Sew Wondering

Sew, this blog is more about views on sizing.  One of the cool things about sewing for yourself is that size only matters when purchasing a pattern.  The more comfortable you are with that, the shock of what size you purchase doesn't matter.  I wear a 10-12 dress and 12-14 (sometimes 16) trousers when I shop for clothes.  When I sew, I wear 16-20 depending on style.  But with sewing, I have the luxury of nipping in the waist or widening the hips or narrowing the shoulders.  All these things are a pain to modify in ready to wear (RTW).  Sew, here is my question when it comes to sizing.

Have sewists started to buy into the belief that "size matters"?  I ask this because when I read pattern reviews, there are always comments regarding, "there was too much ease", or "The Big 4 patterns are all too big."  There seems a need to share the users are smaller than they are. 

When I sew using the Big 4 (McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity, Vogue), I have a different experience.  I sometimes find there is not enough ease.  There are times when there is too much fullness, but most invariably, the fullness is not wear I need it.  I recognize that my body doesn't match perfectly with every pattern and it is part of the experience to match a pattern size to actual measurements or as close to it as possible.  When shopping for pants, I tend to look for sizes to match by hips and booty.  When shopping for a top, I match my upper torso and adjust for my hips. 

But isn't that what you are supposed to do?  Is there any shame in saying, "I am  a size 16"?  A few years back, I remember reading somewhere that Oprah was a size 8.  I had to laugh because my thought was "she is beautiful, but not a size 8".  But thinking kicks in, then, when you have custom clothing made for you, you literally can be any size you wish.  Sew, why does it matter what the pattern says?  Often, because I want to trust the reviews, I will purchase a smaller size and am disappointed.  I should have just stuck with the pattern sizing, because it is true, not a person's opinion.  I also know that if you use anything but the 5/8" which is recommended seam allowance for most projects, it will fit differently.  I often use that to add additional ease on my hips.  Given the fact that Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14, does the size really matter?

I write this because I thought I must be sizing my clothes differently than others.  Or is it that other sewists have different expectations?  Or want to convince others that they are smaller than the pattern says. Reviews should reflect a helpful view, and honesty is very important. 

What are your thoughts on this subject?