Think back to the last time you went shopping for jeans. Chances are, you probably set up shop in a fitting room and told a sales associate to “get comfortable” while you tried on about eight different styles of jeans in about six different sizes. Why are you a 28 at J.Crew, a 4 at Gap, a 40 at Zara and a XS at H&M?
What. The. Frick?
Well, this total mind/body consumer trickery has a name. It’s called "alpha-sizing" and it’s retailers’ newest way of cutting costs and making us feel like idiots. It’s simple: retailers combine sizes, say 2 and 4, and make them into one size: Small. 6 and 8 would be Medium and so on and so forth. Brands don’t have to manufacture a full size run of 0-12, so they save cash. Brands also claim that alpha-sizing saves time for consumers because they aren’t daunted by figuring out what numerical size they are.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which introduced the term “alpha-sizing” to Layman’s vernacular and broke news of its popularity, the consumer lean toward yoga pants, oversized tops and an “ath-leisure” (yes, that’s a term) way of dressing—a.k.a. stretch pants all day everyday—has contributed to the trend's rise. Stretchy pants and stretchy tops come in S, M and L and are super easy for "stupid" consumers to read.
Perhaps the most truthful yet frustrating part of the Journal’s article is the quote from Milly designer Michelle Smith, about why it’s better to err on the side of too big for women’s sizes.
When women have to 'size down,' they are not going to be upset. They feel skinny. If they have to go up the other way, they may not be too pleased. —Michelle Smith
Um, no sh*t, Michelle. Having to go up a size makes women feel fat and annoyed. Perhaps instead of trying to make us feel skinny, retailers could really save us time and just come up with a standardized sizing system, you know, like men have. 33 x 36. Leave the psychiatry to the shrinks. Just make us clothes that fit.
Image: ThinkStock
