# Do Men Really Care About What Size They Are **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 25, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501 "2009-12-25T00:26:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/21 "2009-12-25T16:00:20Z")
I wish my feet were smaller, but only because shoe selection becomes quite limited beyond size 12 or 13. When my car was stolen I was more annoyed about losing the impossible to find size 14 roller blades in the trunk than the car…well that and a couple of old Jean-Luc Ponte CDs ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/22 "2009-12-25T17:02:12Z")
Don’t care, though it IS getting annoying that in t-shirts and casual wear they’ve started vanity sizing men’s clothing as well. I used to be a large, now I’m routinely an xl. I haven’t changed that much in shape or weight over the last few years. The size doesn’t bother me, but it’s annoying that they don’t stock much in the “larger sizes”. My buddy used to be a 3x (he’s a huge guy) now is a 5x in most stores. Hasn’t gained or lost any weight in 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/23 "2009-12-25T18:15:32Z")
In my (admittedly limited) experience, when guys do care about size, they tend to want the bigger size, in the hopes that it will make them look bigger. In fact, it has the opposite effect: it makes them look like they’re drowning in their clothes. (To be fair, though, I’ve known guys who wanted bigger sizes because they were tall and had long limbs, and thus wanted longer sleeves and longer pants. I’ve done this myself a few times.) As for my own boyfriend, he used to sigh a bit at the fact that he’s a large, rather than a medium, in his favorite kind of shirt, but he accepts the fact that the large will fit him better. Personally, I think insecurity about clothing size, for men or women, is silly. No one’s going to see the tag, and even if they did, as long as it fits, who cares? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/24 "2009-12-25T18:42:40Z")
I did not care until the doc said I had borderline diabetes. I dropped 40 lbs and it is gone. So now I really don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/25 "2009-12-26T15:55:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Men don’t give a crap. > > Proof: Men’s sizes are measured in actual inches (or metric). Women have made-up size codes. This. Makes buying clothes for women damn frustrating! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/26 "2009-12-27T00:19:24Z")
My husband cares. He is irked that my mother got him an XL sweater for Christmas this year. He is an XL. Whatever… Women’s sizing has never made any sense–even less now that they have size 0 etc. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/27 "2009-12-27T02:02:53Z")
The difference is simple: Men don’t wear dresses. Men certainly do care about their appearance; all fat men wish they weren’t fat. When I started losing weight I was immensely pleased when I was able to buy smaller clothes. But men don’t wear dresses; they wear items that, properly fitted, have a wide variety of sizes. There’s no uniform “size” for good men’s clothes. When my wife buys a dress she has to buy a dress of a particular size. If you’re this big you wear a 10, bigger than that a 12, smaller an 8, and so on. When I buy a fine suit I have to worry about collar size, jacket size, waist size, sleeve length, inseam. Of course women face the same issues - my wife is taller than average, so it takes some shopping to find clothes with long-enough sleeves that aren’t too big - but they have that one universal size concept men don’t have. So they have a single metric to worry about that serves as a focus for self-image worry. Men don’t have that. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/28 "2009-12-27T10:09:49Z")
> [@Audrey\_Levins](#): > > If they did care, Levi’s would go out of business, seeing as they put the size right there on the waistline for all the world to read. (Am I the only one who actually reads them?) > > I’ve never encountered a guy who cares, but I’m sure they’re out there. > > Honestly Mr. Levins has lost weight recently and is actually been heard complaining that he’s going to have to buy new pants now because the old ones are starting to look goofy, even when held up with a belt. > > I’ve NEVER complained about having to go buy a smaller size. 😃 It’s interesting you mentioned Levi’s. I normally buy whatever cheap off brand jeans for myself. On my cheap off brand, the size is 32(waist). For Christmas this year my mother bought me some Levi’s size 32. Those things were waayyy too frick’n small. Apparently in Levi’s, I wear more like a 34. It really boggles my mind how there can be such a large variance between brands. The only conclusion I could come to is that the marketers for the cheaper brands probably do this to make guys think they are sklinnier than they really are. So maybe some guys do care or the marketing department for Cheap Jeans Inc. is ran by a bunch of ladies who think us guys give a crap. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/29 "2009-12-28T04:45:15Z")
My fiance doesn’t care. As long as it fits, he’ll wear it. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/30 "2009-12-28T09:41:36Z")
I’m a size 34 (or 32). If someone got me a pair of size 30 jeans, I would certainly care… because _they wouldn’t fit_! That’s kinda important, isn’t it? I wouldn’t be flattered in the least; I’d just say “Thanks, but these are too tight”. I do get slightly irked when someone gets me a _larger_ size than I normally wear, but more at myself than them (“Am I getting fatter?”). ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/31 "2009-12-28T10:08:23Z")
Don’t care about the number or letter, do care about how it fits. Like a couple of guys said earlier, the increase in vanity sizing is a pain because you can’t always know that it’s going to fit. I used to be a solid L in shirts, sometimes XL. Now it’s gotten to where I wear M sometimes. Even shirts with collar and arm measurements aren’t always predictable. I bought a couple of shirts with a collar size based on a tape measurement and had one brand a bit snug around the neck, while another was too loose even though they were both supposed to be the same collar size. Levi’s used to be very predictable from measurements, but lately I’ve found that I have to try on a couple of different pairs of the same nominal size to get ones that fit right. Other brands of pants have even worse variations in sizes. Then you have to add in cuts and fit styles like regular, slim, fitted, full, relaxed, etc. some of which affect which size you should wear. It’s not as bad as women’s clothing yet, thank the gods, but it seems to be heading there. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/32 "2009-12-28T12:51:36Z")
My partner insists he doesn’t care but I think he does really. He’s quite convinced that clothing stores have altered their sizes to make them smaller, rather than him getting too big for them. He doesn’t seem bothered about having the waist size on his jeans for all to see, I’ll know he’s sensitive about it when he buys a bigger size and cuts the label off! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/33 "2009-12-28T14:35:45Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > It’s interesting you mentioned Levi’s. I normally buy whatever cheap off brand jeans for myself. On my cheap off brand, the size is 32(waist). For Christmas this year my mother bought me some Levi’s size 32. Those things were waayyy too frick’n small. Apparently in Levi’s, I wear more like a 34. > > It really boggles my mind how there can be such a large variance between brands. The only conclusion I could come to is that the marketers for the cheaper brands probably do this to make guys think they are sklinnier than they really are. > > So maybe some guys do care or the marketing department for Cheap Jeans Inc. is ran by a bunch of ladies who think us guys give a crap. My mother worked for Levi’s in the 80s. She was allowed to make jeans waists as much as 2 inches off either direction, without having to scrap and start over. I’d suggest you actually measure yourself before determining which brand is more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/34 "2009-12-28T16:29:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The difference is simple: Men don’t wear dresses. > > Men certainly do care about their appearance; all fat men wish they weren’t fat. When I started losing weight I was immensely pleased when I was able to buy smaller clothes. But men don’t wear dresses; they wear items that, properly fitted, have a wide variety of sizes. There’s no uniform “size” for good men’s clothes. > > When my wife buys a dress she has to buy a dress of a particular size. If you’re this big you wear a 10, bigger than that a 12, smaller an 8, and so on. When I buy a fine suit I have to worry about collar size, jacket size, waist size, sleeve length, inseam. Of course women face the same issues - my wife is taller than average, so it takes some shopping to find clothes with long-enough sleeves that aren’t too big - but they have that one universal size concept men don’t have. So they have a single metric to worry about that serves as a focus for self-image worry. Men don’t have that. I’ll agree (which sounds the opposite of what I said pre-edit, since I mis-read your post!). Dresses come in a single size, yes, and there is a big problem with that: many (I’d honestly say the majority of) women are _not_ the same size on the top as they are on the bottom. A friend of mine is a size 6 on top, but a size 10 on the bottom. Another friend is a size 20 on top and 16 on the bottom. I am one size at my chest, a smaller size at my waist, and then a bigger size at my hips (3 different sizes). I’m also short-waisted. All of this means it is a _pain in the ass_ to get a dress that fits without being stretchy material. You either have to pay a bunch to get it altered or just deal (or cover a too big top with a cardigan or something). So there is a one universal size concept that men don’t have, but it’s not a _good_ thing, because it doesn’t actually _work_ for most women. So not only is there one single number to get all caught up on, but you also feel bad about your “freakish” body that doesn’t fit any single size properly. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/35 "2009-12-28T16:36:33Z")
> [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](#): > > You really wouldn’t mind wearing jeans with a tag saying “lard ass” right where people can see it? This may warrant another poll. Hmmm…jeans have size tags people can see? Don’t think any of mine do…then again I haven’t looked… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/36 "2009-12-28T16:45:38Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I’ll agree (which sounds the opposite of what I said pre-edit, since I mis-read your post!). Dresses come in a single size, yes, and there is a big problem with that: many (I’d honestly say the majority of) women are _not_ the same size on the top as they are on the bottom. > > A friend of mine is a size 6 on top, but a size 10 on the bottom. Another friend is a size 20 on top and 16 on the bottom. I am one size at my chest, a smaller size at my waist, and then a bigger size at my hips (3 different sizes). I’m also short-waisted. All of this means it is a _pain in the ass_ to get a dress that fits without being stretchy material. You either have to pay a bunch to get it altered or just deal (or cover a too big top with a cardigan or something). > > So there is a one universal size concept that men don’t have, but it’s not a _good_ thing, because it doesn’t actually _work_ for most women. So not only is there one single number to get all caught up on, but you also feel bad about your “freakish” body that doesn’t fit any single size properly. Yeah, explain to me again why so many women’s suits AREN’T sold as separates? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/37 "2009-12-28T21:32:19Z")
My biggest problem is that my pants size (33W 34L) is just outside the range of what most stores will carry, so it is very frustrating for me to go shopping for slacks. If my waist was a couple inches bigger or my legs a couple inches shorter, I wouldn’t have any problem finding pants that fit. As it is, I have to order pants on-line most of the time because stores don’t stock my size. Jeans are an exception. I have no problem finding jeans in my size. It’s mostly Dockers-style slack that are impossible to find. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/38 "2009-12-29T00:07:00Z")
I don’t care objectively what size my clothes are. I care when I catch an unexpected glimpse of myself in the mirror and think for a split-second, “who’s _that_ fat mothe-- … oh.” ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/39 "2009-12-29T03:35:15Z")
I’m pretty sure that vanity sizing has come to men’s pants just as it has to women’s dresses. I used to take a 34 waist, and suddenly I can’t wear anything bigger than a 32. It’s not like my weight has changed much in the last couple of years. That tells me that at least the clothing manufacturers think men are becoming more prickly about their size. And I’ve read recently that male models have become as anorexically skinny as female models used to be. If the fashionable follow suit and start cramming themselves into size 28 jeans, it can’t be long before the rest of us feel the cold winds of self-doubt beginning to blow. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501/40 "2009-12-29T05:44:20Z")
I care quite a bit. I hate seeing what size my pants are and would be mortified to buy a size large shirt. Even a medium feels wrong to me. I hate being 20 pounds overweight, I really do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-really-care-about-what-size-they-are/522501.md?page=3)