中年没发福？你被裤子的尺寸欺骗了

译者 Andie

For many middle-aged men, the idea that they can still fit into the same size trousers as when in their twenties is a badge of honour.

对许多中年男人来说，如果他们仍能套进二十岁时穿的裤子，这简直是一种极高的荣誉。

Sadly, however, it seems they are being encouraged in this belief by high street stores indulging in what has been called ‘manity sizing’.

然而，遗憾的是，主街上的商店鼓励着人们的这种想法，这些商店都致力于宣传所谓的“男士尺寸”。

Research shows that the waistbands on the trousers sold by leading fashion chains are far more generous than the labels suggest.

调查显示，一些重点时尚连锁店里面售出的裤子，实际腰围都要比标签上的大很多。

In some cases, it can be as much as two inches wider than the figure stated.

有的时候，甚至比标出的尺寸要大两英寸。

The vanity sizing ploy has long been used by women’s fashion chains. But now names such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and the big supermarkets have all been found to offer waist sizes on men’s trousers that are significantly larger than stated.

这种虚示尺寸的策略已经被长期应用于女性时尚连锁店。但现在， Marks&Spencer，Debenhams等大型超市在男士裤子上标注的尺寸都要比实际腰围小很多。

However, the policy means there is no longer any reliable standard sizing, which makes trying on clothes something of a guessing game, even a chore.

然而，这样的策略意味着标准尺寸将不再可靠，也使得试穿变成了一种猜谜游戏，甚至是一件烦人的事情。

Research by body shape experts Alvanon shows that more than half of British men – 52 per cent – feel the clothes provided on the high street do not match their body shapes.

形体专家Alvanon进行的一项调查显示，一半以上的英国男人（52%）认为主街上出售的衣服与他们的身体尺寸不匹配。

Alvanon chief executive Janice Wang said: ‘People are frustrated and confused by the different sizes and fits they find on the high street.

Alvanon董事长Janice Wang说：“人们在主街上找到尺寸不同却又都合身的衣服，这让他们感到非常沮丧和迷惑。

‘Shoppers say they can’t find something on the racks that will fit without some kind of alteration.

‘消费者说他们无法在货架上找到不经任何改动就适合自己的东西。’

‘At the same time, even clothes that are said to be the same size can differ.’

‘甚至同一尺寸的衣服都有不同的大小。’

Historically, men have gone to extremes in a vain attempt to avoid moving up to trousers with a bigger waist.

Generally, this means wearing them so low that the belly can spill over the top, while some are turning to control underwear, vests and pants, designed to slim down fatty bulges.

以前，男人为了避免腰围变大而无所不用其极，但他们的努力往往都是徒劳的。

大体上讲，这就意味着要把裤腰系的很低，连腹部都能从裤腰上口鼓起来，而另外一些人则倾向于在他们的内衣、背心、短裤上下功夫，以此来束缚一块块的肥肉。

Some, such as Simon Cowell or Michael Winner, go the other way with high waistbands which can look equally bizarre.

一些商场，比如Simon Cowell和Michael Winner，走另外一条路线，把裤子设计为高腰，但同样看上去很怪异。

A study suggests the supermarkets are the worst offenders when it comes to ‘manity’ sizing.

一项研究显示，超市在所谓的“男士尺寸”最是下足了功夫。

Both Tesco and Asda were selling trousers with two inches extra girth.

Tesco和Asda出售的裤子腰围都大两英寸。

A pair of 36in waist suit trousers at Marks & Spencer were at least 37.5in wide when checked with a measuring tape. There was a similar tactic at Debenhams, Next, and Topman, which apparently added up to an inch to the waistline.

在Marks&Spencer，一条腰围标示36英寸的西装裤在用皮尺量的时候起码会达到37.5英寸。Debenhams，Next，Topman也使用类似的战术，他们的裤子腰围都明显增加了1英寸。

Overall, 28 out of 50 garments checked were found to be larger than on the label; seven were at least one-and-a-half inches bigger.

总体来说，50件衣服里面有28件被检测出实际尺寸比标签上的大，其中有7件至少大1.5英寸。

Mintel’s chief trend analyst, Richard Cope, said shoppers – both men and women – are increasingly irritated about the failure to offer honest sizes.

Mintel的首席潮流分析家Richard Cope说道，不管男性还是女性，消费者对这些不真实的尺寸都越来越反感。

‘Shoppers quite reasonably expect 32 inches to mean just that,’ he said. ‘They are becoming increasingly frustrated to discover their sizes vary from fashion brand to fashion brand and from item to item.’

“消费者都期望标签上的32英寸真的就是32英寸，”他说道，“当发现同一尺寸在不同的品牌以及不同的条目下都有变化，消费者就变得越来越郁闷。”

The retailers insisted there is no deliberate attempt at ‘manity’ sizing.

零售商坚称，对于这个“男士尺寸”，他们没有蓄意设计。

They suggested a fashion to wear trousers low on the waist, coupled with subtle changes in the manufacturing process, are to blame.

他们认为该责任在于穿低腰裤这股潮流，再加上生产商在生产过程中的一些细微改变。

Gap said waist widths on cotton trousers, such as jeans, may be larger to allow for shrinkage of up to half an inch on the first wash.

Gap说像牛仔裤这样的棉布裤子，在第一次清洗后会缩短长达半英寸的长度，也许是因为这样才放大了尺寸。

M&S said there could be small differences because of the style, fabric and general fit, while Debenhams said sizing is ‘not an exact science’.

M&S说由于款式、面料和大众尺寸的不同，尺寸会有细微的差别，而Debenhams却说衣服尺寸“并不是精密科学”。

The Arcadia group, which owns Burton, Topman and Bhs, pointed to variations that result from the manufacturing process.

拥有Burton，Topman和Bhs的Arcadia集团指出，尺寸的细微变化都是在生产过程中产生的。