I have been buying a lot of clothing lately... Like, a lot! (I seriously need to stop)...
Here is what I have discovered...
1. I can fit into a size 3x winter coat that I found at Winners... I have NEVER been able to fit into torso-clothing at Winners... I stopped looking at pants there a long time ago; I found they always had too much butt... Let me specify: I have next to no ass... It is flat...
2. I can fit into a size 11/12 jean at Maurices... Granted, I have a pair of their jeans size 18 that is hanging in my closet, tags still on, that I can't button... I have also thrown away size 18 jeans from them because they were falling off of me... *shrugs*... (The pair that I can't button is being donated away; too much leg room)...
3. Size 2x sweaters from Pennington's in the athletic styles fit me well... And they had a customer appreciation sale last night...
I've been buying to fit me lately, not the size I think I should fit into... This has led to me trying on things that I would never have thought I'd fit into, and being happily surprised; and then being annoyed at being happily surprised, because I know I am not defined by my clothing size... It also highlights that size isn't standard across the board, even for plus-sized people... I should fit neatly into a 3x everything, and depending on the store or even the style within the store, it can range wildly... At Wal-Mart I can still fit what they call a 4x...
There's always been issues with me finding things that fit me that I like... I'm almost 35, and I want to wear fun things... Plain-Jane has never really been my style... I like pop-culture references, grunge, pops of colour... I still CAN wear fun things, but it's a little easier to find those options in the real world now that I've downsized...
(Yes, I know there's way more options in the internets, and I have purchased things online, but I like to try stuff on before it comes home with me!)
Here is a story that I saw on Facebook this morning... https://www.littlethings.com/jeans-sizes-differences/?utm_source=iheart
Update: Now between 260 and 265 pounds... I use a range because it fluctuates based on so many factors...