If you’ve had a hard time finding jeans that fit you or determining your size, there’s probably a good reason. Experts say this is probably by design.
A CBC Marketplace investigation reveals that waist size labeling on popular denim brands is rarely accurate. Sizing experts say misleading marketing — called vanity sizing — is to blame.
Marie-Yves Faust, a professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility, measured and evaluated jeans purchased from Levi’s, H&M, Gap, Lee, Wrangler, Old Navy and Abercrombie & Fitch – some of the most popular brands.
WATCH | Marketplace puts jeans sizing to the test:
Testing the size of jeans
We buy popular brands and have experts check how the actual size of the jeans matches the label.
The jeans were similar in style and size to match the Canadian average, according to Statistics Canada, with a 34-inch waist for women and a 38-inch waist for men ages 25-59.
Marketplace found that most waist measurements in inches (a metric by which retailers advertise and label jeans) are anywhere from a minimum of an inch to much more.
“Flare your user”
Faust, who has published a number of studies on fashion management, sizing and fit, describes vanity sizing as a marketing tool commonly used in fashion and not limited to jeans.
“To flatter your consumer, you would label it as a size smaller than it is,” she said, making it difficult for people to shop with confidence and ease.
“It’s very difficult for women to know which brand is OK,” she said. “But at the same time it flatters you.”
She said when people feel good about their size, they may buy more as a result.
- Have you experienced vanity sizing? We want to hear about it. Contact us at marketplace@cbc.ca
Clinical psychologist Nina Mafrici, who owns the Toronto Psychology and Wellness Group, said the practice also carries a danger.
“The problem with vanity sizing and tricking people into believing they’re undersized is that it actually associates a size, an objective measure — like a clothes size or weight on the scale — with a person’s self-worth,” said she.
And this leads to “low body image or low self-esteem and can contribute to eating disorders.”
Mafrici said she and her staff are seeing more clients than ever who are younger and have serious health issues such as eating disorders.
Models display ill-fitting Abercrombie & Fitch jeans. (Stephanie Mattheis/CBC)
Men’s and women’s clothing affected
Faust noted that vanity sizing is not limited to women’s fashion.
In Marketplace’s test, there were only two pairs of men’s jeans that fit a size 38 marked on the waist: the Lee Athletic Taper Active Stretch and the H&M Regular Fit (straight leg). The other men’s brands ranged from one to two inches larger than the size guides.
For women’s jeans, all waist sizes are different from what is marked on the label.
Only the Old Navy Extra Stretch High Rise Curvy OG Straight, labeled as a size 14, which in the company’s size guide is a 33.5-inch waist, was smaller at a 33-inch measured waist.
This was the only deviation of the whole lot. Women’s jeans purchased from Old Navy do not fit the vanity size pattern. They were also among the cheapest jeans.
All the others were bigger.
The Lee Relaxed Fit Straight Leg Mid Rise Jeans size 14 has a waist of 33.5-34.5 inches in the size guide and Faust found it to be half an inch to 1.5 inches shorter.
Some women’s sizes are way off
The Wrangler High Rise True Straight Fit and H&M Straight Regular Waist jeans were about two inches above what the size guide said.
Levi’s Premium Wedgie Straight and Gap Cheeky Straight Sky High were about three inches larger than what is on the label.
Abercrombie & Fitch had the largest discrepancy between its label and actual measurement during the Marketplace test.
Faust was surprised that the 1990s Abercrombie & Fitch Women’s Curve Love High Rise Relaxed Jean, which was advertised as a size 34, was actually 40 inches when measured. That’s a six-inch difference for one of the most expensive pairs at $98.
Marie-Yves Faust rates how Lee jeans fit Sara Muslim, as does Rathod Ranganathan. Both modeled the jeans for the CBC Marketplace test. (Stephanie Mattheis/CBC)
The company markets its Curve Love jeans as having an extra two inches in the hips and thighs “to help eliminate the waist gap.”
Sara Muslim, who has a 34-inch waist and modeled the jeans tested by Marketplace, said she considers herself curvy and constantly has trouble finding jeans that fit because there’s often too much material at the waist.
The Curve Love jeans, she said, “are probably the worst fitting of them all and should be for curvy girls.”
In a statement, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. did not explain why there was such a discrepancy in the waist of the Curve Love jeans as measured by Marketplace.
However, a spokesperson wrote that “in the detailed online size guide, the digital size tags on our jeans will not always correlate directly to the waist measurement in inches, which is by design. In line with other clothing brands, we do not manufacture bottoms in inch by inch waist increases. Instead, based on extensive research and fitting sessions, our sizing is designed to fit a variety of waistlines.”
The spokesperson also wrote that “many other factors” affect denim sizing, including style, the degree of stretch in the fabric and where the waist should sit.
Muslim called on companies not only to put size and waist measurement information labels on their clothes, but also to ensure that the information is accurate.
Companies are responsible
All companies were asked for comments on both the measurement inconsistencies found by Marketplace and the outlook for vanity sizing.
Wrangler didn’t answer. Levi Strauss & Co. declined the opportunity to respond.
In a statement, H&M said the company cannot comment on the specific jeans purchased from Marketplace, but works to ensure it has the correct size in each marketplace.
In a statement, Gap Inc. Gap and Old Navy say the company strives to provide consistent sizes, but design and material can sometimes lead to inconsistencies.
Lee was the only company to apologize for the fit discrepancy, and also the only one to mention an industry term called “garment tolerance.”
Garment tolerance refers to how much variation a company allows in measurements, and Lee writes that her factories “are allowed up to an inch.”
The company also said it is now taking steps to improve.
When it came to outfit sizing, H&M was the only company to answer directly. The company’s statement reads: “Vasy sizing is not something we work with at H&M.” It also says that different items of the same size can be experienced differently depending on factors such as clothing style.
Lack of regulation
Faust said standards were set in Canada in 1975 for some clothing sizes, including women’s clothing, but now they are voluntary. Public Services and Procurement Canada confirmed in a statement that the “Canadian Standard Sizing System for Women’s Clothing” was withdrawn in 2012.
Faust said mandatory sizing regulations are needed so customers are not misled or manipulated.
Companies refer to the waist size in inches or centimeters on their websites or on the jeans themselves, but the numbers are becoming increasingly meaningless, Faust said.
Over the years, because of vanity sizing, companies have had to downsize to the point that some have sizes like 0 or 00. Faust noted that numerical sizes that start at 00 can be just as inconsistent as those labeled with waist size.
Abercrombie & Fitch was among the first brands to make a size 00 and now has a size 000 on its website.
Faust recalls in the 2000s when she and her colleagues said, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to be close to zero soon,’ and we laughed about it.”
Both Lee and Levi’s carry a size 00 and H&M has a size 0 which the size guides show is a 24 inch waist.
Clinical psychologist Nina Mafrici advises consumers to focus on how the clothes make them feel. (Stephanie Mattheis/CBC)
The British Standards Institution once regulated the measurement of body size in 1951, and Faust said the Canadian General Standards Board can regulate it now.
But in a statement to Marketplace, the government agency said the dress standards had been withdrawn and “the CGSB has no expertise in this area.”
The statement suggests that “public or private organizations interested in developing a new national standard may contact the CGSB for information on the development process.”
The retail psychology of vanity sizing doesn’t sell with Muslims.
“You just have to embrace your size and get something that makes you feel good,” she said.
Mafrici says until companies consider changing their practices, “Do your research. Find brands that use accurate sizing. Focus on how the clothes feel on your body and how you feel in them.”
And she encourages shoppers to go for “those brands that showcase a variety of sizes.”
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