Basically there are (at this time) three size ranges: junior, misses, and women’s. Junior is (mostly) for teenagers. Misses is for smaller women, Women’s is for larger women and is also known as “plus sizes”. (This is not how these ranges started out historically but it’s how they are now.)

Misses sizes are even numbers, usually from 2 to 18 or so. Sometimes you will see 0 or even 00, and on the other end sometimes 20 or 22. There is also small, medium, large, XL.

Junior sizes are odd numbers usually from 1 to 13. A junior size is about the same as one misses size up (so a size 5 is about the same size as a 6), but cut differently for a younger, less mature figure. Theoretically.

Women’s sizes are even numbers with a “W” on the end, usually 16W to 26W. As with misses, some clothing lines have larger or smaller. A women’s size is comparable to one misses size up – so for example, a women’s 18W is about the same size as a misses 20. There is also 1X, 2X, 3X, etc. – these are the equivalent to misses “small”, “medium”, etc.

As for what measurements actually correspond to these sizes, it varies. A lot. Clothing patterns (that you buy to sew your own) are standardized, but sizes for clothes in stores aren’t. The best way to get an idea is to visit some website size charts for retailers such as Nordstrom (Misses and smaller Women’s sizes) or Roaman’s (larger range of women’s sizes) to get a general idea.

(Wrote this before I read Phledge’s comment but it seems it still might be helpful… and yes, you have to try everything on, and a lot of stores don’t have women’s sizes. Annoying.)

3X (24-26) = 45 to 48 inches waist, 56 to 58 inches hips.
S (6-8) = 28 to 30 inches waist, 38 to 39 inches hips.

That’s, again, not across the board for all manufacturers, and what it comes down to is that we pretty much have to try on clothes. Which sucks gigantic horseballs when one tries to order online, given that so many stores (I’m looking at you, you Old Navy fuckwits) have taken to moving their plus-size lines onto teh interwebs.

I love reminders that this blog is reaching people all around the globe.

P.s I hope I am not annoying anyone , if I am please remove this part of the comment. But I am an Indian and I have NO idea how size (0,2,4 etc etc) is calculated in the US . I googled but didn’t get anything useful. I understand that for FA movement to really work in my life I need to understand the facts, therefore I am asking. Don’t mean to derail this thread.

and let me be the millionth girl to say it again that all three of you ROCK

Does this mean that the next time I nerve myself to go to the doctor, and he insists I must lose weight before treatment of my insulin resistance/bad knee/sinus infection/broken finger can commence, I can request a prescription for hot-guys-kissing videos, and my health plan will pay for it?

I dreamt that I was at a party, discussing fat activism with everyone there. And all the people kept spouting off bingos at me.

So I tried to leave the party, but it turned out the house was like two miles up in the air, and the only way off was to jump off and dive into this little pool all the way on the ground. My BF was on the ground next to the pool, motioning for me to do it.

Then I woke up.

However, I just watched Alan Rickman kissing Norman Reedus and it’s all better now.

Also, the new header is full of win. And the muffin reminds me of high school, when a friend and I decided muffin porn would be the funniest thing ever. (That’s muffins having sex, not people having sex while covered in muffins, just to clarify. Although sex in muffins could also be interesting. I won’t rule anything out.)

BWAH!

Joining in to say that Kate is teh win. My life has changed dramatically since I’ve been on this website, all for the better. Except that I’m not paying attention in class right now. Damn you, Shapely Prose and the Shapelings!

I can’t say that Dan Savage’s writing has changed me for the better. :-P