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Kagi (the search engine) recently launched pretty cool T-shirts in their merch store, and to their first 20k paid subscribers they gave one away for free. What struck me is that the measurements were so off: I’m usually somewhere between a medium and a large, but according to the size guide I needed a size small. So I warily selected small and sure enough, when I received it I found that the height and waist are the right dimensions for me. However, it is way too small around the shoulders.
Kagi is an American company and I’m Swedish. I’m kind of fed up with people bashing Americans for their weight and that’s not what I’m trying to do, but I found it interesting how the difference between countries has become ingrained into the very shape of the clothes. There apparently exists no size of an American T-shirt that will fit me because not only are Americans bigger on average, they have completely different body proportions.
There’s no doubt that US sizes have become more generous. Size measurements have increased over the years by about 2 inches. A size 10 from the 50’s fits like a size 8 today. A medium shirt is closer to a large from 70 years ago.
Working in clothing retail probably did some, but not as much as playing sports with other women and seeing a diversity of bodies kick ass. I played a sport with a very wide band of body type variability needed: giraffes, speed demons, bruisers, immoveable brick walls. An appreciation for the beauty of an athlete doing their thing did extend some to bodies in general. And it helped shape my own perception of my body in a positive way. But never enough to erase the negative lessons taught to girls/women from other pressures.
Shout-out to Ilona Maher, US Olympian in rugby, hella good social media poster including excellent dialogue on this very topic. If a person does the social media thing of following celebrities, I highly recommend her.
More than anything, working in clothing retail further confirmed for me that clothing sizes are inconsistent and arbitrary and should not be used to make judgments on anyone’s health.
I love her account! I’m so happy for all the success she’s having, and I appreciate when she shares her vulnerability too. Such a good human.
Thank you for sharing your insights!
Looking at all the top female athletes for different sports is really interesting too
I always wondered if seeing real people and sizes would have helped or hindered someone’s self image.
every woman (especially cis, but also basically evrry transwoman) looks better than me, so it more likely hinders mine (I’m a transwoman)
I guess this largely depends on the country. Different laws and regulations in different places. I’ve done a bit of clothing retail and it has changed my mind but not with regards to sizing and body image.
Im in retail, but we dont sell clothing…
Thanks for the insight
