The Quest for Skinny Jeans

I'm 37 years old, and I still keep my size 3 jeans from high school in a drawer in the hopes that one day I will wear them again. Not that they are stylish now. It's just the principle. I so need to move on, but for some reason I feel that if I could get back into them, I will have accomplished something.

why people look at me when im shopping

Christi, your post made me chuckle because I held onto a pair of jeans like that for the longest time. Then I finally put them in a Goodwill box because I realized it was better to find a pair that actually fit and flattered me now at the grand old age of 36.

I think there comes a time when you have to pack up those old clothes in a box -- drop it somewhere -- and move on.

I've been over weight for almost 8 years now. I go through so much depression. Take things out on my kid and husband. I would really like to change my life. I was wondering if anyone wanted to be a weight loss buddy for me

what's a weight loss buddy? lol i can somewhat relate, teenage angst and depression. anyway you guys should keep your old clothing, it's motivating and if that isn't enough try to remember how you felt when you bought those pants and try to recall that happiness again :) excersize too, with your kid or friends, it's a goodmood maker. If your kids are like how I was with my mom, then just try to do something they'd like. Don't make it a chore but more like fun, go shopping (walking is excercise), take a dance or fighting club. For me, the best was swimming, we'd play and talk and it's a good way to connect especially if you have a daughter, as well as lose weight effienciently.

Yes, kandice, I need a weight-loss buddy too. Someone to keep me motivated. I'm game.

It's not a great idea to hold onto clothes that don't fit...I know a bunch of people who have something like 3 entire wardrobes worth of stuff. "Fat clothes" that they wear when they gain weight, "now clothes" that actually fit, and "skinny clothes" that are too small but that might fit again someday. Honestly, though, clothes that don't fit you make you look much bigger than clothes that do fit.

I do keep a pair of my "fat" pants around as a reminder of where I came from though. I can almost fit my whole self in one leg!

Yes I can understand the way how these girls feel I'm 13 years old, 5'2, and a 155 pounds all my jeans are really tight on me it sufficates me My on stepfather even talks about my weight problem I can't never keep it balance cause I love food so much please send me comments on how i could loose my weight fast before I get in High School but I love this website page it helps me understand that I'm not the only overweight teen in this world

Hey Nikki;
You are most definately not the only overweight teen in the world. I'd say roughly half (or 40%) of American teens are overweight or obese. I don't know the statistics for the rest of the world but you are not alone.
Being overweight is not a character flaw and it does not make you a bad person. Your stepfather shouldn't talk about your weight so much. He should give you support. Take it easy and try to cut out one junk food at a time. Always eat something healthy before you eat your regular meal or snack. You may be full by that time.
Also start going for walks. Or any kind of outdoorsy stuff that you like to do. This can make a difference because over time it will add up. And control portion sizes. Dont stop eating the things you love, just eat less. And more of foods that are good for you.

yea well i to think im am "over weight" bt all my friends think that i am "perfect" i dont know what they see, and it bugs me when they either think your "hot" or just normal"hot" and some people are realy prity but not hot, and they are sooooo mean(lots are nice tho) and some people could be over weight, just a little ir even a lot and are the nicest people in the world
well that all for me
if you wana talk about this more with me
add me and e-mail me
you can get my e-mail from my site
well c yaz

I have to admit I have clothing in many different sizes. My weight has fluctuated so much with the thyroid problem I'm afraid I'm gonna need them. I got rid of a bunch of size 8 stuff when I was a 4/6 and then needed them later when I gained 20lb in one month. Also, when I was around a 14, I got frustrated and gave away a whole bunch of size 6 stuff I liked cause I never thought I'd fit them again.

I don't have any 18s anymore (from my highest weight), but I do have loose 12s all the way down to 4. I'm keeping my weight steady now but I'm scared to have my clothes tightened.

All of this really made me realize that I might have a slight problem. I am 5'9" and naturally 125 lbs but I have been trying to loose weight because all of my friends are fitting into those skinny jeans and I wanted to as well. Im glad that by reading the article and the posts that I am now able to snap back into reality. Thanks everyone!!

Kelly: It's great to see that someone has found all these ravings to be helpful! Before you know it skinny jeans will soon be more forgotten fashion foolishness...

I can say I am at the age of 35, married with 2 kids, that in the last year I have felt fatter than I have ever felt before. I want so bad to get back into a size 6 or less, but with the normal everyday crap fulltime working parents deal with it is so hard to fit in exercise, I want to know if anyone has any suggestions of how I could cut back or completely eliminate soda pop from my daily life, I drink diet and regular pop, but I know if I could stop drinking it, it would help. Let me know if anyone has any tips, keep in mind that I have tried almost everyting, especially lemon in my water, but the pop craving just doesn't go away!!

Debbie, I have 3 very young kids and I was hooked on soda as well.

My answer would be to just not buy it. I didn't, BUT, my husband did. So, I had it staring me in the face and I would drink it because it was better tasting than water.

I finally bought Crystal Light and luckily my husband liked it enough to replace cola.

Since you work, one trick I did was to only carry $10's and $20's, no change, so that I couldn't get a soda from the vending machines.

It takes a while, you may or may not quit cold turkey, but those are the best tips I could give you.

Another thing I did was to write down the cost of what I craved from the vending machines and add up the total at the end of each month. I was appalled at how much I would've spent on crap. There are so many better things to spend money on. That help curb my cravings as well.

I love skinny jeans! I can't gain a pound, and skinny jeans suit me more than other trousers because they don't swallow me up.

I'm 5'8 and 119lbs, I eat all kinds of junk food and I eat loads, and lots of soda but I just can't gain weight. I don't understand why. Everyone in my family is curvy except my dad who was 6'1 and 10 and a half stone.

I wonder if there will ever come a time when we are writing posts about how much we love our bodies and what looks good on us instead of the the other way round?

I'm not much a fan of keeping "skinny" clothes around - well to a degree. I had a bunch of size 0s when I was much smaller and I'm in my 20's, don't have the body of a high school girl anymore. Giving those jeans to goodwill was kind of hard, but also liberating.
I have, however, put on some extra weight since the holidays - and I have jeans in 4's and 5's that I am keeping around b/c I fully intend to lose the weight.
I doubt my ability to keep it off sometimes and wonder should I keep the bigger clothes around, but that would just give me less incentive to maintain.

Claire

Great discussion. Isn't it funny the games we play with clothes? As you might now, next week is NEDAW (National Eating Disorders Awareness Week) and their signature event is a "Great Jeans Giveaway" - the point being that you should drop off jeans that don't fit and just go buy some that do. I know I feel a lot more comfortable when I just buy clothes that fit. And if I feel comfortable, and clothing fits right, then I'm going to be more attractive than if I'm sucking in my gut and feeling pinched...

OMG!! who cares just wear the god damn jeans .desingers theses days still use the classic hourglass figure as a guide to desige clothes.FACT most of us are pearshaped so if you *THINK* you look bad wearing them chances are everyone else will look just as bad as you.BY the way does anyway know any good places to buy skinny jeans,THANX

anya

I've just read over some of people heights and weights and OMG most of you people are like average so what are you worried about?im personally 5'5 and 112 pounds.im not sure where i stand but i know if i were to gain a ound or two i wouldnt be worried about fitting into skinny jeans HAHA SUCKERS and most of are on DIETS
sorry XOXO anya

Actually, I thught the discussion was less about fitting into skinny jeans and more what our feelings about them says about body image.

I have to say that I'm guilty of yearning for those skinny jeans... the good ones are slightly expensive but I want them anyways. I do find it strange that I'm kind of afraid of them though... I'm technically underweight and yet the thought of trying to fit into a pair of those pants fills me with dread (strange since I still want them).
It's pretty unrealistic to try and look goof in them, the only way you can is if you're waif thin because even if you are thin, it doesn't seem like enough... probably because they're so tight.
clothes control us: now thats scary.

I love the new skinny jeans that are finally back in style. I didn't buy any. All I did was take a few pairs of my flare jeans with 2% spandex and sew the outside seam in about 2 inches at the bottom, all the way up, gradually getting less to the hips. They look like they were made that way and I didn't have to spend any $$. One pair is Seven7's and the other is Refuge from Charlotte Russe. I am now set for the season, also purchased 4 pairs of footless tights/leggings from Newport News. Just wear a big, loose shirt over them and they will look great!

I love skinny jeans, but when I was younger I always had to buy "petite" jeans, and now having to buy size 2's is unnerving. I have friends who cried when they weighed themselves and found out they were 115 pounds. I know some girls who wear size 6's dump their lunches in the trash. It's horrible but I can kinda relate. There's this whole need for approval and to be perfect. There's even scientific studies that show that attractive people usually make a better first impression or something. So there's this whole mindset about it.

I am 16, and I just bought a pair of skinny jeans in a size 10. I am 5'8" and weigh 154 lbs, but I have just come from weighing 187. I know everyone says that heavier girls shouldn't wear them, but I am a lot more slender now than i have ever been and I think they actually work on me. I have a very balanced, hour glass figure despite being heavy. I think larger girls can pull them off if you are shaped right and you dont wear them like a second skin.

I plan on losing more weight, but I will never take it overboard. my goal is a size 6. I think it becomes unhealthy when you are trying to mantain a size 2 or lower (not that some people aren't just naturally blessd with small statures)

I also want to say that I could never have gotten as far as I have with my goals without the encouragement of my mom and my best friend. A good support system is vital for anyone struggling to make the life style change for a healthy weight.

hello everyone! I really love the skinny jeans as i used to wear them back in the 80's. I am now in my 30's and would love to rekindle some of the fun i used to have wearing the almost spray on variety skinny jeans. However i am no longer blessed with a svelt figure. reading everyones comments about that you only weigh 112, 170, 157, 155 etc etc pounds! What on earth are you all flapping about! I weigh in at a hefty 216lbs! I am 5ft 6" tall. Yes i know i could do with losing quite abit of weight because for me personally, i am struggling rather with it but not because finding clothes is a nightmare (which it can be!) but because i feel very unfit. Once upon a time i wore a size 16 and that was me at my best! I looked fabulous even if i do say so myself but the real key point was that my cholesterol, blood pressure and my cardiovascular fitness was second to none! I was very fit! I used to walk 8 miles a day and swim twice a week! My walks were merely me getting to work and back because it was cheaper than the bus (i dont drive) it got the wind in my hair and i love the outdoors. The swimming was quality time for my dad and i. We would go and do 45 minutes at the early bird swim and then go and have a full english breakfast! It was brilliant. If you asked me to run against someone i would have left most folk standing. So the whole point of this reply to your comments is do not judge yourself on what the media circus is advertising! I realise this is difficult because even i get suckered in sometimes but aim for a good general wellbeing in yourselves! If you know that you are at your peak fitness and feel vibrant and healthy it wouldnt matter if you were a size 6 or a size 20, because the way you carry yourself will come across as far more alluring and confident that if you are trying to fit the stereotype!

:) see ya!

Beverly,

Reading your post was really liberating. You have the right attitude! I was a size 1 in college, at the age of 18. I'm now 24 and I am a size 10-12, depending on the cut and brand. I will admit it, I hate it. I'm always whinging that I'm "ugly" or my "tummy is fat." I think I needed your dose of reality! I'm 5'4 and about 160 pounds, but I have to take into account muscle mass. I'm not sure everyone does that. You might be my height and weigh 160 and look totally different than I do. The martial arts do that to you! I love to each, and my favorite food is pepperoni...so naturally you can see how if I eat it, it isn't doing me too much good in the weight deparmtnet.

I used to love close fitting jeans, though I rarely did the ones that were very close in the ankle because I felt restricted. Right now, honestly, I wouldn't wear them. I think they would flatter me if I was "straight" from the waist down type shape. But the tummy bulge just turns me off to them.

I am more of a "wear a broomskirt" type person. They hide my problem WONDERFULLY. But anyway, this has been fun. For those who wear the skinny jeans, kudos to you! I don't have the guts! (Or maybe I should say...I have the gut? :-) )

Being lower than a size 2 actually makes it very, very difficult to find a good pair of jeans. I'm naturally a size 0 (sometimes that doesn't even fit) and eat a lot more than all my friends, including a plethora of junk food, but don't gain weight. I don't want to give my exact age or weight or anything, but I will say I am a teenager who has yet to gain wieght as she gets older, and I am also very petite heightwise and only weigh about 90-100 pounds. However, everyone is naturally very different and you should be happy with who you are. If that means not being able to wear skinny jeans, which I don't because I find them too tight, then that's ok. For people over size 2, there is a heck of a lot of selection of jeans out there that look great. There are many pairs of jeans that I have wanted but were all too big for me. I actually only own one pair of jeans even though I would own twenty if I could.

For those who are overweight, you should never, ever suddenly start dieting or exercising too much. I happen to know a woman who is very dear to me and just a tad overweight. She works out regularly and eats consistent and healthy foods. She has lost a significant amount of weight over the years while remaining healthy and happy. Plus, she has jeans that look fabulous on her.

Hence, it should never be about you fitting into the perfect pair of jeans. It's about finding the perfect pair of jeans to fit into you.

Hello everyone! I've wanted to wear skinny jeans for the longest time. I worked out for a few weeks and I finally bought a pair. I'm still not fashion-model thin. I'm 5'2" and I weigh more than 120 pounds, I'm not sure how much because I don't weigh myself. I have wide hips and short legs. But I feel good in skinny jeans. They make me feel sexy and sharp. I wear them even though I don't have the body of a fashion model. My goal is not to look like Kate Moss but to feel good.

For those girls who want to lose weight, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water. If you fill up on nutritious, low-calorie food, you'll have less room for high-fat, high-calorie food. Just drinking two glasses of water one after another can make you feel pretty full. I also do a few exercises every day, 10 squats, 10 lunges, 10 push-ups, and 10 crunches. It doesn't sound like a lot but because I do them everyday, I am able to lose weight. Every other day I do jumping jacks for 30 seconds, 15 times, with 30 second rest periods in between.

I don't encourage people to lose weight if they don't want to. I believe that people should feel good about themselves no matter how they look. But it's a good idea to lose some weight from a health perspective. Getting active is more important than getting thin.

Throw those old clothes away (alright keep that one old pairs of jeans just in case!!) The point is when you dress the body you have NOW, u actually look and feel better. It took me quite a while took actually even consider shopping in a plus size store (I was actually accompanying a friend when I did). I decided to try on some things and discovered the greatest fit I've had in years!! NO more pulling, tugging and busting my way out of clothes that I finally realized NEVER FIT ME!! Those clothes never did my body the justice it deserved. I am certainly more confident now, people of all sizes always ask me where I shop and I never hesitate to say I got it from a "plus size store" (I feel it kinda gives my clothes some exclusiveness ;) I am able to clothes that are not only fashionable but make me look and feel great!! I found it once I learned to look past what size it was...

Ms. Amazon Chic, that is wonderful!

It is all about not buying stuff that doesn't look great. Sure, it takes some time to find stuff that looks great, but why spend your hard-earned money on something that doesn't flatter or is too big in one place or too small in another place? We all deserve to look good and wear stuff that fits perfectly. And like we all said in the other post about vanity sizing, sizes don't mean anything anymore anyway. One store's 12 is another store's 16 and another store's 8, so being hung up on what size you are is now more pointless than it ever was.

okay i doubt that anyone even looks at this website anymore but hey. i dont care. Im an Australian size 6 (US 0)but only just! most size 6 jeans dont even fit me! im short and as skinny as a twig and really its not all its cracked up to be. i find it really hard to find a good pair of jeans that arent in the childrens section! and when your nearly sixteen kids clothes arent really what you want to be wearing. I LOVE skinny jeans and i dont think i will ever switch back to wearing flares. but then again styles change haha. i have alot of great pairs of skinny jeans and they work well on me. I personally think that if the jeans are a good fit around the waist/hips then the jeans will work well on any figure. some great australian brands for jeans are tsubis (now changing its name to kusbi) and sass and bides. these are both made from quality and comfortable denim and i reccomend them to all! these brands also make different styled jeans like boot cut, straight leg and slouch. google them !

xx

Try www.BuyandSellUsedJeans.com

i'm a size 0, always been, w. jeans its always a loose 0 or (for those measure by waist size) 25. but i'm always always trying to lose weight. i think it is because you can never be skinny enough in today's world. it kills me that i'm always a few pounds over the underweight limit, which to me equats to being fat and overweight, and most of the time i really really believe it. and i'm definitely not alone. most women who say they're happy w. their 00+ size is bsing. otherwise they wouldn't be reading this.

yumi, just because you have a distorted view in which if you are not underweight, you are fat, it doesn't mean everyone else is like you. There are plenty of people out there happy being size 4, size 12, and shockingly to you, size 16. They have more self-confidence in their figures than you'll probably ever have. Your statement is like saying "Anyone who says they are happy if they have less money than Bill Gates is bsing". For a lot of people, happiness isn't a competition to be the thinnest or the richest or the most anything, it comes from within.

I wear size 0 or 00, weigh 39kg and has been underweight since forever. I don't get why people want to be skinny. Everybody just keeps telling me to eat more and everytime I look at myself in the mirror, I feel disgusted by my obvious bones which jut out everywhere. Bloody metabolism.

The 'grass always looks greener'...

Hey everyone. I know this is totally totally corny...but...the tyra banks show this week was A-MAZING! We all know trya is a little self-obsessed and contradictory, but putting that aside, i really got a great message from the show that i will share with you. (i also have something to say about skinny jeans but i'm getting there...)

tyra show - she had everyone in the audience in red bodysuits like the one she was wearing on people magazine that said "you call this fat"...everyone had their weight plastered across their chest...and yelled it out. they said "so what" statements such as "my thighs touch...so what!" and "i have mushroom top...so what!" it really is a matter of how you look at it and if we all look at it in that way, we'll all feel better about ourselves because people could be less obsessed about fitting into jeans they should have been wearing when they were 14. If you are a size 0 and you're good at being a 0 and you don't have to starve yourself to be that way, good for you...that's great, that's how you are made. if you are a size 22 and you are good at that 22 and you like yourself and you don't overeat to the extent of gluttony, good for you...you rock those curves! i know easier said than done, but there's so much more to life than extra flab.

JEANS JEANS JEANS-since the topic here is the quest for skinny jeans...throw your old ones the hell out the window and find some that flatter your body and make you feel like you are in your size 4's from high school. Seven for all Mankind makes a fabulous jean and so does Paige Premium Denim. If you are not too apprehensive about digging deep in your wallet for a pair of these, they will no doubt make you look great. They both really are made to flatter a woman's body. Paige comes in plus sizes and i'm not sure if Seven does.

I don't fit into the "skinny" jean trend, nor do they look good on me....i'm about a size 6/8 (in seven jeans it goes by waist size so that's about a 29/30)...BUT i just scored a pair of the "roxanne" skinny jeans by Seven for all Mankind and they look so great! Buy them a size smaller than normal if you can get in them because they stretch so much and you have to wash them everytime to get the right fit, but they are soooooo worth it. hope i helped someone out there!!!

Personally, I don't like skinny jeans - I mostly wear flare or bootcut. But wow, an article about jeans can start a conversation that lasts over a year about women hating their bodies. Admittedly, I am a size 0, and yes, I'd like to be a 00. But I'm not gonna starve myself to do it, and if I can't achieve that size and maintain good health at the same time, life goes on.