Are jeans bigger than they used to be?

Are jeans bigger than they used to be?  How do I explain going from a size 10 Gap jeans to a size 6 Gap jeans in about 4 weeks?  I bought the size 6 because I thought surely I won't go much lower than that.  I've been wearing them for a few hours and they are actually getting a little loose on me (stretching a bit).  I'm training for a marathon and I just started using this site a week ago, counting calories.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited.  I just feel like I found a pair of jeans that says size 6, but it really has the wrong size on it.

i just posted about this! same thing happened to me @ old navy (they're made by the same brand sooo) i'm usually like a 3 but my jeans that i got are 2's and they're falling down!! idk why but i do like it!!!

IMO sizes HAVE changed -- what's called a 4 now would not have been a 4 even five years ago.

So I totally ignore the sizes and try stuff on. Crazy fashion industry thinks we'll buy more clothes if we think we wear smaller sizes :-P

Gosh YES! I was so happy when I got down to my high school size in jeans and then I tried on a pair that I had saved. Couldn't fit in them! I think people will buy more clothes if a certain brand says they are a size smaller then they are. hahahaha

Absolutely!  It feels good to be a size 2, but I know in my heart i'm more like a 4 or a 6.

How they are cut also makes a difference.  I have no butt to speak of, so regular cut jeans not only look silly on me,  I need to go 2 sizes up to get the button closed.  I am soooo thankful that hip-huggers are available again.     Too bad we can't pick and chose where our fat sits. 

It's called "vanity sizing."  And I hate it.  I'm probably a true 8, but some clothes I have to buy XS or 4.  It drives me nuts!  Why do they do this?!  It honestly brings down my self esteem.

so what do the super skinny girls wear a -4? 

I'm wearing a new size 4...I tried on some old 4's from about 5 years ago...Of course they don't fit.

But maybe it will help those thin people with ED stop losing if they get into a "smaller new size.."

I've had to replace my summer wardrobe 3 times this year...from 8/10 to 6 to 4...what will I wear this fall?????

Oh my goodness, this is crazy.  5 years ago when I was 160, I wore a size 12.  Last year when I was 167 I was getting into 8's.  

3 years ago when I was 187, I wore a size 18.  At my highest weight (220) I wore an 18.

But one thing I can say about me personally when I lost weight is that I went down a size for every 10 pounds I lost...that's the only consistancy. lol

I read an article in Cosmo about how today's size 0 is equivalent to a size 8 back in the 70s.  Manufacturers have just realized that being able to fit into smaller clothing makes women feel better (and buy more).

As for the girl with the Gap jeans, I work at the Gap and they always always get loose after you wear them once or twice.  Just a weird thing about the fabric, I guess.  Try buying the ones without stretch if they bother you.

You know what hasn't changed though, is bra sizing because it's based on an actual measurement. So that's always been a good reality check for me.

I went to Lane Bryant to buy some jeans a few days ago, their jean sizes were 2,3,4's. well not knowing what a plus size 2 is, I just left the store without getting any.

Don't try and make me feel good, size the clothes in away I can understand, like 16 , 18 etc.

LOL even at my lowest weight, I NEVER fit into anything below a 10. I am 6'1" and have a 36" inseam. I usually have to buy a larger size jean to get the length I need. It's crazy! In the past 6 months I found jeans that are long enough, but now I have lost weight and they are falling off my butt and, OF COURSE, the company isn't making them anymore. GAH!!!!! Does anyone know of any companies that sell jeans for long-leggers?

This vanity sizing is the reason the people on the diet commercials (Nutrisystems, etc.) can say "I'm a size 4 again."  When you know darn well they are NOT a size 4 - at least not the size 4 that I've seen in the past.  Rediculous!

The fashion industry is INSANE!!  I have a closet FULL of size 8 pants, only the most recent of which I can fit into!  It's hilarious! 

I've gained over 30 pounds in the past 15 years, but my pant size hasn't changed?? Who do these folks think they're kidding?! 

I'll wager by today's standard, my old size 8's are about a size 2 or 4! I agree with the others.  Forget the number and just try the dang things on and buy what fits. 

I just use my old pants as a guide.  When I can get back into my jeans of three years ago, I'm making progress.  If I can't... I need to keep working on it.

It's like they all of a sudden did this in the past year. Weird.

and a 0 is like an 8 was in the 70s? What the hell did a 0 person look like? Dead?

There wasn't a size 0 in the 70's!  I'm trying to remember, but I  think it only went down to size 2 or 4.  People who where that thin had to buy clothes in the kids' department.

The definition of thin back then wasn't the skeletal look it is today. It seems as if we've gone to polar extremes, either obese or anorexic.

I have 18s from seven years ago that fit like 14s today.

Heck, I have some Old Navy 16s from about five years ago that fit like today's Old Navy 14s.

i don't think it's a big deal though - vanity sizing is, indeed, all about vanity. What's important is health and a good self-esteem.

They had a size 0 in the early 80s, that I know for sure. I wore them in 6th grade!

I just recently went shopping to get some new pants because the old one were floating...here's what I found:

I am a 16 at Avenue Plus, 18 at Lane Bryant, and a 20 at Fashion Bug.

Now, I know that in terms of "real" sizes that I'm closer to the 20...but man, does it feel good to have a 16 on one of my pant labels!  :)