I completely agree as well. I have a pair of 22s that are ok in fit but not too loose in the waist but then I have another pair that I swim in. The last pair of new jeans I bought are a 16 and they are too big - go figure lol

I have a denim skirt I bought from Limited Express in Fall 1987 as a freshman in college. It's a 13. Last time I lost a lot of weight I could pull it all the way up but it came no-where close to buttoning/zipping. That skirt is my ultimate goal. I was smaller in college, in 1987, than I was in 6th grade. If I can wear that skirt, or if it gets to be (gasp) too big, then I will consider myself a 'normal weight' regardless of what the scale says.

DC - Remember that junior sizes are cut mostly for teens whohave yet to finish growing or filling out. I can wear a misses 8 but not a juniors 11.

You may never see that 13 on your your body again, and it's ok.

I just bought a dress in a size 16 and couldn't believe it. It's kind of irritating because it makes it harder to shop for clothing.

It's annoying cuz I have two pairs of jeans right now I am trying to fit into- one is a 14, the other is a 16, currently I wear 16s, and this 16 I have that doesn't fit is SMALLER than the 14! I'm about to cut off the tag lol

i think the whole "juniors sizes" is what made it change. now they have a different sizing system for teenagers. while i can fit into a size 14 from old navy with ease, i still cant fit my size 13 "juniors" pants at all.

and PS i used to be 115 and sz 2. my friend who is a 2 now is 4 inches shorter than me and weighs 125.

Yes, sizes have definitely changed over the years.
I currently wear a size 2-6 (mostly 4s). My wedding dress is a size 10 and it is only a little big on me.

A jacket I have from 20 years ago is a size 10 and it fits perfectly.

This phenomenon is most noticeable when you shop in vintage/second hand stores. I take a tape measure with me because I can come home with a 2,4,6,8,10,12 - it totally depends upon the age and manufacturer of the garment.

Junior's sizing/cut has been around forever.

I don't think you have to be over 30 to have seen the change. I'm 24, and just now getting down the weight I was when I was 18, but I wore a size 24 then, I wear a 22 now. I really don't think I'm smaller at that weight now than I was then. If anything, I'm carrying MORE in my waist now then I used to (but i carried more in my thighs then).

Although not ALL stores are getting smaller. The places my sister shops (Anthropology, Urban Outfitters, and botiques) are still tiny tiny. She's very petite (hard to imagine we come from the same parents) and wears a size 4 in most items (occasionally a 2). If she's a 4, it's amazing to me that anyone over age 10 could wear a 0!

I am glad to know it isn't just me and that I am not crazy!

I think this change in sizing is less obvious in the UK, although I think its happening a little (waist sizes seem to have increased which is annoying for an hourglass). I'm mainly wearing a UK14 and whereas a few years ago the rule was that US sizes were a size down (so a 12), a US12 now drowns me. My Laura Ashley clothes that I am wearing today say they're US10s and are quite large on me around the waist so I guess I could probably wear a US8 in many clothing.

I'm so looking forward to my visit over the pond next year and the thought of being able to get into single digit clothing.

Kitty

I haven't noticed the sizes changing but what frustrates me is how I can be one size in one manufacturer and a completely different size with another, go figure!

yep yep. it's vanity sizing. i know i feel good as **** when i see that smaller number, but i keep in mind that it isn't, say, the same size 10-12 that marilyn monroe was popping into.

Sizes are definitely weird. When I was 127 a few years ago, I was a 7. At 155, a tight 10. At 146, a small 10/big 8.

But when I was really young (a fully developed 13 yr old) I used to wear my mom's 8s and I was 5'5" and 112...so the sizes have def changed in the past 20 years.