Why I Stopped Caring What Size I Wear: Midlife Fashion Lessons I Learned from Countless Try-Ons

Number one, every brand fits differently.

Friends, I would say in any given month, I probably try on at least 10 to 20 different brands and different pieces of clothing within those brands.

And what I learned very, very quickly is every brand fits differently.

If there is a metric, which there is, extra small, small, medium, large, there are graphs and charts that we'll see when you click on a size guide on any website where you're looking at a piece of clothing, and you look for the size chart or the size guide.

But if you will notice, brands have different size guides.

Some are what I would call vanity sizing.

Others, you look and you're like, "Oh my goodness, I'm gonna be going up at least one or this will not fit me." So brands vary amongst what size chart they use and what metrics, and that is very, very important because I think, at least personally, I know that I was stuck in a mindset of what size, what size, what size? And to even ask that question today, what size are you, it has to be followed, in my opinion, with first of all, what brand are you talking about? Second of all, are you talking about a top, a sweater, a skirt, pants, shorts? Because all of those things matter.

Size is based on many, many factors, and being a larger or even a smaller size in midlife is not only the norm, it is to be expected because a midlife body is vastly different from a body in our 20s and 30s.

And even if our weight stays basically the same, the composition of our bodies change from childbearing, from hormones, and we can be the same weight but be different sizes and still look fabulous in our clothing.

So number one, just know every brand fits differently.

Number two, nobody sees the tag.

Now, I'm gonna give a caveat here because I do what I do, and I share things, and I try to educate when I share a blouse.

Let's say I'm sharing this blouse.

I'm going to be very clear, okay guys, I'm in a size extra small, and this shirt that I happen to be wearing, and for you YouTube friends, you can see itThis is a rarity when I wear an extra small, but this is a Finley shirt.

Finley runs at least one size large, if not two.

I'm f- I sized down two because I rarely wear a small.

But I would explain that when I'm doing an Instagram story or a reel.

I would say, "Okay, guys, I'm typically, in tops, I'm typically a medium, but in this Finley, you're going to want to size down two.

I'm in an extra small." So I share that because I'm educating and trying to advise when I'm sharing a piece of clothing.

But for 99% of you, nobody will ever see the tag, and nobody cares.

[laughs] Guys, that's one of the most important things to know.

Nobody cares what size you're w- wearing.

They care about what they're wearing.

So that is, to me, a good number two thing to remember.

Nobody will see the tag, unless you choose to show them.