Does Size Really Matter?

As an image professional, I see fresh fashion come into the stores each season. When I get my clients into the dressing room to try on these new styles, I often bring in two or three sizes of the same piece. What I know from experience is that I can’t rely on sizes being equal in every brand.

My goal is to get my client into the best fitting pant, top, dress, or jean. When she goes home with a shopping bag of new clothes, items could be in four or five different sizes. What I know is that she looks great in these new pieces. They fit well, they flatter her figure and that’s what matters.

Yet sizes can be such a stumbling block for women. If they’ve always been a size 10, they are loath to go up a size even if it looks better on them. They reject fit and comfort and want to squeeze into that size 10 no matter the image cost.

Let’s talk about that cost. When the seams of a garment are straining, this is what people may surmise: This woman must be out of touch or maybe she doesn’t care how she looks. The same can be said about the woman who wears baggy, ill-fitting clothes.

People size you up in seconds and if you look uncomfortable or out of touch in your clothes then your image as a confident, successful person drops. Doubt comes into the picture. Your reputation takes a blow.

This is too big a price to pay for trying to fit into a garment that matches a number you’re used to instead of fiddling with different sizes to find the piece that most lines up with the shape of your body. For a woman wearing clothes that are too big, she may not trust the new sizes I’m putting her into because she has that same hold about “being” a certain size.

Where do you suppose this obsessive hold on size comes from? More than once, a woman has shared with me that her husband or mother was obsessed with her being a certain size. And if she wasn’t that size, she spent years and years not accepting herself or loving herself as she was.

Women in bigger clothes may feel a need to hide or protect themselves. Gently exploring how it feels to be visible in clothes that fit properly could drastically change this pattern.

I’ve also heard from women who tell me that their daughters are obsessed with size and calories before they are even in their teens. Sometimes that’s a wakeup call to Moms who have been so hard on themselves. They see the pain and pattern of self-criticism their daughters are starting to develop.

This I know: Your body is aching to feel accepted just as it is, today, right now. You can give your body that gift by adorning it in clothes that fit and flatter. It’s a fallacy to think

that being a certain size is the only time you’ll be attractive. It’s best to drop any expectation you have about sizing.

The way clothes are sized is continually changing. I may have more experience in this than you do because I’m in the stores and in dressing rooms with women of all sizes during my workweek.

When you take the focus off of size, you can actually see the beauty in clothes: their design, details, textures, patterns, and lines. Focus on beauty and style first. Don’t give “size” any energy.

My aim is to help you look great in clothes. It may be easier to tackle this with a coach like me by your side. If you’ve been in clothes that are too big on you, can you imagine having more fun with clothes, being more visible? If you’ve struggled with sizing and fit, would it be great to get a professional’s perspective?

I am here for you! Let me help you get the best looks for your body and help you find the self-love that’s been waiting in the wings ready to be showered on you.