I took some body measurements two days ago. My waist is forty inches. My neck is seventeen inches. Now, I knew about the neck, and I’ve worn a 17″ neck on my button-up shirts for years. Yet I wear a size 34 or perhaps 36 pair of jeans. What’s going on?
Once again, I turn to the resources of my fellow humans on the Internet to determine if this has already been researched, and once again I found that people have already done the leg-work!
From http://www.jeans-and-accessories.com/jeans-sizes.html :
…the fit guide of some makers is a little on the generous side, so that we can “fit” into a pair one size smaller than our actual size. The psychological effect is obvious. Who wouldn’t swear that these are the best fitting jeans they have ever owned for their size 10 body, even though they are really size 12!
Well, OK, that covers the women’s side of the sizing dilemma, but why on earth is a forty way too big for me, 38 is falling off my buttocks, and a 36 is about right with a 34 fairly snug when I have a straight-up forty-inch waist? I can confirm my butt is much larger than forty inches around.
As far as I can tell, jean sizes seem to vary a lot by manufacturer. eBay to the rescue! They have a handy sizing chart.
SIZE XS S M L XL XXL XXXL XXXXL WAIST 27-28 29-31 32-34 36-38 40-42 44-48 50-52 52-52
Well, OK, so that gives me an idea what “standard” size I should be: a Large. Yet I have a slightly-less-than 40″ waist, which would be XL, and the sole XL jeans I own fall off me unless I cinch up the belt. I just measured the waist of the size thirty-six jeans as thirty-eight inches.
Is there more to this mystery? Most of my jeans are from Wal-Mart or Costco… do they engage in jeans “branding” for men like for women, trying to make the perfect fit? Why on earth do they size jeans two to four inches larger than marked?
I dunno, but all I do know is that once I’ve lost all this body fat, every pair of jeans I own is going into the dumpster or goodwill. And I’m going to buy me some slim-fit Wranglers to go with a nice pair of boots.