Size zero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Size 0 is a women's clothing size in the US catalog sizes system, roughly equivalent to a
UK size 4. Size 0 and 00 were invented due to the changing of clothing sizes over time
(referred to as vanity sizing or size inflation), which has caused the adoption of lower
numbers. Modern size 0 clothing, depending on brand and style, will fit measurements of
chest-stomach-hips from 30-22-32 inches (76-56-81 cm) to 33-25-35 inches (84-64-89 cm).

[edit]Context

"Size zero" is often used to refer to extremely thin individuals (especially women), or trends
associated with them. For example, Louise Redknapp dieted to fit into a size zero dress to
explore the effects for a documentary television program. However, this usage does not
always relate directly to the clothing size - the "size zero ban" at the Madrid Fashion
Weekprevented models from participating if they had a body mass index (BMI) of 18 or
below. As a result, five models were banned from taking part. [1]
[edit]

Vanity sizing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vanity sizing, also known as size inflation is used to refer to the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the
same nominal size becoming larger over time. Vanity sizing tends to occur in places where clothing sizes are
not standardized, such as the United States,[1] although within the United States it occurs far more frequently in
women's apparel than in men's, partly due the widespread and far earlier adoption of standardized
measurement for men's apparel for military uniforms (where, for example, a pair of trousers with a 32" waist
and a 32"inseam must be labeled as such regardless of who made it).

It is generally acknowledged that clothing of the same nominal size has become larger over the years. [2][3][4][5] In
2003, a study that measured over 1,011 pairs of women's pants found that more expensive brands tended to
be smaller than cheaper ones of the same nominal size. [6] The increasing dimensions of garments of the same
nominal size has caused some designers to introduce size 0, 00, or subzero sizes.[5]

Many commentators have suggested that "vanity sizing," as its name suggests, is designed to satisfy buyers'
wishes to appear thin and feel better about themselves. [2][3][5][7]
However, other reasons for this change have been offered as well. Designer Nicole Miller's spokeswoman has
suggested that 00 or subzero sizes were introduced in part because of the rise of Asian markets, where women
are generally smaller.[5] It has also been suggested that vanity sizing allows clothing companies to cater their
sizing to their demographic, since women of different sizes may be attracted to different brands. [8] Finally, it has
been suggested[9] that vanity sizing merely reflects the increasing prevalence of obesity. [10][11]

[edit]See also

Media impact on body image

See also:  Anorexia nervosa

Many commentators regard the emphasis in the media and in the fashion industry on thinness and on an
ideal female body shape and size as being psychologically detrimental to the well-being of many young
women, and on their self-image which also gives rise to excessive dieting and/or exercise, and to eating
disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Sociocultural studies highlight the role of cultural factors in the
incidence of anorexia nervosa in women, such as the promotion of thinness as the ideal female form in
Western industrialized nations, particularly through the media. A recent epidemiological study of 989,871
Swedish residents indicated that gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status were highly correlated with
the chance of developing anorexia nervosa, and women with non-European parents were among the
least likely to be diagnosed, while women in wealthy, ethnic Swedish families were most at risk. [18]

A study by Garner and Garfinkel demonstrated that those in professions where there is a particular social
pressure to be thin (such as models and dancers) were much more likely to develop anorexia during their
career,[19] and further research suggests that those with anorexia have much higher contact with cultural
sources that promote weight-loss.[20]

Although anorexia nervosa is usually associated with Western cultures, exposure to Western media is
thought to have led to an increase in cases in non-Western countries. But other cultures may not display
the same worries about becoming fat as those in the West, and instead may emphasise other common
features.

Measurement
Body image is often measured by asking the subject to rate their current and ideal body shape using a
series of depictions. The difference between these two values is the measure of body dissatisfaction.

Monteath and McCabe found that 44% of women express negative feelings about both individual body
parts and their bodies as a whole.[12] Psychology Today found that 56% of the women and about 40% of
the men who responded to their survey in 1997 were dissatisfied with their overall appearance. [13]

[edit]Body image and weight

The desire to lose weight is highly correlated with poor body image, with more women than men wanting
to lose weight. Kashubeck-West et al. reported that when considering only men and women who desire to
lose weight, sex differences in body image disappear.[14]

These figures do not, however, distinguish between people at a low or healthy weight and those who are
in fact overweight, i.e., between those whose self-perception as overweight is incorrect and those whose
perception of overweight is correct. Post-1997 studies [15] indicate that around 64% of American adults are
overweight, such that if the 56%/40% female/male dissatisfaction rates in the Psychology Today study
have held steady since its release, those dissatisfaction rates are if anything disproportionately low:
Although some individuals continue to believe themselves to be overweight when they are not, those
persons are now outnumbered by persons who might be expected to be dissatisfied with their body but
are not. In turn, although social pressure to lose weight has adverse effects on some individuals who do
not need to lose weight, those adverse effects are outweighed by that social pressure'spositive effect on
the overall population, without which the recent increases in obesity and associated health and social
problems (described in both popular and academic parlance as an "obesity epidemic")[16][17] would be even
more severe than they already are.