It might surprise you to learn that 80% of people are wearing the wrong clothes size*. When was the last time you measured yourself and checked if all your clothing is actually right for your body? The shocking fact is that many of is never do, we just choose the size we think we are or buy stuff purely because we love it. Why are we not listening to experts?!
Okay, so that (and the clickbait-y headline) was intentionally sarcastic but, if you’ll indulge me a little further, there’s a teeny tiny bit of truth in it…
Some people have wardrobes full of clothes that are now a bit tight, but they love them and the garments make them happy so they keep on wearing them. Some continue to wear clothes that are small due to a refusal to buy a bigger size because they can’t wrap their head around the fact their body has changed, or perhaps because they feel that this is a temporary situation and their body will return to how it once was. Some buy small simply because they enjoy the feeling of being “held in” by their clothes, like a comforting hug.
Some wear clothes that are too large. Oversized garments that are perfect for hiding away from eyes that might judge the body underneath, or that are like a comfort blanket; armour against the world. They might enjoy wearing their (larger) partner’s t-shirts, hoodies or knitwear to feel like they have a piece of their loved one close at all times. Some folk might buy larger shirts to accommodate a big belly or muscular arms and shoulders, because mass produced clothing rarely allows for different body shapes, or perhaps they buy big simply because they think that size looks and feels better.
Some prefer shoes that are too big or too small. Compensating for wide or narrow feet in a world of ready-to-wear footwear that mostly comes in only one width. Some wear gloves that are too big for their tiny hands because most gloves only come in one size. And some of us with breasts may indeed wear the “wrong” size bra. There are many reasons for this, including but not limited to:
- breast size can fluctuate throughout the month;
- one side is often bigger than the other;
- bodies change shape/size and not everyone has the time/money to replace all of their bras when this happens;
- some prefer a looser/firmer fit;
- the bra they wanted didn’t come in their size so they bought the closest they could;
- and, yes, sometimes it’s because that person hasn’t had a professional bra fitting.
But, do you know what, it’s probably not 80% of us. No one really knows, because no one’s actually checked. Even when studies get quoted (which is not very often), they’re largely irrelevant and have laughably small sample sizes. It’s like asking only your friends who said they hated commuting why they now love working from home, and then using that to say “everyone prefers working from home!” Sadly the “70-85% of women are wearing the wrong bra size” line has now become just a marketing tool to guilt trip us into buying more bras and I’m pretty sure it gets added to articles/websites over and over again with no one even thinking to check whether or not it’s true.
*In case this wasn’t already obvious, this is a totally made up fact.
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