For most of my life, I was a skinny stick who couldn’t gain weight. All that changed when I had a baby, and now I’ve been everything from a size 0 to a size 14. I currently sit around a size 8-10, and while certain parts are squishier than I would like, I feel pretty good about my current weight and my size.

So imagine my surprise when I posted a dress from my Poshmark closet on Instagram, along with the size, and I get this comment:

Sizing is Relevant

Every woman knows sizes run different depending on the brand, type of clothes, where the clothes were made, etc. Anyone who’d bought something from Wish knows a Large in China is practically a Small in the US. I blocked out the person’s name on the comment above, because I know he was trying to be nice. But until this comment, I never even considered a size 8 to be “large,” even though I actually wear a large size in a lot of things.

This is the dress the comment was on. (It’s listed on Poshmark for $20 in case you like it and are large like me, haha)

I like my size. In fact, when I was a size 2/4 I looked too skinny for my height. I like having more curves to fill out my clothes (and costumes!). In fact, I’m sometimes even a size 10 in certain things. Imagine what that guy would say to that!

Being all these different sizes over the years has really expanded my understanding of sizing in general and would have been a big benefit back when I was doing custom costumes for people. But one thing I did know back then was to never trust a size number, and always go by actual measurements.

I am a size 8, sometimes a 10, maybe even a 6 here and there. And I’m a medium to large in most things. So at 5’9″, and over 6′ in heels, I am a large woman, and I’m OK with that. But I’d also be OK with being a petite woman, or a regular sized woman. Because it doesn’t matter how anyone else perceives my size, it just matters if I am healthy and feel good in my clothes.

About the Author

Candy Keane is a digital content creator and long-time cosplayer, most well-known for being on the cover of the Star Wars documentary Jedi Junkies. After making costumes professionally for over a decade, she now writes about about geek culture and mom life, and continues to cosplay for fun, while sharing her love of costumes on Instagram @SewGeekMama. Her first children’s book, I’m Going to My First Comic Convention, was published in 2020 and won a Story Monsters Approved award for Excellence in Literature.

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