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Woman's viral Tiktok shows the huge difference in size 14 jeans, all from Old Navy

Tiktok

@justablusmom shares on tiktok the huge difference in size 14 jeans

People tend to love math because it's truth is absolute and permanent. 1x1 is always 1. 2 + 2 is always 4. However, when it comes to the world of women's fashion, tried and true mathematical principles fall to the wayside. A Target 4 is more like an H&M 6, and a Free People 12. This is the non logic that women consistently go through just to buy a pair of pants.

Megan Perkins (@justablusmom) created a Tiktok video to reveal just how much of a minefield the retail sizing systems are, and hopefully it will encourage women to just STOP letting arbitrary numbers determine their self image, or, as Megan put in her video's caption: "Don't judge your body by the number on the label."

@justablusmom
Don’t judge your body by the number on the label. #womensfashion #bodypositivity #itsjustanumber

In the video, Megan took four pairs of size 14 jeans, "different styles, all button fly," from Old Navy, which were placed neatly on top of one another. As she pans to the left, the discrepancy between sizes is…apparent, to say the least.

Noting in the video that she's only "talking about waist sizes," she began differentiating how each pant fit. One was huge, one fit perfectly, another a little snug, and the top couldn't fit over her hips. The on-screen text aptly read: "it's not you, it's them."

Megan's video began with "and this is why women hate their bodies." And she's not wrong. It's already been documented how the radical sizing difference can negatively impact body image, especially, teenage girls who think that their fat because suddenly they went up a dress size. I mean, really, how can size 4 be the universally accepted "ideal size" promoted by magazines and clothing brand companies if we can't even agree on what a size 4 really is?

Even if it doesn't affect your self esteem, man-oh-man is a nuisance. As someone who somehow ranges between a 2 and an 8 myself, I seriously am in awe of people who can buy jeans online. Several TikTok users wondered why we couldn't incorporate the simple universal sizing the men's clothing has.

"Meanwhile my husband can buy 36x34s at ANY store and they all fit." one commenter astutely put.

Okay, okay, okay. The woman did say they were different styles, right? Could that have made some impact on the sizing? An Old Navy worker seemed to think so, claiming that "this isn't a fair comparison. Those are different styles of jeans. They are designed to fit differently."

That arguing point was given ANOTHER video by @justablusmom, this time with all the pants having the same rise and same cut. Think it really changed anything? Spoiler alert: it didn't.

@justablusmom
More jeans comparisons. #womensfashion #bodypositivity #itsjustanumber #doesthisclearitupforyou #stopit

In the follow up video, three pairs of identical pants were piled neatly onto one another, waistbands all aligned, same as before. Only this time, the sizes were 12, 14, and 16. How can this even be possible? I'm no math wiz, but even my right dominant brain can figure out that this doesn't add up.

Even the jeggings didn't align in size, and were, and Megan put, "at least two sizes difference." This makes zero sense. Although I don't feel comfortable using the word "zero" anymore. Does it even mean what I think it means?

One person commented that "The point is, it's not just Old Navy, it's all brands and it's ridiculous! Regardless of style/fit, a size 14 should fit someone who's a size 14."

Another person wrote: "It's not just Old Navy, it's every store, and it's shirts too!" Might I just add from personal experience that this includes bras as well. Perhaps this is the secret Victoria has been keeping…

Jokes aside, clothing brands definitely need to take the initiative to create more universal sizing, so that it doesn't play crazy mind games for women and make them question their bodies (even more than they already do). But let's not wait for them to start being a bit kinder to ourselves, whether we're wearing our size large sweatpants, or our size small leggings. I mostly wear a nightgown these days, anyway.

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How do you get tweens to care about community service? Easy: Let them lead.

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One day in 2016, the kids of the Ridgefield Boys & Girls Club in Connecticut met to discuss some hard truths.

"We had a guest speaker come in," says Boys & Girls Club supervisor Jeff Goncalves, who organized the talk for a leadership program within the group called Torch Club.

"It was to benefit the Friends of Karen organization, which helps families of children who unfortunately are suffering from a terminal illness."

Among the topics discussed was the idea that many sick kids miss out on key experiences in their childhood because of how their illness interferes with daily life.

All photos courtesy of Torch Club/Boys & Girls Clubs of America, used with permission.

The Club's leaders asked the kids how they would feel if someone they knew, someone their age, had to skip their birthday because their medical bills were too high for them to afford to celebrate, Goncalves recalls. "That really hit home with our members."

Lots of people have a notion of "tweens" and young teens as being self-absorbed. But the Club’s reaction to the Friends of Karen organization proves that’s not so.

"Our executive board members decided to come up with a project idea," Goncalves says. But any uncreative fundraising ideas were out of the question — as Goncalves explains, "They know that I hate regular bake sales" — so they had to think out of the box.

Their answer? "A bakeless bake sale."

The kids reached out to everyone on their Club’s contact list and asked for cake ingredients, along with all of the rest of the things one might need to throw a birthday party. Instead of baking cakes to raise money, they gave kids the opportunity to have one for their birthday by providing all the tools in a "birthday bag."

"Cake mix, candles, frosting, napkins, plates — pretty much anything that could go into having a birthday party," Goncalves says.

The project was a success.

By the end, they’d provided birthday bags for almost 20 kids who would otherwise have gone without. It was so successful that they even decided to enter their project in the annual Torch Club Awards, which recognize Boys & Girls Clubs around the country for community volunteerism and service. They won first place and received a grant from Old Navy's ONward! program, which helps support many of Torch Club's activities.

What was even more surprising, though, was that this group of middle schoolers responded to a pretty heavy topic — terminal illness in their peers — in a well-adjusted and actionable way.

"That age is tough to work with in general," Goncalves says. "But when you find something, you know, a cause or a passion or something that really hits home, it brings everyone together in a way where we can focus their attention to helping, more than scaring them or making it awkward."

Torch Club has figured out the key to inspiring middle schoolers is to act. Just hand them the reins.

"The key is truly to let them lead," says Teresa Welch, vice president of program, training, and youth development services for the national headquarters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

"A lot of times as adults we sort of forget that. We assume that they need us to lead them," she says. "But when it’s led by youth, that’s when they’re absolutely the most successful."

The Boys & Girls Clubs' mission, through programs like Torch Club is to teach leadership and life skills to young kids, in order to prepare them for the challenges of adult life. But those leadership opportunities have advantages in the present, too.

Leadership gets younger kids engaged because it allows them to decide which issues to address, Welch says, and they can pick issues that impact their own community. She gives an example where kids who liked to skateboard got in trouble for graffiti that went up on buildings near where they skate.

"The kids will start talking about, well, we’re in trouble all the time for having our skateboards because they think we’re the ones doing the graffiti. But that wasn’t us," Welch recalls.

But instead of allowing the kids to grow resentful of the authority with which they had their conflict, Boys & Girls Clubs youth development staff encouraged them to come up with a creative solution.

"So they did a project where they actually painted over the graffiti with these beautiful murals," Welch says. In doing so, the Club both helped beautify the neighborhood and learned how to solve a problem in their community.

The Torch Club program at Boys & Girls Clubs is showing all of us that getting kids engaged young is possible — and it has nothing but positive results.

Young people who volunteer improve their community, their relationships with other kids, and themselves. Civic engagement shows kids how to take their energy and emotions and channel them into something good.

"All research shows that when young people volunteer, feel part of their community, and are engaged, that overall they will be more successful," Welch says.

"That’s a big part of the job. It's why I love working in the field that I work," Goncalves says. "To change the mindset of caring about themselves and being that self-absorbed tween to thinking outside the bubble, outside their community."

"It's remarkable, and we see it all the time," he adds. "It's why a lot of people in our field stick with it for life."

What happens after you lose a child? For this woman, her pain became her purpose.

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When Athena White lost her only child, the grief nearly consumed her.

The void left after her son’s passing was, at first, one filled with anger. "He was 25," she explains. "My son was my life. I was a lost soul."

Athena might have felt lost, but she also soon found kindness where she least expected it: at work. Her coworkers at Old Navy, recognizing her pain, quickly stepped in to support her.

"They could’ve easily said, 'I’m sorry you’re having a hard time, here’s some flowers,'" she says. Instead of empty condolences, they showed up in a big way. "They said, 'How much time do you need? What can we do?'"

And it wasn’t just the compassion of those around her that made an impact. It was their belief in Athena herself — in particular, their belief that she had a story worth telling.

Athena White in an Old Navy store. All images provided by Gap Inc.

It was that belief that led Athena’s district manager to offer her an opportunity that would change her life.

He saw her not as a lost soul, but as someone with real potential for leadership. That’s when he connected Athena to This Way Ahead, Old Navy's internship program that would allow her to transform her pain into purpose.

"I didn’t know at the time, but it’s definitely turned my life around, being part of [This Way Ahead]."

This Way Ahead is a paid internship program for young adults that offers career and skills training programs by partnering with nonprofits and connecting young adults with mentors like Athena.After 10 weeks, interns walk away with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and, most importantly, the connection and care to realize their own self-worth.

It’s that connection that Athena says helped her cope with her grief.

"They’re looking for someone to listen to them; they’re looking for direction, someone that’s just there," she explains. "I lost my son, but I gained so many young adults in my life ... it makes me feel whole. It fills a void."

It’s a tradition of giving back, Athena says, that began with her mother and her son. "My mom was the biggest cheerleader I ever had," she says. And her son, too, had the biggest heart of anyone she knew.

"It’s grown into something bigger than myself," she explains. Mentoring youth helps her carry on the loving legacy left behind by her mother and son and, in turn, allows every youth she inspires to go on and make an impact too.

Athena White with former This Way Ahead intern, and now Old Navy Associate, Yazmeen Owens.

"My mission, in turn, is how do I pay it forward? How do I give back?"

For Athena, giving back isn’t just about giving these youth an internship. It’s about creating a connection that allows them to thrive.

"We’ve all made mistakes," she shares. She sees her role as one where she not only offers skills in the workplace, but gives the genuine support and care that many of the youth lack.

"Sometimes, these young kids, they don’t have the support. [They need] to know that there’s somebody that truly cares."

One intern that Athena remembers started out in the program as shy and withdrawn. At first, Athena wondered if she even wanted to be there.

"She wasn’t open to trusting," Athena explains. "I kept insisting, in my mind, there was something more to this young lady. My mission was to open her eyes and open her heart."

And with time, the two formed a special bond.

"She just started to warm up," Athena recalls. "Every time she’d see me, her eyes would just light up." And not only did she complete the program — she now works with Athena at Old Navy and is returning to school. "She’s a whole different person now," Athena raves.

And stories like hers aren’t uncommon — 74% of graduates from the This Way Ahead program receive job offers upon completion, with a retention rate twice that of their peers.

Yazmeen Owens and Athena White.

For youth in the program, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, This Way Ahead offers one opportunity that can transform the rest of their lives.

It’s an opportunity that Athena is honored to be a part of. "They were [all] seeking something more than a job," she explains.

For some, what they seek is real support and connection. For others, like one memorable alumni from Oakland, they’re looking for a shot at a brighter, better future.

"He had never been outside of Oakland," Athena shares. "Now he’s in college in Indiana. Whatever it takes, he’s going to be a doctor. He [just needed] to get out of the neighborhood."

And that's why, Athena says, programming like this needs direct support. "We have to keep the program alive," she explains.

And with the right support, not only will the program survive — it can thrive. Old Navy is in the process of expanding the program through a donation campaign on Black Friday 2017; for every $1 cozy sock purchased, Old Navy will match it with a donation to Boys & Girls Clubs, up to $1 million. These donations will expand their offerings to create more career opportunities for youth.

For a customer, it might seem like a small gesture. But it adds up. And for Athena and the youth she mentors, those small gestures mean a continued impact well into the future.

Thanks to the support she received in her darkest hour, Athena is now an unstoppable force for good in the lives of countless youth.

"Every year, I want more kids," she laughs.

When asked what she’s learned from her experiences as a mentor, she recalls the impact that one person can have on others. "Take a moment, give somebody your time, listen to somebody," she shares.

"You never know what you’re offering; you never know what someone is going to take from that conversation. Be mindful that people are listening, they are watching. You can change somebody’s life."

And for the kids mentored by Athena, with futures now brimming with possibility, there’s no greater lesson than that.

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His mom took care of him when he was a sick child. Now he's paying her back big time.

'I’m going after everything I can, the most I can.'

True

Dashawn Hightower was only 3 years old when doctors discovered he had a tumor wrapped around his kidney.

He went through two years of intensive treatments that included having a needle stuck under his chest to make sure his kidney was still working.

Eventually, he made it out the other side cancer free but sans one kidney.

"Every day, I just think I’m lucky to be here," Dashawn says.

Dashawn Hightower. All photos via Dashawn Hightower, used with permission.

However, the experience wasn't only hard on him — his mother and two younger sisters were seriously affected as well.

Dashawn's mother became extremely overprotective of him, even after he was declared healthy again.

"She didn’t want me to do anything," Dashawn recalls. "No sports. No after school activities."

His mother raised him and his sisters on her own, and it was always difficult to make ends meet. So when Dashawn got into his teens, he decided to find a way to lift some of the burden off of her, even if it meant worrying her a little bit in the beginning.

It began with him attending a 6 a.m. meeting at his school about a student-focused career-building program.

When he reached high school, he joined This Way Ahead — an internship program designed to help teens get a leg up on their future.

An intern working at Old Navy.

The internship program is one of the efforts under Old Navy's cause platform ONward!. The brand is actually expanding the program through a trigger donation this Black Friday. You can buy their cozy socks for $1, and each purchase will result in a $1 donation to Boys & Girls Clubs, up to $1 million. The money will go to creating an employment program for Boys & Girls Club youth, offering them career coaching and a first job at Old Navy stores.

It's all about giving kids the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

Every day, the program focused on a different job-based subject — what questions to ask at an interview, how to write a great resume, customer conflicts, etc. Slowly but surely, Dashawn felt his confidence building. He knew he could be a great business leader.

"It taught me responsibility," Dashawn says. "I own all my actions."

As a result, Dashawn started taking care of his sisters more. He'd help them with their homework and get ready for school. And soon, he landed his first job.

Dashawn with his mom at his Old Navy job.

"[The program] helped me to have the upper hand when I interviewed for a position at Old Navy," Dashawn recalls.

Not surprisingly, he aced the interview and was brought onboard as a paid intern in 2014. Last year in November, he was hired as a full-time staff employee, and today, he's a business and training operations specialist at Old Navy's Herald Square location in New York City.

He's finally getting to lift some of the financial strain off his mom, and she could not be happier with how far he's come.

She even remembers the first time he bought her a pair of shoes. She had the receipt framed.

Today, Dashawn takes every opportunity that comes his way to make life better because he knows he might not have had a life at all.

Dashawn with interns in the TWA program.

"I could’ve died when I was 3," Dashawn says. "So I’m going after everything I can, the most I can. I’m hungry."

He tries to instill the same go-getter attitude in his associates and the interns he now manages. Many of them come directly from Old Navy's first jobs program, so they're already at the top of their game. But they still come to him sometimes with questions or concerns about their next steps. Since he's been in their shoes, he shares the same advice he's given himself in the past.

"No matter what you do, you always show your best," he says. "And every time you complete a certain chapter, it’s just a chapter. You have the whole book to complete. You have the whole journey to look forward to."

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This pro choreographer is most proud of his work with one surprisingly amateur crew.

Dance provides an outlet that can help kids cope with emotional, social, and behavioral problems.

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Cedric Gardner has been on TV, in movies, and on stage with some of the most famous names in music.

But that’s not what he’s most proud of.

Nor is it the 33-year-old dancer's stint on "So You Think You Can Dance," his tour with Miranda Cosgrove, or his choreographed commercial that aired during the Super Bowl that he feels most excited about.

His crowning achievement is a music video he created with his students about how music has the power to lift us up and take us to places that once felt impossible.

All images via Old Navy.

In Milwaukee, Gardner uses his artistic talent to help at-risk kids learn to connect with and express their emotions in a productive and empowering way.

Through dance, they communicate a powerful message about learning and leadership.

Gardner joins other educators from across the country who partnered with Old Navy's cause platform ONward!to create an album of songs that encourage kids to let their unique selves shine through.

Gardner and his students had the opportunity to make a music video about the power that education holds to help young people advance in life, knock down obstacles, and change the status quo by being a leader who changes the world. Watch:

He's empowering students through music and dance with his new song #ONward. It's hard to stop watching this one!
Posted by Upworthy on Monday, July 31, 2017

Since Gardner began mentoring kids in dance in 2013, colleagues have noticed that his students have better focus, more self-control, and increased self-confidence .

These are attributes that empower them to engage with the educational opportunities that they need in order to succeed as adults.

Gardner's students are all part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, where Gardner is just one of many mentors who provide positive role models and productive activities for kids in order to help them thrive.

Research shows that dance can actually be a form of therapy, one that has a deeply profound impact on a child's developing mind.

For Gardner's students, dance provides an outlet for self-expression and improves self-image, which helps them better prepare to cope with emotional, social, and behavioral problems.

Even for kids with relatively unproblematic backgrounds, the art of movement set to music can be a useful tool to build skills like discipline, healthy self-expression, and confidence.

Gardner's work is a great reminder of how important the arts are in helping kids achieve academic success.

Teachers who are also mentors help give kids a better shot at a better life.

Learners, like Gardner says, become leaders — and leaders change the world.

Corrections 8/11/2017: Gardner toured with Miranda Cosgrove, not Avril Lavigne. His age has also been corrected.

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Idea of a rapping teacher sound awkward? Actually, he's awesome.

It may sound dorky, but wait till you hear him to judge.

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The idea of a teacher rapping probably makes you want to cringe, right? A for effort ... and for awkward.

But Mr. Reed stunned students when he came up with an awesome rhyme-infused rap designed to get his new fourth-graders pumped for the new school year.

The music video was called "Welcome to the Fourth Grade," and his students were totally feeling it. For obvious reasons, it went viral in August 2016.

[rebelmouse-image 19529839 dam="1" original_size="1788x1094" caption="Reed in his music video, "Welcome to the Fourth Grade." Image via Mr. Reed/YouTube." expand=1]Reed in his music video, "Welcome to the Fourth Grade." Image via Mr. Reed/YouTube.

His love of rap coupled with the ridiculous amount of excitement over the video made him eager to incorporate music into school life as often as he could.

So Reed spent much of the school year encouraging kids to embrace their own creativity and musicality. Some even got together to make their own music video, which was featured on the local news.

Tomorrow, a few kids from the hood will perform their very own song on the local news. I don't care what anyone says: if you give kids the tools and the opportunities to be great, they will, every.single.time.
Posted by Mr. Dwayne Reed on Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Today, Mr. Reed is continuing to spread his inspiring message in a new video series he helped put together with teachers across the country.

The video series powered by Old Navy was created to launch its cause platform of the same name, ONward!The album features several new songs written and performed by teachers about how they take the next generation to the next level. The songs celebrate the more "awesome" aspects of school, aka reasons kids should be amped about going back.

His offering — "Welcome Back to School" — makes one cool introduction to the fifth-graders at LEARN Campbell elementary in Chicago, where Reed is headed this fall.

He first caught our attention with his viral musical approach to teaching kids. Now, thanks to the #ONward program, he and other like-minded teachers are back with an entire album.
Posted by Upworthy on Monday, July 24, 2017

Another teacher, Beth Fortune of Washington Middle School in Seattle, wrote and performed this delightful country tune with three of her students about remaining true to who you are. It's called "Be Myself."

Teachers really can make rapping and singing look cool. Well, some teachers anyway.

The first days of school should be about showing off all that individuality, not covering up or squeezing into a mold to fit in.

Embracing yourself is the best way to not just become a rock-star learner, but tomorrow's leader. So whether you can rap, spell really long words, or just rock neon green socks, remember that it's details like these that help make you unforgettable.

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This 'Project Runway' for fifth-graders makes us want to go back to school.

Shani Perez combined her love of teaching with her passion for fashion to help kids express their individuality.

True

When your school year ends like this, having to go back in the fall doesn't seem as bad.

In May, classrooms are full of kids daydreaming about finally being done with their last test and jubilantly running headlong into the nearest pool. School is something you look forward to running from, not toward — that is, unless you're moving down an actual runway.

At the end of every school year, instead of sitting around and staring at some dirty white fan oscillate back and forth, kids in Shani Perez's class at Public School 51 in New York City get up off their chairs and create a full-on runway fashion show.

Shani Perez with her students at PS 51. All images via Old Navy.

That's right, New York City's hottest underground fashion show is put on entirely by fifth-graders.

This underground fashion show otherwise known as "PS 51 Project Runway" is the brainchild of Shani Perez — an educator with a passion for fashion.

Perez is that teacher, the one you can't wait to see each day. She combines her love of teaching with her degree in fashion design to create a unique and engaging program for her students.

More than just a fashion show, this program teaches kids the fundamentals of fashion design, from drawing out concepts for portfolios to sewing and working with fabric. In addition, each show has a theme, like candy or history, that helps guide the young designers and foster creativity.

Perez joins other educators from across the country who partnered with Old Navy's cause platform ONward!to create an album of songs that encourages kids to let their unique selves shine through.

A project like this is about so much more than clothes.

Even if her students don't go on to careers in fashion or design, getting them involved in a large-scale project requires them to organize, delegate, and problem-solve — important life skills for anyone.

Plus, giving students the opportunity to show off an outfit they created themselves is an awesome way to promote self-confidence and individuality.

The songs are catchy and sure to get you strutting yourself, but the most important message of all is for the kids: Own your personal style, and be confident in your individuality.

It's educators like Perez who turn school into something more and events like PS 51 Project Runway that help kids discover who they are and what they — and a functional school-to-playdate ensemble — is made of.