Size inflation
Why a size 10 is really a size 14
By The Economist online
Why a size 10 is really a size 14
FEELING smug, because you still buy the same size clothes as 20 or more years ago? The truth may be rather uglier, thanks to "size inflation": clothes with the same size label have become steadily larger over time. Measurements vary a bit by brand, but research by The Economist finds that the average British size-14 pair of women's trousers is today more than four inches wider at the waist than a size 14 in the 1970s, and over three inches wider at the hips. This means that today's size 14 fits like a former size 18; a size 10 fits like an old size 14. The same "downsizing" has also happened in America where, to confuse matters further, a size 10 is equivalent to a British size 12 or 14, depending on the brand. As the average person's weight has risen over the years, fashion firms have increased the measurements of their garments, partly in the belief that women feel better (and so are more likely to buy) if they can squeeze into their old size.
More from Graphic detail
Five charts that show why the BJP expects to win India’s election
Narendra Modi’s party is eyeing another big victory
By 2100 half the world’s children will be born in sub-Saharan Africa
Fertility rates are falling faster everywhere else
A short history of India in eight maps
Understanding the breathtaking diversity of India and Indians