The Nasty "W" Sizes

For those of you do not know ladies clothing sizes, let me tell you there are different categories not just size numbers. Where men's clothes, as is my understanding, go by the number, waist by length, or chest size with a long, short or regular, or even as simple as small, medium, large ect.

Woman's clothing has complexities. We have small, medium, large, and extra large, 2X large and so on, but it depends on the manufacturer. One can wear a size medium in Walmart, and a size x-large in Aeropostle. Then, in the same store, we have, misses, junior, and women's. Now all these sizes pretty much goes by two's and the sizes overlap. Misses, is the regular clothing size, usually you can find sizes like 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 16-18. Juniors, caters to the teens, goes my 2's like 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19. Womens, signified by a large 'W' at the end of the size number is for fat chicks. We sometimes start at 14W, but usually 16W and goes up by 2's for infinity. Strange thing, junior size 17 is bigger than a woman's 18W. I think closer to fitting like a 20w. A person in a woman's 14w can't necessarily fit into a 16 misses. Hips and proportions are too different so a 14W is still too big.



Those "W"'s suck. When I first went and had to buy a 16W, i was shocked. I didn't step on a scale, that tag had all the information I needed to say I was fat. The "W", in my mind, stood for WIDE, not women and still to this day, when I see a tag for 22W, I say it as 22 wide, like a shoe.

To most people that would be enough to set them on a path to weight loss. Not me, I decided not to think about it. I just had my last child and figured that I would lose the weight. So I had some clothes that fit, and I took care of my kids and husband, then the clothes started to wear out, and I mean really wear out. The last thing in the world that I wanted to do was buy more clothes with the dreaded "W" on the tag.

I finally went to the store for myself about a year later because I had nothing that didn't have a hole in it. I didn't want to get more clothes. I consoled my self that at least I hadn't gained anything because everything was loose, bras were loose, pants, everything.

I went to the store and grabbed a handful of size 16s. They didn't fit. Funny thing about those W size clothes, they stretch. I went into the store wearing a size 16, came out wearing a size 20. That Christmas, when my Aunt bought me a size 18W sweater, I was mad. 'Did she really see me as that fat?', I thought. Even though I was actually bigger. That Christmas I was up another size, 22W.

A few years ago is when I gave up on dieting and decided that I would not let life pass me by. I wanted to do things like swim in public, play tennis and lots of stuff, but I was waiting until I was in better shape, trying diet after diet and feeling like a failure. I stopped paying attention to my weight entirely. almost a year passed.

I went to a Walmart in search for a bathing suit for my daughter. I thought I would try some on too, just for kicks. I threw out my 16W-18W bathing suit the previous year because it was getting old and worn. It had stretched along with my body for years. I grabbed a 18W and went to put it on and it literally fell off my body. I was ecstatic. Tried a 16W, same thing. So I tossed on my clothes and went to the regular size rack, the missus. grabbed a 16, no W at the end, and tried it on. TOO BIG! OMG OMG no freaking way. Again I get my clothes back on and I grab three suits, all of then are 12-14, which is a large without any X's in front or W's behind. 2 out of those 3 bathing suits fit me just right. The third was just a bit tight in one spot, under my arms, so it looked weird on me.

I could give you a deal on Womens clothes but I just threw them out as they didn't fit me any more. I am now down to 3 pairs of pants, all are either large or 14. If i buy anymore, it will be from a thrift store so I can throw them in the trash too. I really like throwing out clothes.