Size Matters

Numbers tend to rule our lives. Some are crucial. What time do we have to be to work? What was my GPA in college? How much is my mortgage? How many miles per gallon does my car get?

It's constant. We can't escape them. But there's one number that we should try to take with a grain of salt. It's our clothing size.

I saw first-hand this weekend just how consumed many women are about their size. One such lady came into Gap to find new jeans. She just had a baby and really didn't know what fit. I had her try on two different styles. Both looked great, but in one she wore a 10, the other, a 6.

Wouldn't you know? When she came to the checkout, she had one pair in her hand - the 6's. I asked her what helped with her decision. She told me "she liked being able to tell people she was a 6 and not a 10."

Wow. A perfect example of how fixated our country is on maintaining a new size. As a character in "The Devil Wears Prada" stated - "4 is the new 6 and 6 is the new 12."

The truth is - size really doesn't mean much in retail. I know that in one store I could be an 8, another a 4. They aren't consistent from store to store. At the Gap alone, I range from an XS/2 to a M/6.

Why do we torture ourselves about a silly little number sewn to the inside of our jeans? If we cut it off, will it make us slimmer? If we fudge the number, will we instantly drop 5 pounds? Yes, it's just as ridiculous a concept as it sounds.

We just have to dress our bodies in the most flattering ways. Ignore the numbers. Your body knows if it's at it's right size. You feel healthier, have more energy, can look in the mirror with confidence and smile. You don't need a tag to do that for you.

The next time you have to try something on in a different number than you're used to, just smile and shrug. Take it with that grain of salt. Stand up proud (after all, correcting your posture is the best way to instantly look smaller).

Hold your head up high and work it! We can be gorgeous at any size, 00 or 14. As long as we believe we are. A woman's confidence is something nobody can measure down to a number. It's priceless.