first of the year and had old size 24 jeans I couldn't fit into. I wear a 16 misses in new sizing but I still have some ancient 22s (by ancient, I mean early 80s!) that are loose but stay up. I suspect I would be a size 20 by 1980 standards. I like 16 better.

While I really, really don't understand getting off on the number listed on a tag I really love this as it means I will have more places to shop sooner!

Yeah I think that's definitely happening- I was reading an article I don't remember how long ago about how even car manufacturer's are making the seats in your car wider because of how the average american size is getting bigger and bigger.

Yeah Rachima I heard that- that even though back in her day she was a "14" by today's standards she was more of a 6.

I had posted about this a couple months ago. Currently I am wearing a 10 but my Wrangler shorts from the 90's are a size 16..... and they still fit.

Today I bought a dress and a pair of capri's in size 8; however, my 8's in the back of my closet still don't fit.

Yep.... vanity sizing at it's best.

you are NOT crazy. same as the rest as I was thikinng about this the other day trying on size 10 jeans at the Gap. I was a 12 in college (late 80's) and a good 30 lbs less than I am now.

Don't get me wrong, I love that I will wear a smaller size than I ever have before BUT, it does not change the fact that I still am not at a healthy weight right now.

Sizes have definitely changed. In the early 80's I wore junior size 7 and 9 and weighed 125 lbs. Now at 115 lbs I can wear Junior size 0 and 1. Its truly strange. I can even wear little girls jeans, they grow little girls bigger nowadays, LOL

I've found some companies continue to cut to the old sizes. I can wiggle into a size 14 pant from Old Navy - which made me so happy! - but I can't squeeze one boob (sorry to be crude) into the size 14 silk dress from Express, nor can I get the size 14 cords from Express over my knees.

Yup. Definitely!!!! At 5'8" 150-160 with an athletic build I fit into some fourteens and some sixteens back in the 80s. I couldn't squeeze myself into a 12 unless I weighed 145. There were entire brands of clothes that didn't come above size 12. Size 6 was TINY and I had never heard of size zero or 2.