Woman Brilliantly Showcases Why Clothing Sizes Don’t Matter

If you’re thinking shopping for clothes these days is a lot trickier than it used to be, you’re not alone. But thanks to one Wichita, Kansas resident, we might have an explanation for this.

Deena Shoemaker, a counselor at a youth ministry, posted a viral Facebook photo when she noticed all of the sizes on the inside of her pants varied a little too much. Shoemaker’s pants ranged from a size five all the way to a 12, yet fit her just the same.

As someone who frequently councils girls on body positivity, Shoemaker got fed up with the way retailers were marketing their clothing to girls.

“I’ve worked with teen (sic) & pre-teen girls as a leader and counselor in various places for the last 6 years,” she wrote on Facebook. “I’ve listened to countless girls tell me about their new diets and weight loss fads. I’ve have girls sob in my arms and ask me, ‘if I were skinnier, would he have stayed?’ I’ve counseled girls who were skipping meals. I’ve caught some throwing up everything they’ve just eaten.”

As Revelist points out, most retailers engage in a process called “vanity sizing,” which is when clothing is sized to make women feel better about themselves. With the average size of women — and men for that matter — increasing over the years, clothing companies have responded by shifting their sizes. A Time article on the topic points out that a size 12 in 1958 is the equivalent of a size six today.

In her post, Shoemaker explains why vanity sizing is a problem for women and girls everywhere.

“But when you resize a girl’s pants from a (sic) 9 to a 16 and label is ‘plus size,’ how am I supposed to fight that? Photo manipulation is one thing but how do you expect me to convince her that the number printed inside her clothes is a lie too? How do you expect me to convince her that she doesn’t need to skip dinner for the next month because her pant size didn’t *actually* go up by seven digits?”

Showmaker’s post has gone viral with over 87,000 shares and 53,000 reactions. She ended her post with some words of wisdom for women everywhere.

“And to (sic) you; my dear beautiful girls, my size 2 girls or my size 18 girls, your size doesn’t determine your beauty; your life does. The size printed inside your clothes is subjective to the fashion industry’s personal taste and it fluctuates rapidly. Stop believing the social normatives about who and what you should be. You are lovely and you are loved. Just exactly the way you are.”

Your Daily Dish reached out to Deena Shoemaker for a comment.