A woman who noticed her jeans fit differently depending on where they’re bought from, has urged others not to shape their views of their body based on their clothing size.
Fashion blogger Rebecca, from Leeds, who boasts over 5,000 followers on Instagram, revealed the differences in how similar pairs of jeans from popular UK retailers fit in a recent post.
She said that a pair of size 12 blue jeans from Zara couldn’t fit over her bottom, while a white size eight style from ASOS were ‘a little snug’ but were fine to wear.
Meanwhile, a pair of black size 10 jeans from Topshop were ‘roomy, comfortable and make me feel great’.
She posted photos of her trying on the different jeans as well as lining up the waistbands to show the discrepancy between them, with the size 12 Zara jeans being the smallest pair.
A fashion blogger from Leeds, who posts on Instagram under the handle @the_rebeccaedit, blasted women’s clothing stores for the differences in their sizing. Pictured: Rebecca in a pair of jeans from Zara
Rebecca revealed a size eight pair of jeans from Zara fits smaller than a size 10 from Topshop and a size 12 from ASOS
Research by Femail has previosuly revealed variations of up to four inches on the waist of size 10 trousers.
Variations also occur in the conversion of European sizes to UK sizes.
For instance, people often find that H&M clothing comes up small because the brand labels its items as one size smaller than what’s given on the standard conversion chart.
Rebecca explained that women shouldn’t feel pressure to change their body because of sizing, because the problem is with the clothing manufacturers.
She admitted that if she wasn’t comfortable in her own skin, the odd clothing sizes would make her feel ‘rubbish, worthless, fat’.
‘Clothes are made to fit your body, never change your body to fit the clothes sizing! Specfically High Street sizing. I have no words. These photos feature jeans in a size eight, size 10 and a size 12.
She added: ‘Sizing is not an exact science (especially in fast fashion) and you absolutely cannot attach your self-worth to the number on the label because you’re setting yourself up to fail.’
Revealing that a size eight from ASOS (pictured) fits snug, Rebecca urged women to not allow themselves to be defined by their clothes size
Looking at her photos, Rebecca said it’s impossible for people to know their true clothing size.
She continued: ‘I am begging you all, PLEASE do not let the clothes define how you feel about yourself. You are more than a size label. There is NOTHING wrong with your body and EVERYTHING wrong with the clothes.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and have come to expect differences in sizing between brands and styles and I’m also aware that I’ve put on a few extra lbs throughout lockdown but I cannot comprehend a world where a size 12 pair of jeans are SMALLER than a size eight pair of jeans!
‘So hunnies, do not be discouraged by clothes that don’t fit, don’t let them distort your perception of your beautiful, wonderful body and certainly don’t let them ruin your day. You are enough, just the way you are.’
Rebecca said if you’re not comfortable in your body, clothing labels can make you feel ‘rubbish, worthless and fat’
Rebecca explained that she expects a difference in sizing between brands and styles, but a size 12 should never be smaller than a size eight
A stream of social media users revealed they’ve had similar experiences, agreeing that Zara sizes are often smaller than other High Street stores.
One person wrote: ‘I’ve been saying this for years now. I wore a size eight for so long and then suddenly I was the same weight, year I had to wear a size 10. I could just pull the size 8 off the rack and now have to try them on, but now I have to try on every pair of pants.’
‘It’s worse when you move up in size. Size 16 = never know what size to actually get and it’s never cut the same as the smaller size so also looks different (i.e. baggier because that’s what us fat people want… to hide our bodies,’ another said.
A third added : ‘I had the same thing that happened to me with Zara jeans… I couldn’t get them past my knees and I’m a size 10 in jeans across the board everywhere! I had a complete meltdown over this and thought I had put on loads of weight but that wasn’t the case once I tried on my Topshop jeans! Such a horrible feeling for women in today’s society… glad we are in it together. So truthful every word you said in your post!’
A stream of Instagram users confessed they’ve had similar problems when shopping from High Street stores, blasting Zara for small sizing