What Size Are You Really?

What Size Are You Really?

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*Trigger alert. Please note that this article discusses weight gain and measuring your body.
If you think this could be a trigger for you, please do not continue reading*

If you’ve ever shopped online, then you’ve probably wasted a lot of time and money ordering clothes that don’t fit you right and subsequently having to return them. Sometimes this can be because the clothes are poorly made, you didn’t check the size guide, or perhaps it’s because you haven’t measured yourself recently.

If you’re also anything like us, then you may well have seen some changes to your body during this extremely challenging time, with the overnight changes to how we work, socialise and live our lives, it’s completely normal if you have, but how you react to these changes can impact your life far more than simply gaining a few pounds.

The importance of knowing your ever-changing body and its size in relation to clothes, being friendly with those numbers, accepting them and being non-judgemental when there is change, is something that we don’t often talk about. A lot of women will cringe at the idea, and I did too, once. But it is truly one of the best things you can do for yourself. Firstly because it will save you money and time and that’s enough in itself right? But also because knowing your real size will make you feel good and look great. You may be sceptical about this but I promise it’s true!

Firstly, let’s get honest. Most of us guess our size. This might be because we’re scared to find out that we might be ‘bigger’ than we thought, or it might be because we think guessing usually works out.

But measuring ourselves helps us to choose clothing that will fit us in the best way possible and when you wear clothes that fit you exactly as they should, you look amazing and that makes you feel great. The reason that models looks so great in those clothes isn’t because they’re perfect, it’s because the clothes were made for them, and that’s why so often the look just doesn’t translate when you get it home.

Knowing your size will also reduce the amount of times you try on clothes that don’t fit you, which can often lead to negative thoughts and impact your mental health. It’s also important to remember that the number on that tag is just that, a number. It has no other purpose than to help you dress yourself and the more we start treating it as such, the better off we will all be. Clothes sizes shouldn’t be a competition about squeezing into the smallest possible size, it should only be about what size will fit you best, or which size will give you the look you want.

So if you think you’re a size 10 right now but you measure yourself and find out you’re actually a size 12 or 14, then you shouldn’t feel badly about this. Nothing has changed from the day before, except that you’ve just done yourself a massive service and clothes are likely to fit much better from this day forward.

If you’re guessing your size because it seems to work, it’s still worth getting the facts and writing down your numbers. Again, this gives you more reassurance that you’re picking the right sizes and that the clothes you’re buying or trying on will fit you like they should. But also because sizes vary from shop to shop.

The fashion industry can’t always agree on what size body constitutes which dress size. Some brands are more generous, some are less so, and so no matter how sure you think you are, it’s important to check the size guide for every product you’re purchasing.

And if you do everything you’re supposed to and something doesn’t fit? Try a different size or find something else. Clothes are meant to fit your body, not the other way around, so if it’s poorly fitting, put it down and find a quality product that fits you well and makes you feel good, because that’s what clothes should do.

So let’s get familiar with your numbers so that you can start feeling amazing in your clothes.
Fish out your measuring tape, get down to your undies and stand in front of the mirror - are you still with me?

How To Measure Yourself

Measuring The Bust
Do this with your best fitting bra on and measure around the widest part of your bust. Don’t pull the tape too tight. You want the tape to be slightly loose.

Measuring The Waist
This is the narrowest part of your torso, just above your bellybutton. Make sure you’re not wearing any tight clothing that could affect the measurement.

Measuring The Hips
Place the tape around the widest part of your hips. This is usually where the top your underwear would sit.
 

Measuring Your Bra Size
If you want to add in finding your correct bra size to this too (and you should) M&S has a great online bra size calculator that is the next best thing to going in store and getting measured. It’s surprisingly good and takes only a few minutes.

How To Get The Best Fit

Know Where Your Favourite Brands Stand
So now that you know your numbers, it’s important to start checking your favourite brands and their size guides so you know where they stand. As we said before, the fashion world does not always agree on clothes sizes. You may be a size 8 at H&M but a size 10 at Topshop, so before you make your next purchase, always check the size guide available for whichever retailer you’re purchasing from. Use this along with your recent measurements and you’re a step closer to getting a good fit.

What To Do When You’re Between Sizes
This can be tricky and often requires a bit of trial and error. While I had always considered myself to be fairly in proportion, my current sizes read: Bust size 18 / Waist size 16 / Hips size 14. So despite having a fairly traditional hourglass figure, and my bust and hip dimensions only being about an inch different, my hips are considered two dress sizes smaller than my bust and one dress size smaller than my waist. This can make jeans and trousers very difficult to get right. Depending on the product and type of material, the best thing to do is always fit the biggest part of your body that you’re dressing. So for me, if I’m buying a dress, I buy a size 18 to fit my size 18 bust. If I’m buying high-waist jeans, I get a size 16 to fit my waist, if I’m buying low-cut jeans, a size 14 to fit my hips is best.

What To Do When Brands Get It Wrong

If you’ve measured yourself correctly, checked the size guide and something you order doesn’t fit, let the company you bought it from know about it. Leave a review, tweet them or contact their customer services. It’s important to feedback this information to ensure they can fix the problem so that we get a better service.