英语新词:“虚荣尺寸”是什么？

 　　逛街买衣服的时候，总是会在S和M两个尺寸之间纠结。每次把自己塞进S号的衣服里，都会顿时很欢喜。可是，你有没有想过，你穿在身上的S号跟几年前的S号是一样大的吗?

　　Vanity sizing, also known as size inflation, is used to refer tothe phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the samenominal size becoming larger over time.

　　虚荣尺寸(vanity sizing)，也叫做尺寸膨胀，指随着时代的发展，各类成衣制品在尺寸号码不变的情况下，实际尺寸增大的现象。

　　The increasing dimension of garments of the same nominal¹ size has caused some designers tointroduce size 0, 00, or subzero sizes. Different manufacturers have modified sizes so that awoman who once wore a size 12 dress can now wear a 10 or an 8.

　　由于成衣实际尺寸的增大，不少设计师都开始引入“0号”、“00号”，甚至“负0号”尺寸。不同的成衣生产厂家也调整了各自的尺寸号码规则，原来穿12号衣服的女性现在能穿10号或者8号的衣服。

　　Many commentators² have suggested that "vanity" sizing, as its name suggests, is designed tosatisfy buyers' wishes to appear thin and feel better about themselves. While some others alsosuggests that vanity sizing allows clothing companies to cater³ their sizing to their demographic,since women of different sizes may be attracted to different brands. Finally, it has been suggestedthat vanity sizing merely reflects the increasing prevalence of obesity⁴.

　　很多评论人士都表示，“虚荣尺寸”就是为了满足消费者想要看上去瘦一点儿的虚荣心理。不过，也有人表示，“虚荣尺寸”让成衣公司能够根据目标消费人群的特征来调整产品的尺寸，因为不同身材的女性可能钟情的品牌也不尽相同。总的来说，“虚荣尺寸”的出现说明肥胖人士增多了。

1 nominal   

adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的

参考例句：

• The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
• The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。

2 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

4 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。