Reopening the Size Zero is Curvy debate from June 22

I was going to write about another topic today, but felt that I had to get this out of the way first. I recently received a very late anonymous reply/comment from a post dated June 22 where I wrote about size zero and its "curvyness." In this reply, the poster called me an "idiot" and went on to say that the reason why larger sizes are "less curvy" was because it's a "time- and cost- effective method." OK, fine. It's pretty obvious, based on the size charts that I posted up. But did she (I'm assuming that the poster is a she) have to call me an idiot? I'm open to debate, but I think it could have been written another way. So yes, I am re-opening this topic for debate. On June 22, I posted sizing charts from several different stores, comparing a smaller size (size 0 or 2) with size 12 and the waist-to-hip (WHR) ratio of these sizes. According to many studies, the "ideal"/"curvy" WHR is approximately 0.7 (which many actresses and female icons have).

Here are the size charts I posted up (you can also find them by clicking here):

J. Crew:

Size 0 is: 24" waist; 34" hips. 24/34= approx. 0.706 WHR (At J.Crew, a 0P is 23" waist, 33" hips, which works out to approx 0.7!)

Size 12: 31" waist, 41" hips. 31/41= approx. 0.756 WHR (12P is 30" waist, 40" hips or a WHR of 0.75. J.Crew does not make 14 or 16 in petite (neither does Banana Republic)).

Jenny Yoo: (bridesmaids dresses)

Size 0: 25" waist; 35" hips. 25/35= approx. 0.714 WHR (no petites)

Size 12: 32" waist; 42" hips. 32/42= approx 0.762 WHR

Talbots:

Misses and Petites:

Size 2: 24.5" waist; 34.5" hips. 24.5/34.5 = approx. 0.71 WHR (in petites, the waist is 24" and the hips, 34". Therefore the WHR in petites is approx. 0.706)

Size 12: 30" waist; 40" hips. 30/40= 0.75 WHR. (In petites, the waist is 29.5" and the hips = 39.5". 29.5/39.5= approx. 0.747 WHR.

Talbots Woman and Woman Petite:

Size 12W: 30.5" waist; 41.5" (lower) hips. 30.5/41.5=0.734 WHR (Unlike non-plus petites, the waist and hips have the same measurements. Therefore the Woman Petite WHR is also 0.734)

So based on the size charts, would you say that size 0 is curvier? Do you think manufacturers should do a better job when it comes to sizing? In other words, rather than adding one inch to the waist and hips (and bust if it is a dress) as the size increases, should they try to keep the ratio as close to the sample size as possible (I also realize that sample sizes aren't necessarily the smallest size a company makes)? Why do you think larger sizes are "less curvy"?

Size Zero is Curvy!

Did you know that technically, a size 0 is curvier than a size 12? Really! It all has to do with the waist-to-hip ratio. The "ideal", according to studies, including this one from Harvard, is 0.7 for women, meaning that the waist measurement is 70% of the hips. Let's take a look at a few examples, based on size charts:

J. Crew:

Size 0 is: 24" waist; 34" hips. 24/34= approx. 0.706 WHR (At J.Crew, a 0P is 23" waist, 33" hips, which works out to approx 0.7!)

Size 12: 31" waist, 41" hips. 31/41= approx. 0.756 WHR (12P is 30" waist, 40" hips or a WHR of 0.75. J.Crew does not make 14 or 16 in petite (neither does Banana Republic)).


Jenny Yoo: (bridesmaids dresses)

Size 0: 25" waist; 35" hips. 25/35= approx. 0.714 WHR (no petites)

Size 12: 32" waist; 42" hips. 32/42= approx 0.762 WHR

Jenny Yoo makes dresses up to size 22. The size 22 dress, with a 41.5 " waist and 51.5" hips works out to an approximate WHR of 0.806.

That's probably why plus sizes start at a size 14. The size 14 in the plus range has a different WHR than a 14 in the missy or petite ranges.

Let's take a look at Talbots:

Misses and Petites.

Size 2: 24.5" waist; 34.5" hips. 24.5/34.5 = approx. 0.71 WHR (in petites, the waist is 24" and the hips, 34". Therefore the WHR in petites is approx. 0.706)

Size 12: 30" waist; 40" hips. 30/40= 0.75 WHR. (In petites, the waist is 29.5" and the hips = 39.5". 29.5/39.5= approx. 0.747 WHR.

Talbots Woman and Woman Petite:

Size 12W: 30.5" waist; 41.5" (lower) hips. 30.5/41.5=0.734 WHR (Unlike non-plus petites, the waist and hips have the same measurements. Therefore the Woman Petite WHR is also 0.734)

If you click on the size charts, you will see that the waist and hip measurements go up an inch as the number increases. Since the number is getting closer to 1, how on earth is the larger size "curvier" than the smaller size?

Plus sizes get much more attention than us petites-WHY?

I came across an article in the LA Times the other day about a video called "Fat Rant" made by a girl in California who wanted to tell the world that she's happy being who she is. Her You Tube video has had several thousand viewers and comments. She has even been featured on Entertainment Tonight! I don't know why, but it seems that much more attention is paid to people who are plus sized. Body image acceptance websites cater more to plus sizes, regardless of height than to short people in general. (They often say that they accept all sizes, but at the same time label people under size four "anorexic," regardless of height, and would say that anyone under size fourteen is "normal." (I am a short woman. "Big" for me is probably something much smaller than "big" on a six foot woman.)) There are also many more websites catering to plus-sized women, for them to vent about their issues (I will talk about media issues and petites in more detail at the end of the month, when June poll results, which asks whether the media purposely pay less attention to petites, are tabulated).

I did post a video in response to Ms. Nash's video, which you can see here