General

Did anyone notice that pants and shirts sizes are getting bigger, or is it just me?

For the fast few years I am pretty fit and maintain the same size and weight (that’s what my partner likes and I don’t mind)
So the first time I got suspicious was a few years ago when I got a new pair of jeans size 44 like I always do, just to find out that they are too big for me, so I changed them to a 42. Just out of curiosity I compared them to an old 44 pair I had, to find out that they are the same size!

The really strange thing occurred a few days ago when my partner showed me her new pair of short jeans she got (size 40), when I noticed that they look pretty big (🙂) so the other day when she wasn’t home I had to compare their size, to find out that they are the same size of my old 44/ relatively new 42 jeans!
(All pants are manufactured by the same company)

Did anyone else encountered such a change over the years?

Oh yes, and I'm quietly thrilled about this!

This has been a thing in women's clothes for years/decades. Some point out that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16, and back then she was, despite being so skinny.

But I think it's only been a few years that this started to affect most men's clothes too. This isn't the case with all brands. Wrangler jeans are still true to size, so a "40" is still 40" around the waist, not 42", so far as I know.

But most out there? Add 2 inches to the advertised waist size to get the real number. That seems to be the reality nowadays.

The only downside I see to this isn't really much of a downside at all. I have some 40s which are really 42". Just means I need to expand another inch or so until they start to get snug. Only one way to solve that, and that's to have more ice cream, heavy cream, triple burgers, snacks, baked goods, etc.

Of course, once that happens, there will come a day when that's too snug, so the only option would be to upgrade to the next size up. One nice thing though, is that beyond a certain size, you have enough softness and squish that clothes will last longer before you have to upgrade.

At a certain point, though I know not when, I'll probably not actively gain, but will likely still slowly expand like most of us are doing. Perhaps by that point, the clothing sizes will adjust again. Perhaps where the advertised size + 4" will become the norm.

I hadn't noticed, but women's clothing sizes are the devil anyway.

I'm curvy, so pants never fit quite right, but the ones that fit the best generally are US size 12s. But even then, not all pants fit the same based on the cut, the brand, and (sometimes) which employee sewed them together. I've owned a pair of size 2s that fit me when I was a size 6 and a pair of size 12s that fit me when I was a size 10.

And that's not even touching the topic of vanity sizing.

It is possible that the manufacturer makes clothes that run large. But, to be sure, you could try on a similar fit of pants from different brands and see how they fit.

I hadn't noticed this in men's, but I guess that means I'm really closer to 58 or 60 inches around.
What bothers me is how fatter shirts vary so wildly. Sometimes I can fit into a 4XL (rarer now though, I'll admit,) but sometimes I can't button a 7XL.

From what I've understand, this has been a problem for years for the big & tall crowd.

Big and Tall sizes despite being better, ultimately do not accommodate bodies that are specially round around the middle. You’re either very tall and beefy or have a big chest, they need a maternity size but for men with giant tanker bellies

I know you mean this practically, but that sounds super sexy.

Fat guys having clothes that fit them right or men just wearing maternity sizes? Lol I guess idk what makes it maternity vs regular I assume there’s just more space around the middle right?

Damn. I am big. And tall.

Darling, at the end of the day, I am but a humble pervert 👀

But yeah. Clothes specially tailored for men with big bellies is sexy to me. It's saying "my belly is so fat, I need a special fit".

It's a similar thought to men in maternity clothes - although I wasn't revering to that at the time. Being so round in the middle that you have to wear maternity clothes is hot.