Laura Yuen: Why don’t women’s pants ever fit?
If you’re a woman and are ever in the company of men, a fun party conversation is to explain to them how women’s pant sizing works. Unlike men, we usually can’t shop at a mass retailer for a pair of pants based on the measurements of our waist and inseam (i.e. 34x32). Our sizes come in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on.
“Oh, so you just have to know your size,” the men assume.
Bless their hearts. They don’t know that a 6 at the Gap can vary greatly from a 6 at J. Crew. In my closet I own pants in a 2, 4, 6 and 8 in various brands, and they all miraculously fit.
As far as inseams go, there’s usually only one length to be found in a store. If you’re tall, you need to check the brand’s website to see if it makes a “tall” version. If you’re short, you might be lucky if they carry the pants in a petite size.
But “petite” is a misnomer, because it’s regarded for people who aren’t necessarily that small (around 5 feet 4 and under). That’s especially when you consider the average height of a woman in the United States is 5 feet 3.5 inches. (I am exactly 5 feet 4 and yet regular-length pants typically drag the floor on me.)
“That’s dumb,” a male friend agreed, when he finally got all of what I was trying to unload on him.
More concisely: Men’s pants sizes are sold in many varying lengths. Why aren’t women’s?
The answer turned out to be much more complex than I thought. I turned to writer Heather Radke, contributing editor to Radiolab and author of the book “ Butts: A Backstory.” As the title suggests, the book is a history of the butt. But...