Clothing sizes at the lower end of the economic scale (read affordable!) are NOT standardized in the US.

(At the high end--like thousands for a designer name dress--sizing has NOT changed in 40 years).

I remember reading somewhere that each company has it's own sizing: Size 10 at LL. Bean will be a different size than a 10 at Eddie Bauer.

Maybe. I don't know.

It's just a number. Who cares? Why hold yourself hostage to some arbitrary thing entirely out of your control? It makes no sense and it's self defeating.

How do you look and feel? That's all that matters.

Its the biggest mystery of my life how I weigh what I do on my small frame. I'm one of those people that you hate. Currently wearing 10s and 12s at 176lbs and only 5'4". People I know of a similar size are at least 20lbs lighter than me or conversely 4" taller. I've got boobs and booty but small chest and waist. My legs are muscular rather than heavy.

My Dad and brother are the same. By BMI they'd be classed as overweight but they're clearly not.

Kitty

I think this is a big part of the issue. Unless you are making an actual physical comparison where two people are trying on the exact same pair of pants, you really don't know how big the difference is in what size you wear compared to someone else.

A good example - I just purchased a pair of shorts in a size 10. I also have a pair of shorts in a size 16 that are slightly big but still a decent fit. That's a range of 3 sizes. So when a person states what size they wear, what are they basing that on? Certain brands run smaller than others and generally the pricier the brand, the smaller size you can wear. Right now, the majority of my summer shorts are a size 12. So I am considering myself a size 12. But if I bought more expensive brands like the one size 10 I got, I might consider myself a size 10.

I do also agree that they way people are built can make a difference in what size they wear even at a comparable height and weight to someone else. Comparing your body measurements to someone else, especially waist and hip size will be a better indication of how you compare physically than clothing size. However most people don't say "I have a 32" waist", they say "I am a size 12". The problem is, a size 12 really means nothing in terms of comparison.

I think people just have such different shapes - even if it's not immediately obvious.

I have just experienced this while shopping for a bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding. My other sisters are in their usual sizes, but I have to get one two sizes too big and get it taken in at the waist. Boobs! Seriously, If I gain weight they are the first to inflate, but if I lose weight they stay exactly the same.

They don't make nice dresses for girls with big chests.

I love to buy tops with ties around the waist, or I just use a belt, because otherwise I just look like I am wearing a tent.

I think I strayed a bit off topic there... oops!

This gives me hope! I'm right at the threshold where my Bs turned to Cs, so maybe if I keep losing, I'll still get to keep the Cs?

if not, I am perfectly willing to share my E cups ;)

Also keep in mind that when someone says, "I am a size 8", this could mean anything from, "I fit comfortably and attractively into a size 8" to "I have managed to stuff myself into a size 8". I've seen people wearing smaller things that they really are not fitting into at all.

I tried on work pants the other night. Oh, I could get the 14's up and zipped, but they looked like they were painted on and I don't think anyone would be fooled into thinking that I am truly a size 14 in that particular pant. In another style, I maybe COULD fit comfortably and attractively into a 14.

It's a combination of being built differently, manufacturer's sizing conventions, and what the definition of "fit" is.