LOOSE CLOTHES
This is not political or social commentary - feel free to skip.
My clothes are loose. I have been wearing size 18W, or 1X, which is really the same a size 20, but without the dreaded entry into the 20's. I noticed yesterday, that when I bent over, I could actually breathe. Many times, when women tell their size, we shave a bit on the details - as in - "I wear a 14" without telling you that she couldn't bend over if she wanted to avoid a stroke.
Another thing that makes the size situation sound rosier is that today's size 8 is more like yesterday's 10 or 12. See, the invention of spandex has made clothes fit a wider range of weight gain. The only real difference between sizes of , say, forty years ago and today is that women's hip sizes have shrunk. (see right - these women were considered shapely in their day)
Today's ideal women in media is essentially, a female who has dieted until all distinguishing features of woman...