Often times when speaking of embracing curves, men and women alike will refer to Marilyn Monroe. And why wouldn't you? She was beautiful...and yes, curvy.
Pattern companies stopped adjusting sizes in the 1960s, but retail kept vanity sizes changing as we got larger. Today, Marilyn would be approximately a size 6. Yes, it's true. But if she were to make a dress from a pattern she would still be a size 14.
Back at a costume store I used to manage, we had an authentic, vintage 1950's size 8 dress. The waist measurement? A whopping 23". TINY. So tiny, I never saw it rent, but one time for a middle school production. And I believe the girl was maybe 12 years old.
I know that citing Marilyn Monroe creates a lot of frustration, because most people don't know the way of the retail/design world.
So to end your frustration once and for all:
Yes, Marilyn was a 14. And yes, Marilyn is a 6. Funny the difference a few years can make.
You are correct ( or almost so). When I was growing up, there used to be a saying "a perfect size 12", but a size 12 was about a 6 now.. I would say that a 14 then would be an 8 now. The average woman weighed 135 (versus 165 now). I weigh 190 now and wear a 16 or 14 sheath dress!!!! Of course it isn't the same 14 as the one from the 60s. It just makes me feel good. I was born in 1950 and weighed about 124 to 132 until I was about 45. I used to wear a 7 or 8 or 9 at 124, and my measurements were about the same as Marilyn's. I always thought I was fat and was always on a diet trying to weigh 117. At 132 I wore about a 10 or 11. They had already up sized a little by then.
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