What the heck is going on here???
Whenever I go to buy a shirt online and they tell you how tall the model in the picture is, they're almost always over 6 feet tall and almost always wearing size medium.
6 feet tall is NOT medium!
I'm 5'9" (average for US men) and most of the clothes that fit me are size Small. In fact, I have some size-S pants from Target that are a little too big. What are the shorter guys supposed to do?
Obviously there's some sort of size inflation or vanity sizing happening here. So why does this happen?
Theory 1: Fashion models are slim
Okay, yes, clearly this is part of it. Shirts are longer and looser on slimmer bodies, so someone who is shorter and bigger could fit the same shirt as someone taller and skinnier.
But can this really be the full answer? Is the typical consumer so large that a shirt designed for a model 5 inches taller would fit them? Also this wouldn't explain why the arms are too long.
(Interestingly, I got a vintage t-shirt from the 60s at a thrift store that's a size medium, and that fits perfectly.)
Theory 2: Models are lying about their height
Basketball players famously have their height inflated on rosters. If taller models get more work, maybe there’s incentive for them to inflate their height by a couple of inches, and then that ends up listed on the website.
Theory 3: Nobody knows how tall they are
Actually, it's not just basketball players — plenty of dudes say they're taller than they are:
Maybe people have gotten so used to inflating their height that they genuinely think of themselves as taller than they really are?
If this is true, someone who is 5’10” goes around telling everyone they are 6’ tall, up to the point where they start to believe it themselves. Then, when they shop for clothes, they buy clothes that are advertised to fit someone 6’ tall, not 5’10”. Seems like a stretch.
Theory 4: The clothes are meant to be baggy
Maybe it's a fashion thing? Wide-leg pants are trendy again. So looser fits could be intentional.
Except this doesn't make sense, because if that were true you'd want the clothes to look baggy in the pictures. In fact, that from Uniqlo above does look baggy on a guy who is 6' tall. So wouldn't it just be even more baggy on someone average-height?
Theory 5 (my favorite): Minimizing returns
If you buy a shirt online, and it's too small, you can't wear it. You're probably gonna return it. But if it's a bit too big, are you really going to bother sending it back? You might even still wear it sometimes.
My guess is that online shops, which want to minimize returns, end up optimizing for slightly bigger sizing (whether intentionally or not). This way, when someone who thinks of themselves as a "size Medium" orders a Medium shirt, it definitely won't be too small. Maybe it'll be a bit too big, but there's a decent chance they'll keep it anyways.
(Personally, I do have some shirts in my closet that are a bit big, but not really any that are too small)
Someone please make smaller clothes
Okay, so someone should make clothes for the short kings out there. Like the reverse of a Big and Tall store (Short and Small?). And I searched it up and they do!
But then again, the top result I found is a brand called "Under 5'10"?? Their homepage says "Clothes Made for Short Men". But 5'10" is above average height for US men!
What does it say that we have a special store for people who are average height? (Maybe Theory 3 is right and nobody knows how tall they are??)
At this point let's just go back to listing measurements like sleeve length and inseam.