Interesting Links for 20-02-2026

[andrewducker]

1. Looksmaxxing: Myth Vs. Fact

(tags:funny trends beauty society bodyimage )

2. An excellent break down of the EHRC trangender toilet case, and the High Court findings. It is, as you might expect, a mess.

(tags:law transgender uk lgbt )

3. Sizing chaos - an incredibly visualised look at how and why women's clothes sizing is a mess that lets down half of all women

(tags:women clothing visualisation OhForFucksSake history society )

4. Psychology of Gen X Parents (I feel called out. Or described. Or something)

(tags:psychology demographics history video )

5. What is Going on with Colorectal Cancer in young people?

(tags:cancer age statistics )

Comments

3.

[channelpenguin]

Clothes sizing is definitely a mess.

I often have to buy teenagers clothes, boys OR girls, mens XS shirts tend to be ok (my arms and back are too long for most womens styles and my sizes small enough for my body are also usually too tight in the arms as well as too short), jeans/trousers are a mess because I've got short legs for my overall body as a woman, but men's jeans are way too big in the waist.

Dresses - forget it. Had the same problem all my life. Back WAY too long so the "waist" ends up in the middle of my ribcage. Or, if low cut and strapless, exposing my breasts. Lol.

[haggis]

Jumping off the video in 4
I find 'authoritative parenting' a really frustrating term.

I honestly believe most parents want to parent authoritatively. Authoritarian parenting and permissive parenting are both failure modes of authoritative parenting, not actual parenting strategies. And it is really hard to tell whether you are falling into one of those failure modes when you are going through it.

I worry that I am too indulgent with Zoe but that's the failure mode that I can live with.

[aldabra]

That looks like I ought to give H&M another go and not believe the labels...

[andrewducker]

It's annoying, but it really does seem like "Going in to the shop and trying things on until you find one that actually fits" is the only solution.

[andrewducker]

I think that most people want to be firm enough, but not too firm.

But the location of those points on the scale depend on what you're trying to do with your kids. If you're trying to raise children who strictly follow the One True Moral Code then you're going to be a lot more authoritarian, because you're tipping the scales a long way away from "Learn how to make your own decisions and decide what's best for you." And if you think that yelling at children damages them for life, or that your lovely children don't have to consider their effects on others because they're better than them, then you're going to tip the scales a long way the other way.

I'm trying to raise children who take responsibility for their actions, think about what they do, and treat other people well, while also building knowledge of themselves and what kind of world they want to live in. That pretty much requires me to give the kids enough leash that they can try things out and see what works for them, while remaining engaged enough that I can spot when they're being dicks and need someone to tell them to get out of the way of the people who are also trying to use the pavement.

[cmcmck]

2. What is totally bonkers is that I could go into a local pub for a drink and use the ladies' while a trans barmaid (and I was a barmaid in my youth) couldn't, but if she went in the next night for a drink with friends, she could.

Trans people going the entire journey are required to prove that they can work for a living in the correct identity for two years (they call it the 'real life test') in order to be permitted to go forward for GCS so how does that work if working for a living is made impossible?

I just don't know when they are going to realise that this is not in any way a runner!

[andrewducker]

It all seems to be based on various judges applying some kind of "common sense" which varies dramatically and doesn't form any kind of coherent whole.

[coth]

That's a fascinating look at sizing, though somewhat frustrating for a UK reader which has a different range of brands.

I often buy clothes in the men's sections in order to get arm and leg length right. For some reason although M&S, Rohan and Next are capable of supplying me with jeans and fitted trousers (if they do they are usually size 16, extra long, but not all trousers that size fit), the looser trousers suitable for the gym are never long enough and I buy men's. Similarly, women's lightweight upper body blouses and jerseys are usually okay, but I often need to buy men's heavier jerseys and jackets to get arm length (and pockets).

[andrewducker]

I can understand that bodies are complicated things, but they really do seem to make things exponentially more complex than they really need to be!

Oh to be a millionaire and have tailored clothing.

[hilarita]

Going into *several* shops until you find one that kinda sorta fits, more likely :-(
Or in some fantasy world, sew your own or get clothes adjusted or even tailored (depending on whether you can manage to be rich enough in some or all of time, space and money).

[movingfinger]

The article didn't tell me factually anything I didn't know (anyone who has ever done a bit of sewing can see what's going on with the industry's sloppy pattern scaling practices), but I did not expect to come to the end thinking well of H&M!

[movingfinger]

Sloppy sizing has spread into men's clothing, too; with the defaults being as broadly defined as S, M, L, XL, nothing fits men who shop off-the-rack any more, no one under 60 knows how to buy a correctly-fitted shirt with buttons and a collar, and the street look is suitable for kids at a playground... It used to be that even mid-quality men's trousers were constructed so that a person with basic stitching skill (at home or at the shop or cleaner's) could adjust the waistband and even the rear seam for a comfortable fit, but I haven't seen that at all in ages, because most men's trousers are not "constructed," they're just run up.

[movingfinger]

There's a weird thing going on in women's trousers where the legs are, like, capri-length approximately (above the ankle at any stance) or about a yard long. Trimming the bottom inches off the too-long trousers can sometimes affect the look badly if the legs are tapered, yet the ankle-up ones look ridiculous with many everyday shoes...and then, the wearer sits down and they're riding most of the way up the shins...