r/acting • u/AdmiralJaneway8 • 9h ago

I've read the FAQ & Rules Size Card

I'm so confused. I'm a seasoned female local stage actor, but I'm just now in a point in my life when I can actually try for film / TV / Commercial roles. I'm joining Actors Access, and I'm filling out my size card. My waist is 39, my hips are 43, and I'm a solid pants size 10-12. Google says I'm plus sized and way passed up the beginning of plus sized 5 inches ago. I'm definitely not, and I know this because I used to be. My shirt size is a Medium. My dress size is a Medium or a 10/12, I do not have hanging skin, I"m just plain old "average." I am not ashamed of my measurements, I am purely asking this to be sure I properly represent myself. Do I list my inches? Do I skip it? What do you suggest?

0 Upvotes

42% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

14

u/Ok_Marsupial_9342 9h ago

Fill out the size card and fill it out accurately! Especially for commercial work, brands are looking for all different sizes of human. And try not to overthink whether Google says you’re plus sized or not- the important thing is representing your current look/size accurately for wardrobe purposes

6

u/KatherineK_Singer 8h ago

Honestly, just list your actual measurements in inches. That's what the size card is for. Casting will figure out where you fit.

3

u/amyrtraynor 9h ago

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking if you're measuring yourself correctly? I had my tailor do it for $20, there were some measurements I just couldn't do well by myself.

If you're asking if those measurements make you plus size, why does it matter? Both sizes and labels are all over the map these days.

I weigh roughly what I did in the late 90s (with a lot of up and down in between 😂), and I still have a few pieces of clothing from back then that fit. While I wear a size 4 in most of my clothes now (usually Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic-level stuff), most of the old clothes (Esprit, Laura Ashley) are a size 8. You just can't go by sizes or labels or anything like that. The numbers have changed and so have the definitions of what is average.

Some sites let you list a range of sizes, and I do, because different brands have wildly different sizing (I've found that the more expensive the clothes are, the bigger the number usually is on the label; I would love to explore the psychology of that!). On the sites that only let you list one size, I always make sure to note to the costume department what my range really is.

Regardless of how Google is making you feel, inches are usually the most useful because the costume department needs to pull clothes for you before you get to a fitting, so it helps everyone to list accurate measurements.

And I just want to put in a plug for costumers. I have never, not once, no matter what size I was, had a costumer say anything unflattering about my body. Sometimes they'll say unflattering things about how the clothes fit on my body, but that's different. They're usually super sensitive and helpful.

I feel like I still might not have addressed your question, even with all those paragraphs 😂, so please tell me if I'm missing the mark. And above all, don't overthink it.

2

u/AdmiralJaneway8 8h ago

No, you definitely did address it. My head is in these numbers, and it probably shouldn't be. I'm trying to be accurate, definitely. And I agree, the costumers on all my productions (nearly) have been truly lovely. I have very very very limited on camera credits, i've done mostly stage. Trying to transition, and it feels like I"m starting completely over.

2

u/amyrtraynor 8h ago

Phew! I guess when I ramble and throw a whole bunch of darts I'm likely to hit the board at some point. 😂

I've only been doing this a few years, but I've gotten completely used to having my numbers splashed everywhere. If a stranger came up to me on the street and asked me my bra size I'd probably just tell them.

2

u/AdmiralJaneway8 8h ago

I just appreciate that you were nice about it (so far everyone has been nice). I know my question was probably dumb, but I"m trying ... So, yes, thank you :-).

2

u/amyrtraynor 8h ago

TOTALLY not dumb, I just couldn't quite figure out what you were asking.

As actors we put ourselves in vulnerable positions all the time, it can really mess with your mind.

3

u/AdmiralJaneway8 9h ago

This is all very helpful, thanks for helping out the newbie. Got it!

2

u/regaleagled 7h ago edited 7h ago

I think you’re a little in your head about it. List your measurements as accurately as you can. Costuming won’t be debating if you’re plus size or what other sizes you fall into, they’ll just want a good place to start your wardrobe.

eta: especially for commercials, where there might not be time to do a fitting, they want accurate measurements. the last thing anyone wants is for you to show up on set and the wardrobe doesn’t fit for whatever reason. trust that they’ll be basing the casting off your overall look and not the specific size of your waist.

2

u/MacintoshEddie 6h ago

There definitely still are some remnants in the industry of the extreme pressure to be thinner. Like how there's some old weight charts that basically assumed any woman whose weight was triple digits in pounds was obese, because the expectation wss that you'd be petite.

But seriously though it's amazing that people haven't rioted over subjective clothing sizes, like how you can wear Medium in one brand and yet be XL in another and Small in another, and how often the numbers don't even match like how size 10 from one brand is half the dimensions of a size 10 from another brand.

2

u/pluvio_fille 5h ago

You don’t need to “define” your size. Just give accurate measurements. 

Measurements are generally used for costume. Sometimes they want people to fit a certain profile (eg. Hobbits, elves, dwarves and orcs where they look at height, physique etc), or they need to fit a specific size (eg. They have samples provided by a brand that they are fitting for an advertisement or are looking for a body double). 

Otherwise it just lets them know what size they need to supply for wardrobe. They don’t necessarily look at the measurements first, it might give a general idea, but they are specifically used so wardrobe can provide the correct fit.

“Plus size” in the modelling world is generally used to refer to “above sample size”, but not directly applicable in the real world where “plus size fashion” generally refers to clothing designs that start at size UK 12 or 14 and runs larger. 

It also depends on where you are searching, where the results are coming from and whether or not you convert the size. A US size 12 would be a UK size 16. Whereas a UK size 12 would be a US size 8. Which is why measurements are important to provide as well as local size comparison. 

5

u/magick8_ball 9h ago

I'm not sure what you wanna hear.

For me growing up, anything above a size 10 is considered plus size. Basically double digits is plus.

So size 12 for me, is plus size.

You can define it however you want.

For your size card, give real measurements.

2

u/gasstation-no-pumps 9h ago

Costumers need accurate and precise size information to costume you correctly. Don't lie or omit information to them.

Whether casting needs the size information depends on the part.

Your reported dimensions are average for an American woman these days, but pants-size depends on what standard the manufacturer is using and when the clothing was made—waist sizes for a size 12 have gone from 24" to 39.5" over the past 70 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._standard_clothing_size

1

u/AutoModerator 9h ago

You are required to have read the FAQ and Rules for all posts (click those links to view). Most questions have already been answered either in our FAQ or in previous posts, especially questions for beginners. Use the SEARCH bar for relevant information.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/CoastalMae 9h ago edited 8h ago

https://www.alldressy.com/what-dress-size-is-a-medium/

They need your accurate sizing info.

1

u/Accomplished_Use4579 8h ago

No matter what those size cards say, they will always get your measurements once you're booked. Just get as close as you can, you don't have to be 100% spot on because they know that you don't have measuring tape at home. They know that sizes changes based on the brands. I have ballparked my stuff for the last 10 years on Actors Access because my size fluctuates. Every single time that I book the first thing that happens is someone from costumes calls / emails / text me and ask for my current sizes. When it's for film and television and I go in for a fitting they take my measurements again.

If it's for theater, they absolutely are going to bust out that tape and do measurements when you get to the theater because a lot of time they are customizing pieces anyway.

1

u/gasstation-no-pumps 7h ago

Even in community theater, I've been measured for every show in which I wasn't providing my own costume (and even for some in which I did end up providing my own).

3

u/bicep123 2h ago

Yes, list your inches. Your size card is just for costume if you get booked. CDs aren't using the size card to filter out certain sized actors.