Sizing You Up

Sizing, now that we are global shoppers, has reached a top level of importance. We online shoppers who prefer not to feel frustrated, prowling the aisles of our favorite shops, use online frequently. It remains local in that many of the sites are familiar stores, but those stocked with online endless styles and sizes. One soon learns which sites to trust and which to avoid. North Americans are comparatively taller and larger in body size than many other countries around the commercial world. After thinking you are safe in ordering a size two or three times your NA one, you might be disappointed to learn that while the length is adequate on the purchase, other measurements such as shoulder and width vary hugely. What we here would size as zero to two or three, in some other countries might be an average size in our world. It isn't racist, it's simply a fact and one that we need to consider seriously. I know a woman who is an engineer and her specialty is helping to solve, for the garment industry, precisely this problem. Her field takes her all over the world. Now that we have opened the trading doors to international shopping, we have to expand our international requirements. Myopia is a luxury. Most men and women are not the Hollywood take-out-some-ribs variety of skinny. We are bigger than we like to admit and why we feel guilty about it remains a mystery to me. No, it isn't more beautiful to be skinny. That's a myth made by diet sellers who take in millions publishing "the latest quick loss diet" or selling substances that are said to allow you to consume everything you want and still lose weight. Few of us are fooled by that silliness. What we really want is for our garments to fit and hang properly and not make us look like we are stuffed sausages. Size is vital and getting it right is realistic and important if you want to spend wisely on fine garments. Men don't seem to be as goofy about sizes as women but I know that they are just as concerned about their mid-sections as are we women. Pants are complicated because there is the length factor as well as leg width for pants to hang properly and look right. Men's coats and jackets hide much but need to fit loosely across the shoulder and have the potential of buttoning up whether it is done or not. Men don't discuss their belt sizes socially but avoid such personal subjects of concern and concentrate fully on sports scores. For them, it's more comfortable and to me, it makes sense. Women talk endlessly, to the point of pain, about diets and sizes and calories.  During a car oil change wait recently, I was forced to listen to two women who went on and on about their diets and what to eat that had the fewest calories or carbs. With so many crucial events happening in the world, I was amazed that during the hour, not one topic other than dieting came into their conversation. Perhaps we ought to size up on chat issues?