swimsuit question

I have it even easier. My lovely wife does all my clothes shopping. What could be easier? :D

Clearly the average person is fatter today than 20 or 30 years ago, but I also think the average person is just plain bigger, too. I know in the Netherlands the average height for a man is now about six feet and 5'7" for women. Also consider more people continue to exercise, lift weights, etc. later in life so there are a number of reasons why people are bigger/bulkier. If a woman's size 10 is considered "average" (and I'm not sure it is) it seems like this average needs to shift to accommodate the average woman over time. So I guess what I'm saying is it might not necessarily be purely "vanity sizing."

James, I had to laugh at your comments because we women have all been aware of this deception for at least the past 20 years. I have a couple of old jackets (now used only for yard work and the like) that are sizes 8 or 10. Today I have many items in my closet that are size 2 and I think I may even have something that is size 0. Yes, that is size ZERO. That proves, to me, the existence of the "vanity size" issue. No one would have ever started their sizing system with zero; obviously over the years as they kept making the clothes bigger but the size labels more "flattering," they could only go backward so far. Zero? What will be next, size NEGATIVE TWO? Yes, I had a friend in college who had a tiny waist and wore a size zero jeans back then (late 80's). I think I wore a size 7 at that point. What in the world would she be wearing now? A size -4??? What do the really skinny people do nowadays? Shop in the petit section?

Since this seems to be a similar scenario among a few different people, I think it may be the clothing companies. Honestly, I think it's a marketing thing (and no one...ladies...take this wrong), but you all may be the same size as when you were younger, but the clothing companies may be making the sizes larger to "trick" people into believing they're actually going down in sizes. :whiteflag: Just a thought...not trying to start a war. James, I had to laugh at your comments because we women have all been aware of this deception for at least the past 20 years. I have a couple of old jackets (now used only for yard work and the like) that are sizes 8 or 10. Today I have many items in my closet that are size 2 and I think I may even have something that is size 0. Yes, that is size ZERO. That proves, to me, the existence of the "vanity size" issue. No one would have ever started their sizing system with zero; obviously over the years as they kept making the clothes bigger but the size labels more "flattering," they could only go backward so far. Zero? What will be next, size NEGATIVE TWO?

Find a pair of pants you like and wear them from mid-November to mid-May, then place in a vat of chlorox and allow to stew. Then find a pair of shorts you like and where these from mid-May to mid-November, then switch out with the pants in the chlorox stew. Repeat till disintegration. Source: Fashion tips from Monsieur Jim

We need to see the "mounting the blocks and then bending over atop on a pedastal with slightly arched back emphasizing lordosis" picture, shot from a multitude of angles, before we can intelligently comment on your YingFa sizing issues. Please submit this data for further analysis. You may just be married to a closet Taliban member who would prefer you swim in a Fina-approved Burka. Well, Jim, you missed your opportunity to witness a Yingfa wardrobe malfunction. :agree: At yesterday's meet, the lycra in my suit decided to go, uhhh, quickly, after my 400 IM. By the time I got out from my second race (free relay), I had to :bolt:to the locker room and change suits, because the lycra had blown out almost completely where the girls were hiding. :afraid: