I have a female teenage character where I need to mention pants size. I'm kinda clueless when it comes to women's clothing. She's about 5' 5" and a healthy weight. Maybe a little on the thin side but nothing extreme.
For the thin side of normal I would put her as a UK size 8, which I think is US 4. But I might also make her a UK size 10/US 6 to make her more relatable, if it isn't important that she's thinner than most.
A quick Google tells me that the average US woman is a size 16, so 6 would still definitely be thinner than most. A quick Google claims that this photo http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/13/article-2292607-18A0BCA9000005DC-924_634x758.jpg shows a size 8, 10, and 12. 8 looks pretty small to me. Edited add: Ah, Daily Mail. So UK sizes, and therefore representing a US 6, 8, and 10?
It's not important that she's thinner than most, however, she's got a lot of psychological issues. I'm trying to find a subtle way to let the reader know she isn't actually overweight even though that's how she sees herself.
Ah. In that case, yes, you might go with a 4. I'm not sure if it's possible to be a size 4 and overweight, no matter how small your frame.
A random online sizing chart, apparently for US sizes, matches "word" sizes with number sizes as follows: Extra small: 4 Small: 6 Small/Medium: 8 Medium: 10 Medium/Large: 12 Large: 14 Large/Extra Large: 16 XL: 18 XL/XXL: 20
Part of the problem is that women's sizes are all over the place depending on the manufacturer. I have pants in my closet that are 6's, 8's and 10's and they all fit perfectly. Some just run bigger or smaller than others. If she's a teen she's probably shopping in the Juniors department, where in my experience as the mom of a teenager, the sizes run quite small. I think a size 6 would be about right for a 5'5" girl with a healthy, athletic build, or 4 if she's more narrow-hipped and slim.
I checked my Levi's 610 are size 26/34, but I don't know if it's about the same as size 6 or what... I was just checking how the pant size is indicated on the pants themselves. But they might be too big for your character, at least lengthwise if she's 5'5''.
The thing about some US women's clothing is that it doesn't go for the waist so much as it does the height. If she's 5'5" chances are a size 4 is going to be too short for her (Honestly size 4 in the US might as well be at the kids department). I recommend going by the online charts and then (if this is US scale) adding a size. Granted, this only works if your character's physique is on the slimmer side. If the character is a medium or more then all the size lengths are going to be the same.
Well, it's not like I really need to have something fit a real person. I'm using the mention of her pants size to give the reader a clue of her body.
I personally wear anything between 6P and 10P, and I am a fairly small human. A size 4 is actually very much on the little side, and like another poster said, probably going to be too short in the leg for a 5'5" person. If the character is not unusually thin, I'd go for 6. Those are women's sizes, though; I'm actually clueless about teen sizes, because puberty hit me like a truck and I had to go straight from children's sizes to women's
