https://pudding.cool/2026/02/womens-sizing/
"I remember once being that teen girl shopping in the women’s section for the
first time. I took stacks upon stacks of jeans with me to the dressing room,
searching in vain for that one pair that fit perfectly. Over 20 years later, my
hunt for the ideal pair of jeans continues. But now as an adult, I’m stuck with
the countless ways that women’s apparel is not made for the average person,
like me.
Children’s clothing sizes are often tied to a kid’s age or stage of
development. The idea is that as a young person grows older, her clothes will
evolve with her. Youth styles tend to be boxy and oversized to allow room for
kids to move and grow. By early adolescence, apparel for girls becomes more
fitted. Junior’s styles have higher waistlines and less-pronounced curves
compared to adult clothing lines. In short: clothes for tweens are made for
tween bodies.
By the time most teenage girls can wear women’s clothes — around age 15 — their
options are seemingly endless. But the evolution in clothing sizes that
followed girls throughout childhood abruptly stops there.
This is the reality I find myself reckoning with today: Women’s clothing —
designed for adults — fits modern teen girls better."
Via Esther Schindler, who wrote "An interactive exploration of persistent
sizing problems in women’s fashion. It’s marvelous."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
