Quarter of Women Commit ‘Size Fraud’ to Boost Confidence

Sept. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- For women around the UK, honesty isn’t always the best policy when it comes to clothing; as a new study from the UK’s leading discount website as revealed that one in four women admit to buying clothing too small for them in order to lie about their size and boost confidence.

The study, conducted by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, aimed to delve deeper into the shopping habits of Britons; polling 1,611 women aged 18 and over across the UK about their preferences when shopping for clothes.

Just over a quarter, 26%, of the women taking part admitted that they regularly bought clothing too small for them. When asked why they did so, the majority, 66%, admitted that it was in order to lie about their true size to others to boost their self-confidence.

A further fifth, 21%, explained that they regularly committed ‘size fraud’ in order to make themselves feel better about the size they had to purchase.

The women taking part who admitted to committing ‘size fraud’ were asked to state what clothing size (on average) they really were. The results found that the majority of women who admitted to buying clothing too small for them fell within the ‘size 10’ bracket (53%), meaning they were already below average in the size department.

Respondents who committed ‘size fraud’ were asked to state what items of clothing they most commonly bought in an incorrect, smaller size. The most commonly purchased item was ‘trousers/ jeans;’ whilst, perhaps surprisingly, ‘shoes’ came in at third on the list.

When asked, “Do you feel happy with your body/ size?” just a tenth, 11%, of the women taking part in the study answered ‘yes’. Of the 89% who said ‘no’, three quarters, 77%, admitted that they wanted to be a ‘smaller size/ weight’.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, commented on the findings:
“It’s interesting to see how many women actually purchase the wrong clothing size in order to lie about their true size, or to feel better about themselves. This can often be detrimental, as well fitting clothes are usually the most flattering; so buying your true size is always the best way to feel better about your appearance.”

He continued:

“Women committing size fraud in order to lie to others about their size shouldn’t feel the need to, as confidence can only come from feeling good about yourself. Wearing clothes with confidence can do wonders for your self-esteem, so don’t think about others, wear your true size with pride!”

ENDS

LINK: http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk

Editor’s Notes

For more information please contact Emma Kent of 10 Yetis Public Relations on 01452 348211 or emmak@10yetis.co.uk.
This study was conducted by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and ran from 15/08/11 to 29/08/11.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 30, his personal worth is more than £60 million. Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.

Mark appeared as a ‘Secret Millionaire’ in the series on Channel 4, in which he donated £115,000 of his own money to worthy causes.

MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year

Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.

MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site.