A few weeks ago, in anticipation of all my New Year's resolutions, I did a closet purge. Out came the size four blue jeans I had not even attempted to put on in over 20 years, along with dresses that somehow still fit me, despite having been purchased 30 pounds ago.
Fashion is inconsistent. Different sizes mean different things to different brands and different people. I can stand all day in a certain store, screaming that I fit in a size 14 in Levi's, but that will not change the fact that I should probably be trying on the size 16 in Lucky's.
Even writing my clothing size in this column would have been a source of anxiety for me in the past. But the truth is, I don't know my actual clothing size. At any given moment, I can range across an entire spectrum, anywhere between a 10 and an 18, or a medium to a 2XL, depending on the brand and part of my body it is meant to cover.
