12 is the new 8

This sounds like some kind of new math but don't panic  - it's about something all together different.

Himself and I were going out to an 80's themed night and needed some appropriate garments.  He went to the Value Village and spent 25 bucks channelling Don Johnson in Miami Vice while I reached into the back of my closet.

Because I never throw anything away, I had a selection of dresses that first graced my shoulders in the 1980's. There was the one with the Flock of Seagulls neckline, the Princess Diana-ish preppy one, and the one with the square collar and the big shoulder pads a la Alexis Carrington. Oh yeah.  Big shoulder pads it was. 

But would it fit?  It was 30 years ago and my weight has been up and down the scale during that time.  The label read 12.  Well, I thought, that shouldn't be a problem.  My current dresses are a size 8.  Maybe it would even be too big.  Except for being a bit big in the bust, it fit perfectly.

This perplexed me.  So I pondered this as I set about making my arrow straight hair big and curly.  Hot rollers, curling iron, hairspray, back-comb, hairspray, curling iron, back-comb, hairspray, gel, hairspray. Ah, ha! 

Vanity sizing!   I'd heard about this for awhile but had never thought about it too much.  I didn't even notice the sizes changing.  I think it was because my own size was fluctuating what with 2 pregnancies and too many potato chips. 

But there you have it - a size 12 woman 30 years ago is now a size 8 with no effort on her part.  But what was so wrong with being a size 12 that they had to change it?  And whose idea was it anyway?  The industry or the consumers? 

Either way, it's bullshit.