Interesting story about clothing sizes in the BBC magazine. I always suspected as much, but clothing sizes aren't at all standardised. The fact that a 10 in one shop might be a 12 in another is usually put down to the cut of the garment, but it seems that marketing has a bigger say in the matter. Some firms are deliberately making clothes more generous so customers think they're fitting into a smaller size.

It also suggests that manufacturers are aiming towards larger sizes as people become bigger and rounder.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the states. When I lived there 10 years ago, I wore a size 5 pretty dependably. Here in the UK, it's an 8. My last trip to California included a bit of shopping, but almost nothing fit me. When I did find something, invariably it was a size 3, but often a 1 or even a 0! A 0?! Way to make a girl feel insignificant.

Is it any wonder I have to shop in the teenybopper clothing stores as it is? Mutton anyone?