Sizing China Up

I came home yesterday and found myself laughing at a random facet of international relations. The working day was productive but relatively relaxed.  We had gone out to visit a potential investee company in the afternoon, and I decided to put on a suit for a change.  One of the nice things about private equity is that it is less formal than many other parts of finance, so my suits have not been getting all that much use.

I tossed on some casual clothing after getting through the door. Now I can't usually wear local clothing because I am pretty big, but I threw on a polo shirt that had been a gift from a Chinese friend. My friend's family owns a clothing factory in Ningbo and she had brought back the shirt after her last trip home. Thoughtfully, she picked out an extra large shirt with a not too bad local design.  I decided to wear the shirt out for the first time; the "extra large" was rather form fitting and the sleeves wrapped tightly around my arms in spite of my having not lifted weights in ages.  I was only going to a local hot pot place though, so I didn't need to be too concerned with fashion.

I often hear people in China marveling at how large foreigners are, especially Americans. It is understandable given that most Chinese, particularly those from a generation ago or before, tend to be much smaller than the foreigners here. They simply did not have the nutrition and medical care in their early years that is available to more of the population today.

My extra large incident would not have been so amusing had I not received a package from the US the prior day. Given my need for summer clothes and inability to find my size in China, I had bought a bunch of polo shirts online and had them shipped to me via New York. I ordered four shirts in a large... and only one of them fit. The other three were huge on me. I should have known better from recent experiences but still, it amazes me that I am a 6'3" guy who weighs about 195 pounds and wears a medium in the US. Strange.

I'd give China about 10 years before they start changing their sizing. The popularity of KFC, McDonalds and other fast food chains has given rise to more and more overweight kids. It sadly seems just a matter of time until those kids become adults and the clothing manufacturers make a large larger to accommodate them and their egos.

On a somewhat related note, I noticed the other day when I was at Starbucks that they are now selling drinks in their “venti” size. Call it global convergence.  Supersize China!