Size & Self Esteem For Men
May 21, 2011 by Arash Mazinani
Filed under All Content, Gentlemen, Style Tips
It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote the article ‘Dress Size & Self Esteem‘ which looked at the lack of universal sizing and how sizes jump so much from one place to the other. I received some great feedback on the article, thank you to everyone that commented. However, some of the comments suggested I should do a similar post for men. So while it’s still fresh in all your minds and mine I thought now would be an appropriate time to deliver such a post.
I’ve wrote about the importance of getting the right fit in the very first essentials post I did. I gave out a few pointers on why the fit of any garment on a man is so crucial and how to go about achieving the right fit. Just as all the ladies in the comments section on dress size & self esteem expressed that sizing is a nightmare for them, I too want to ‘air’ out a few sizing issues I have.
It maybe down to me not realising I actually have a kind of ‘warped’ body or it may just be the sizing differences in clothes but I find the high street particularly bad when it comes to sizing. I am a bit of ‘sizing freak’ meaning I want everything to fit perfectly and if it doesn’t I’d never part with money for it. I don’t think sizing varies as much as it does in women’s fashion but it still does vary. Especially when things are sized Small, Medium, Larger etc. I know I usually fall between the XS – S category unless I intentionally want the garment to be a little loose. It’s not as much of a swing compared to some of the variation in the dress sizes that some of my female readers were quoting, so maybe we do have it better?
I do find that sometimes the cut is just completely off and it doesn’t matter if I go up or down in size it still won’t fit. Perfect example is topman shirts and jeans.. to fit my thighs I have to get a 34″ waist which is huge (I’m about 30″-31″). Then in their shirts the XS will fit my midsection but be too tight on my chest and short on my arms but the S will just all round too big.
So it’s not all rosy in the world of male sizing. As for tailoring anything bought of the peg will more than likely need some sort of adjustment, even if it’s just the sleeves taking up.
I’ve learnt from being a ‘sizing freak’ that a lot the sizing on the high street is a bit off, however as soon as you step up a notch and pay a little bit more for a garment the sizing does tend to be a little bit better, although it’s not always the case.
The only real thing that you can do is be aware of how a garment fits you. Look at all the different parts of your body and make sure nothing is too tight or too baggy and that it’s giving you shape without suffocating you. Then find a good tailor who can carry out any alterations that may need to be done to get that killer fit.
In terms of self esteem I don’t think it really effects guy as much as it would with women, mainly as a lot of men aren’t as bothered about weight. If anything I’d tend to say guys would normally buy things on the bigger side. Big guys are often viewed as masculine and strong, traits that any gent would love to have.
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The high street is shockingly bad when it comes to sizing. They’re never the same in each store – you’ll be a size 10 in one and a 14 in another! But nonetheless it’s somewhere I will always shop! It’s the best place to find the latest trends, the bargains, and the vast amount of varied trends! Loving this post! xxx
Thanks for commenting Laura!
I know it’s not how it should work but I generally ignore size labels because I range between 3 sizes depending where I shop. At the end of the day if it fits it fits and no one will see the label but you (I hate seeing girls crammed into too-tight jeans, I think it actually makes them look bigger because they get the dreaded muffin top even if they’re slim).
My man does have a bit of an issue with sizing though: he really doesn’t like getting anything other than medium – he goes to the gym so doesn’t want to be small but he doesn’t want a large either as he thinks it makes him overweight. I guess we’re all insecure in the end!
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Thanks for commenting Becky. Yeah I did a post for the ladies about how dress sizes dramatically vary and most people agreed with you, they also ranged between a number of different sizes.
I have to say, I envy Mr B his approach to sizing. He gets frustrated if he wants another pair of his favourite jeans but the cut is different, but all in all his ego remains un-squashed! It must be incredibly frustrating to have to get everything altered – we have it as women, of course (body shape problems, again!), but I feel we have more options and can shop elsewhere.
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Yeah that’s true the variety of shops you guys have to choose from is far greater than the options for men.
Funny that you are taking up this topic now. I recently had a meeting with a real estate agent, and he was quite overweight, but I guess the actual body shape he had was slim, as he had narrow shoulders going with the enormous belly. Thing is, he wore a blazer that absolutely did not fit him, it was miles too large in the shoulders. As I remarked that later to my boyfriend, he said “Well of course it would be, he needed to size up in order to be able to close that thing”. Huh. Now I already wondered about men’s sizing in suits (apart from custom made, of course), but I hadn’t known it was that generic… Poor men.
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Thanks for commenting. Yeah he definitely would need to get his blazer altered.
Oy! I wish my Beau were unflapped by his wardrobe. He never wants to put money in to it, but does enjoy looking nice. But at the same time– he’s a big guy, and buying the size he often needs does put a hamper on his self-esteem…
Yeah? he should save a little extra and get some custom threads, bespoke.
Hmm, interesting. I actually have dated guys who are conscious about their sizing. The boy I dated before the BF worked really hard to put on weight and muscle and so he was intent on not ever buying smalls again, he would only buy a garment if it actually was the size he wanted in his head. So I think the point you made on the larger sizes is really interesting.
Thanks for your comment Jamillah
Oh my how I must have missed this post. I used to design men’s wear & I found that men’s confidence of course was a bit different when it came to clothing. Some cared some did not, but I noticed the ones who cared about their clothing were just as meticulous as I was with sizing.
I know my bf is pretty size conscious when he’s shopping, & even before I met him! I think it’s very important especially for men to be mindful of sizing, in ladieswear we can hide many pieces with tucking, variety of draped fashions. etc. making it passable, but in good men’s wear (tailored) I think it should fit nicely. There’s nothing like seeing a guy in a great jacket, yet with ill fitting it just throws off the the entire look. *That can actually go both ways for that matter (women+men).
~Madison
Certainly can… the fit is crucial for any gender and is the difference between looking well turned out or looking like you just threw on some hand me downs.