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Yes, this topic really is about size-that number on an item of clothing that you look for before taking the things you like into a store dressing room-that irrelevant, undependable, rather contrary label that’s usually hard to find. (You know-the number that’s usually different than the one on the hanger because someone didn’t put it back correctly after the last try-on…)

You’d think that after years of shopping, a woman would have a pretty good idea of what size she takes, but it’s still a gamble to buy anything without trying it on first. There seems to be no uniform standard when it comes to sizing between merchandisers, let alone foreign suppliers.

Perhaps you’ve heard that more expensive clothing tends to be sized a bit larger than the norm. Do you think that’s a marketing ploy? After all, a woman who realizes that she fits into a size 4 dress may be so exhilarated by that finding that she’s ready to buy it, just to be able to say that she can wear a size 4. So that’s another obstacle to sizing: are we being tricked when it comes to size, to be buttered up for the sale?

Then there are those pants which are sized in terms of waist measurement-who has found any that really fit? And have you noticed that the way pants are sized is not the way jeans are sized? After decisions regarding denim color, style, pockets and seam finishing, we end up making choices based on the “I’m not that size” mentality, more commonly known as denial.

Recently I let my teenage daughter loose in a sea of denim with unlimited time and an open checkbook. We not only left empty handed, she had found exactly one pair to try on. Needless to say, they didn’t pass muster. But it was the way in which they didn’t pass muster that was amusing. Waiting outside the dressing area, I heard her say that she “accidentally” got a size 1, but really needed a 3. “Hah! say I, “You need a 5 at least”, but all the 5’s were gone. So I took in a 7. She tried it on grudgingly, griping all the while that “no way” was she a 7. She was right; 9 would have been better. But that fell onto deaf ears attached to the supposed size 3 body. The rationale that all styles are different, and all manufacturers’ size their clothes differently meant nothing. You’d have thought the size label was on the outside of her jeans for the entire world to see.

So, I picked out a few size 5’s for her approval. Only one pair was deemed worthy, but sitting down in them-much less eating or drinking-looked darn near impossible. So, says the voice of reason, “I’ll get you a 7.” Well, you’d think I would have suggested she shave her head. The bottom line was that if she didn’t try a 7, she could not get the 5. This explains our leaving without a package to show for 60 minutes of frustration.

Kids are becoming obsessed at an earlier age than ever when it comes to numbers, even knowing that the numbers are baseless. I have vague recollections of such a mindset as an older teen and young adult, but by this point in my life, numbers mean little, especially those on clothes. It’s not the first time that I’ve thought life would be much simpler if I could just wear a loose fitting sari, kimono, or sweats at all times-preferably sized as extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large to reduce shopping time.

As we sat down to dinner tonight, my daughter said, “I’m going to stop eating 24/7 like I have been.” Amazing what a little thing like jean size can do in terms of motivation. However, if we allow the numbers on clothes keep us from enjoying them, we lose out. The whole point of fashion is to look attractive, and it’s hard to accomplish that if we’re squeezed into something, with a pained look on our face, because we think that’s the “size” we should take. When it comes to fashion, the size stamped on the label really does mean nothing!