Wednesday, June 8, 2011

vanity sizing and the language of clothes..

Yesterday, I watched the first part of the Dr. Oz show. Now, I am trying to not become a tv addict during this period, so generally I have the 'rule' of no tv before 4pm. Yesterday, I turned it on and saw the segment about 'vanity sizing'. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12...and that a size 12 back then meant a 28" waist, but a size 12 today is @ 36" waist!! (even size 12's are different from manufacturer to manufacturer). Dr. Oz and his guests were not putting down vanity sizing, but warning women not to think "Oh, I'm fine, I'm still the size I was 10 years ago"...cuz the size ain't the same. Do not use clothing size as a gauge of health. I did, for a lot of years, I thought "oh I'm not gaining too much weight, I'm still a 16"...well, both me and my 16's were growing.

They said the best way is to take your height, mine is 65" and your waist should be half that. So, my healthy waist size is a 32.5". (I've got a way to go!)

Why am I spending so much time on the couch? The pain has been worse the past couple of days, that tight pinchy feeling. On the hysterboards, I had read about that, so I'm not too worried...but...I am avoiding reaching/bending and lifting more than I had been.

So, I also spent the day reading. Read "Hang-ups the Secret Life of Clothes" by Gloria Heidi. At first, I wasn't that impressed, was thinking this is a better blog than a book. But, I warmed up to it...it is about the history/sociology/psychology of iconic pieces of clothing..like the trenchcoat and the high heel. She uses personal observations and classic movies to make her point. I esp loved her chapter on the therapeutic effects of SHOPPING!! for some reason, that really resonated for me.

Yesterday, before my Jenny Craig appt (a small loss)...I went to a used bookstore and picked up an autobiography by Gene Tierney...so, her book is next.

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