I'm just going to put it right out there. Women's clothing sizes are not helpful. Consider the following images. Same person, same month, no major changes in body size or type (I would know; it's me).

How does this even happen? What does this say about how we're marketed and sold to? And are we (the shoppers) participating in or even -- the cause of -- sizes changing and varying so drastically? After a New York Times article on a new sizing machine caught our eye this week, we turned to clothes designers, retailers and sources in the Public Insight Network to make sense of this.

First, a word on "vanity sizing". As The New York Times notes, a woman who wore a size 14 in 1937 would wear a size zero today. There may have been a time when people were fooled, and some perhaps still are. If it makes us feel better, what's the big deal? 

Kathleen Fasenella, a pattern maker, blogger, and author of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing, says it's not done to make us feel better. In other words, vanity sizing is a myth.

What people describe as vanity sizing is the practice of sizing to the mean. That is what sizing must do because people's bodies evolve. At best it could be called size inflation but it has NOTHING to do with inflating people's egos and everything to do with increasing girth of U.S. waistlines upping the average size. It has to do with arcane production practices people don't understand. Garment costing is based on the average size. If the average size increases, it affects all other sizes. It is necessary in order to buy the correct amount of yardage, etc.

And when it comes to fixing women's sizes, Kathleen says, "Better sizing hang tags could reduce ambiguity and more detailed specs at the point of sale would be helpful too. Yes, I know consumers often don't know their measures but with this information, the onus is on them."

But talking to Kathleen I still didn't understand: How are women's sizes so different? How did the sizing industry get this way? If men's clothes can be measured by inches, why can't women's? And why can't there be a decree to all designers saying, "Hey everyone. We're doing inches now. Go forth, and resize!"

First of all, Kathleen told me it's pattern makers that deal with sizing, not designers, and they're often flying blind when it comes to sizing. She will ask her client who they aspire for their clothes to "hang with" (which is cool industry-speak for "be displayed close to in the store"), and then she'll try to figure out the magic of that brand's sizing and replicate it.

Then -- and I'm still reeling from this revelation -- Kathleen told me that with our disposable income increasing over the last 30 to 40 years, people are adopting the attitude of seeing something they want, and buying it, regardless of if the product was meant for them. Stay with me here.

If I walked into a tutu shop and asked for their finest tutu in a size 4 (because I'm a dress size 4, remember from the picture?) and I tried on the skirt in the dressing room, I probably wouldn't be able to breathe. Why? Because I'm not a ballerina, and that skirt was designed for someone the size of a dancer. Similarly, if I walked into a Western shop and asked for a shirt in my size, the sleeves would be too long. Why? Because many Western shirts are designed with longer sleeves so people riding horses and holding onto the reigns will have their arms covered.

Point being: sizing is an unbelievably complex process. If it were as simple as everyone thinks it is, we wouldn't have these problems. And sometimes, the clothes you're buying that you think are in your size might not even be meant for you.

But why do guys have it easier? Great question. A lot of it has to do with the difference between menswear and womenswear companies. Kathleen says 68 percent of womenswear companies have fewer than 20 employees and produce small lines aimed at very specific types of people. They therefore can't decide to suddenly change the way they size their clothes, especially when they are aspiring to "hang next to" other brands that use the regularly way of sizing. Menswear companies, conversely, are larger, produce more commodities, have fewer styling changes, more predictability between seasons, and, as Kathleen says, men are going to buy Dockers year after year.

We were also lucky to hear from Terri Spaeth-Merrick, a clothing designer from Portland, Ore., who said as a designer of custom clothing as well as ready-to-wear clothing in standard sizes, she sees individual fit issues all the time. Also, being 5'11", she says it's difficult to find pants herself that are long enough. She says pants are hard to fit in the first place because of all the variation in the complex curves of that part of the body, and then add in the length issue and your choices get extremely limited.

Here's Terri's take on why standard sizes are near impossible to perfect.

Two women can have the exact same bust, waist and hip measurements, but because of their posture or physical build could not wear the same clothing. For example take a 36" bust circumference measurement, a woman who is very athletic and has a strong back could use a good portion of that 36" across the back of her body and have a smaller bust while another woman with the same 36" bust circumference measurement could have a small back and fuller bustline. A garment with a 36" measurement would not necessarily fit both of them.

And now to address some of your questions. Martha Moyer from Elmendorf, Tex. wrote in saying she feels like clothing designers neglect to address style in older people. She says "We never see an older person shown in any catalog or advertisement. We don't wear those short short skirts or pants that dip down low."

Kathleen said there are two answers: First, one of the biggest gaps in the marketplace is sizing for women age 55+. Part of the problem, is what do you call that size? The "seasoned" look? "Silver sizing" (Kathleen's idea)? There just hasn't been an industry-wide way to refer to older women's sizes, which is a marketing problem. But secondly, it's a responsibility on the part of consumers. If you're shopping for grandma at The Gap or American Eagle, you're not going to find what you want. But if you're looking at department stores or Chico's, your chances are better. If those aren't working, shop at smaller stores or  boutiques. There are clothing lines out there for everyone, but if you're not finding it where you're shopping -- shop somewhere else.

We also got a few questions about the machine mentioned above, called MyBestFit. Barb Portinga is a theatrical costume designer from St. Louis Park, Minn., and her normal mode of operation is to carry her tape measure into stores. Barb wondered if using the device is free, how it works, what the plan is for discount items, and whether it works for shoes.

(photo from www.mybestfit.com/)

Using the machine is free. The scan takes 10 seconds, but the process start to finish takes about 10 minutes. You register some basic demographic information, step in (clothed), get scanned by a rotating wand, then create your own shopping guide where you can filter the list by brand, style, price or retailer. From what I can tell, shoe-sizing is not included.

Here's the kicker though. As of right now, there is only one up-and-running machine. It's located in a mall in Philadephia and there will be 13 more in malls in California and along the East Coast by the end of the year.

I also wanted to call attention to a great comment we got on our post introducing this topic yesterday. Erica Lurie, owner/designer of Garnish Apparel out of Portland, Ore., has tried a completely different tactic when it comes to sizing the clothes she designs and patterns.

So many women attach a portion of their self image to that number on their dress tag that we have replaced the traditional sizes with positive adjectives like Superfine for Small and Extra Hot for Extra Large. This allows us to promote a positive body image at any size. Also, by presenting a unique system it helps our customers distance themselves from their traditional expectations and desires of their own size and allows us to encourage them to buy the size that fits them, rather than the size they would prefer to be.

If you also would like to share questions, answers, your philosophy, or your experiences, I invite you to join the conversation in the comment section below. Thanks!

- Anna Weggel, Public Insight Analyst