According to a study commissioned by Special K cereal, many women buy clothing that is one to two sizes too small. In fact, reveals the study, which looked at 1,000 women in the United Kingdom, one in four women spend 50 to 100 £ on seasonal clothing that doesn't fit. Although the study was conducted in the U.K., the results have relevance to Canucks, given our similar cultures.
What happens to this inaccurately sized clothing? Sometimes it languishes in the closet awaiting anticipated weight loss. Other times, it gets worn out of the home, causing these unfortunate fashion fashion no-nos:
• Muffin tops
• Skirts that ride up
• Excessive cleavage and bursting shirt buttons
What too-small clothing says
When we wear clothing that’s too small, we project an image that's far from flattering, says Diana Kilgour, a Vancouver-based image consultant and personal shopper.
Others may perceive us as not caring about our appearance, wearing our "backup" clothes (due to a laundry backlog), having gained excessive weight, not knowing what looks good on us, and finally – as being vain.
"Some of us have number vanity, where we insist on squeezing into a number, 'our number', and we're proud of it. 'If it zips up, it fits' is the mindset. Unfortunately, that's not true," says Kilgour.
That's a lot of baggage associated with overly tight tops or straining pants, isn't it?
Why do we low-ball our size?
Women underestimate our true size for a variety of reasons. One is the aforementioned "number vanity." Another is a lack of knowledge about the changes our bodies got through over the course of our lives.
Having a baby changes your figure, so does perimenopause and menopause.
"You may think that if your weight hasn't changed, your size hasn't either, but body changes can be subtle," says Kilgour. "As a younger wardrobe consultant I would listen to clients complain about 'middle-age spread' and think to myself 'That's what happens when you let yourself go.' But guess what: Now my back has widened, my rib cage has changed and so even though I remain my high school weight, I wouldn't be able to wear a belt from my high school days. Our bodies change throughout our lives."
Another factor can be denial, says Esther Kane, a Courtenay, B.C.-based registered clinical counselor.
"Let's face it: if we've put on 10 or 20 pounds, it's not fun to face reality and take a good, honest look in the mirror. It's much easier to go into denial mode and act as if the extra weight isn't there," says Kane.
Likewise, says Kane, "There isn't much acceptance of aging [in our culture]. We abhor rather than celebrate it. We want to see ourselves as the youngest, thinnest, fittest version of ourselves, not as the older, wider and possibly less fit person we actually are."
End result: Clothes than pucker, pinch, crease, cinch, bulge, constrict and squeeze. They do no favours to your figure – or your wallet. Tight clothes wear out faster, meaning properly sized clothes will save you money in the long run (and they won't get shoved to the back of your closet, unworn).
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