The Semiotics of Standardized Sizing Systems

Abstract

This Lexigraphy examines standardized clothing sizing systems through a semiotic lens, arguing that size labels are not neutral measurements but function as culturally charged signs. Drawing on Saussurean semiotics, sizing is analysed as a language in which labels operate through socially agreed conventions, producing meaning via differentiation rather than intrinsic reference. The Lexigraphy demonstrates how these conventions are deeply entangled with gendered body norms, particularly within womenswear, where size categories carry implicit judgments of desirability, value, and social acceptance. Historical and contemporary inconsistencies across global sizing systems further reveal the instability of both size labels and the measurements they claim to represent, exposing the tension between mathematical precision and semantic distortion. In response, the Lexigraphy proposes initial criteria for imagining alternative, non-hierarchical size languages that seek to decouple bodily measurement from value judgment. Ultimately, this research invites continued scholarly and creative engagement with sizing as a semiotic system, advocating for more inclusive approaches that respect the lived experience of the body.