Clothes Sizes and Body Image
By EmTeeBee
@EmTeeBee (64)
Australia
January 31, 2008 3:58pm CST
Yesterday my daughter and I went shopping for a swimsuit for her. She is 9, and tall for her age. She is not overweight, but well covered and toned from years of dance. The only swimsuit that fitted that we could find, within our budget and with limited options in our town, was a size 16. It was at Target. It is ludicrous to think that she is a size 16. It's the same with t shirts and shorts. Is it any wonder that so many children have issues with body image when the clothes they are offered at chain stores are unrealistically sized? Does this concern any other mothers?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@sls_gsla (7)
• United States
1 Feb 08
Hi I have a six year old daughter is rather skinny with really long legs. I thought it was just me but I have noticed how the sizing of little girls' clothing seemed a little off. I have to buy her pants a little bigger in the waste just so that they are long enough. I don't understand it either. I am just happy to know I am not the only one struggling with this. I have to add holes in her belts just so that they fit around her waste. LOL
@EmTeeBee (64)
• Australia
1 Feb 08
Nope, not just you! My son is really, really tall for his age and he has the same problem as my daughter (though he is nowhere near as active as her). He is 11 and has been shopping in the men's wear sections for 2 years. It doesn't seem to worry him, though, because he thinks the "men's" clothes are way cooler than the boy's. Unfortunately my daughter can't shop as easily in the ladies dept. as there is a distinct difference in the clothing suitability from girls to ladies!
@EmTeeBee (64)
• Australia
1 Feb 08
Wouldn't that be great! At least then we could tell when we lost weight or put it on! I can remember how disillusioned I felt when after losing quite bit of weight the beautiful shirt I bought was a larger size than the shirts I had been wearing! Didn't stop me buying it, or loving it!
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
31 Jan 08
That does sound like she is tall for her age. We actually have the opposite problem, my girls are both small for their ages. Mainly because their mother is petite and their father is only average height. I've brought them up with the ideals to care about their appearance (look decent), but not worry about what other people think they should look like. Every person has a different body type and some people can fit into stereotypes easily while others cannot ever fit into society's ideals no matter how hard they try. Store sizes are to be taken with a grain of salt. Every brand runs their sizes differently. Basically use size #'s only as a guideline of where to start and then you just try things on til you find the fit. We as mother's shouldn't stress about sizes, that way our children won't either. Tink
@EmTeeBee (64)
• Australia
1 Feb 08
I think you're right. The sizes don't bother my Miss 9. She thinks she looks fabulous in her new swimmers, and I hope she will never lose that. It will be more worrisome once she's a teenager, I think. We have taught her to see the numbers on the clothes as just that, a starting point for trying things on, and that you go for what looks and feels great when you wear it. We always tell her she looks fabulous and as long as she is fit and happy who gives a fig what the numbers say. My gripe is with the companies!
