文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）
作者：Leah Harper
原文标题：‘They’re meaningless’: why women’s clothing sizes don’t measure up
原文发布时间：16 Sept. 2023
'They're meaningless': why women's clothing sizes don't measure up
In my wardrobe, I have a long Cos dress with a label that reads XS. A similar style from Doen is labelled M – theoretically a whole two sizes up, while a Topshop dress that always feels a little on the large side is labelled a 6. Weird. A vintage mini that I can't get on without undoing the zip is a 14, and two Asos denim jumpsuits are an 8 and a 10 respectively – and don't even get me started on jeans. Despite this, all these clothes fit just fine.
The size and shape of my body has remained more or less the same for years – it's the ability to know whether or not a purchase will fit that has fluctuated. Ask any woman, and they'll tell you that finding the perfect T-shirt in, say, a size 10 from one brand doesn't mean you'll fit size 10 T-shirts everywhere. You may not even fit other size 10 T-shirts from the same shop. What's behind this sizing debacle? In the UK, more than a fifth of all clothes bought online are sent back. According to the British Fashion Council, incorrect sizing or fit was the top reason for returns (93%). Whenever I return a purchase, retailers want to know why. Was an incorrect item received? Was it damaged? Did I order more than one size? Or did the size ordered not fit? Usually, for me, it's the latter.
Clothes sizing also differs internationally, which is an added complication given how many garments are shipped around the world. Clothes may also come up bigger or smaller depending on where they are predominantly sold. "A global brand will generally have different sizes according to its target region, " says Tsukamoto. "The US and Europe are typically one size larger than Asia."
“它们毫无意义”：为什么女人的衣服尺寸不符合标准
精听党背景导读
“有个牌子的衣服我很喜欢，可我连他家大号都穿不上。”近期，官方身高169厘米、体重51公斤的女星张馨予发文吐槽。
“100斤以上没资格穿”，不仅是她的感受，亦引发不少女性共鸣。此前，“80斤女生试穿XS码裙子拉不上拉链”、“服装店老板吐槽S码女装卖不出去”等词条接连登上微博热搜，背后也充满了众多女性对女装尺码越做越小的疑惑。
文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）作者：Leah Harper原文标题：‘They’re meaningless’: why women’s clothing sizes don’t measure up原文发布时间：16 Sept. 2023关键词：服装 尺码 标准
精听党带着问题听
1.“刚好合身”用英语可以如何表达？2. 如何理解段二中的“more or less”？3. 英国服装退货的首要原因是什么？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
‘They’re meaningless’: why women’s clothing sizes don’t measure up
“它们毫无意义”：为什么女人的衣服尺寸不符合标准
meaningless adj. 无意义的；无目的的；
measure up 符合（标准），达到（期望）；
段一
In my wardrobe, I have a long Cos dress with a label that reads XS. A similar style from Doen is labelled M – theoretically a whole two sizes up, while a Topshop dress that always feels a little on the large side is labelled a 6. Weird. A vintage mini that I can’t get on without undoing the zip is a 14, and two Asos denim jumpsuits are an 8 and a 10 respectively – and don’t even get me started on jeans. Despite this, all these clothes fit just fine.
wardrobe n. 衣柜；衣橱；
theoretically adv. 从理论上说；照理说；
weird adj. 奇怪的；诡异的；怪诞的；奇异的；离奇的；不寻常的；
vintage mini 复古迷你裙；
get on 穿（衣）；
undo vt. 解开，松开；
zip n. <英>拉链，拉锁；
denim jumpsuits 牛仔连体裤，连体牛仔裤；
respectively adv. 分别地，依次地；
jeans n. 牛仔裤；工装裤；
fit just fine 刚好合身；很合适；
参考译文
在我的衣柜里，我有一条Cos长裙，标签上写着“XS”。Doen的类似款式被贴上了M的标签，理论上是整整大了两个尺码，而Topshop的裙子总是感觉有点偏大，却被贴上了6号的标签。这很奇怪。如果不解开拉链，我就无法穿上的复古迷你裙是14号，两件Asos牛仔连体裤分别是8号和10号大，更不要让我说牛仔裤了。尽管如此，所有这些衣服都很合身。
段二
The size and shape of my body has remained more or less the same for years – it’s the ability to know whether or not a purchase will fit that has fluctuated. Ask any woman, and they’ll tell you that finding the perfect T-shirt in, say, a size 10 from one brand doesn’t mean you’ll fit size 10 T-shirts everywhere. You may not even fit other size 10 T-shirts from the same shop. What’s behind this sizing debacle? In the UK, more than a fifth of all clothes bought online are sent back. According to the British Fashion Council, incorrect sizing or fit was the top reason for returns (93%). Whenever I return a purchase, retailers want to know why. Was an incorrect item received? Was it damaged? Did I order more than one size? Or did the size ordered not fit? Usually, for me, it’s the latter.
more or less 或多或少；几乎，差不多；大概，大约；1. He more or less started the firm. 他基本上启动了公司的业务。
fluctuate vi. 波动，起伏不定；使波动，使动摇；
brand n. 品牌，商标；（独特的）一种，一类；
debacle n. 崩溃；灾害；
send back 退回；归还；
retailer n. 零售商，零售店；
参考译文
多年来，我身体的大小和形状基本保持不变，而知道一件衣服是否合身的能力在波动。问任何一位女性，她们都会告诉你，找到一件完美的T恤，比如说，一个品牌的10号T恤并不意味着你在任何地方都能穿10号T恤。你甚至可能不适合同一家商店的其他10号T恤。这场衣服尺码灾难的背后是什么？在英国，超过五分之一的网购服装被退回。根据英国时装协会（British Fashion Council）的数据，尺码不合适或不合身是退货的首要原因（93%）。每当我退货时，零售商都想知道原因。是否收到了不正确的物品？它损坏了吗？我订购了多个尺码吗？还是订购的尺码不合适？通常，对我来说，是后者。
段三
Clothes sizing also differs internationally, which is an added complication given how many garments are shipped around the world. Clothes may also come up bigger or smaller depending on where they are predominantly sold. “A global brand will generally have different sizes according to its target region,” says Tsukamoto. “The US and Europe are typically one size larger than Asia.”
differ vi. 不同于；意见有分歧；
internationally adv. 国际性地；在国际间；
complication n. 使复杂化的难题（或困难）；1. complicated adj. 复杂的，难处理的；
garment n.（一件）衣服；
predominantly adv. 绝大多数，主要地；
参考译文
衣服的尺码在国际上也各不相同，考虑到有多少衣服被运往世界各地，这是一个额外的复杂因素。衣服也可能会变大或变小，这取决于它们主要在哪里销售。Tsukamoto说：“一个全球品牌通常会根据其目标地区的不同而有不同的尺码。美国和欧洲通常比亚洲大一号。”
精听党每日单词
meaningless
/ˈmiːnɪŋləs/ adj. 无意义的；无目的的；
measure up
符合（标准），达到（期望）；
wardrobe
/ˈwɔːrdroʊb/ n. 衣柜；衣橱；
theoretically
/ˌθiːəˈretɪkli/ adv. 从理论上说；照理说；
weird
/wɪrd/ adj. 奇怪的；诡异的；怪诞的；奇异的；离奇的；不寻常的；
vintage mini
复古迷你裙；
get on
穿（衣）；
undo
/ʌnˈduː/ vt. 解开，松开；
zip
/zɪp/ n. <英>拉链，拉锁；
denim jumpsuits
牛仔连体裤，连体牛仔裤；
respectively
/rɪˈspektɪvli/ adv. 分别地，依次地；
jeans
/dʒiːnz/ n. 牛仔裤；工装裤；
fit just fine
刚好合身；很合适；
more or less
或多或少；几乎，差不多；大概，大约；
fluctuate
/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/ vi. 波动，起伏不定；使波动，使动摇；
brand
/brænd/ n. 品牌，商标；（独特的）一种，一类；
debacle
/dɪˈbɑːk(ə)l/ n. 崩溃；灾害；
send back
退回；归还；
retailer
/ˈriːteɪlər/ n. 零售商，零售店；
differ
/ˈdɪfər/ vi. 不同于；意见有分歧；
internationally
/ˌɪntərˈnæʃnəli/ adv. 国际性地；在国际间；
complication
/ˌkɑːmplɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 使复杂化的难题（或困难）；
garment
/ˈɡɑːrmənt/ n.（一件）衣服；
predominantly
/prɪˈdɑːmɪnəntli/ adv. 绝大多数，主要地；
精听党文化拓展
有媒体对“女装变小”现象调查时发现，某电商平台一款在售连衣裙的尺码数据表中，S码（小号）的腰围是54厘米，L码（大号）是62厘米。根据国家国民体质监测中心2022年发布的《第五次中国国民体质监测公报》，20-24岁中国女性平均腰围大约72.8厘米，25至29岁的女性平均腰围74.4厘米。腰围60厘米以下的连衣裙，拥有“平均腰围”的青年女性根本穿不上。
小码女装本是针对体型较小的消费者而设计的服装，之所以引发网民讨论，是因为当下“小码”已经不再是一种特殊版型，而逐渐成为流行趋势，占据了越来越多的女装市场。这导致女性消费者按照标准尺码购买衣服时，很可能买到偏小的衣服。
女装为什么越来越小？从设计环节来看，服装圈按照品牌大小形成了层级，一线品牌的审美往往会影响层级较低品牌的服饰风格。当前，女装圈流行以短、露、紧为特点的“辣妹风”，面对这股潮流，商家只会以市场为导向，在设计上相互模仿，小码款式也就越来越多。
到了生产和销售环节，小码女装相比标准女装用料更少，在批量生产中能为厂家节省成本，厂家自然乐于投入生产；店铺则为了避免积压、减少退换货，用尺码筛选客户，只做小码以降低成本，有些店铺甚至用2-3档尺寸来代替标准的7档尺寸。
在社交媒体上，明星、网红对某些小码女装品牌的推崇，也助推了小码女装的流行。如同此前的A4腰、反手摸肚脐等“身材挑战”，现在，一些女性以穿得下某品牌的小码女装为荣。与此同时，消费者对于小码潮流的点赞或追随，也都会被商家视为正面的市场反馈，反过来进一步推动小码女装生产。可见，小码女装盛行，是设计、生产到销售、营销各个环节共同创造的。
精听党每日美句
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." - Rabindranath Tagore
“光靠站在岸边凝视大海，是无法渡过它的。”——罗宾德拉纳特·泰戈尔