It's hard not to take a self-esteem hit from the very thin, very young models as well as the culture of thinness, espoused (pun intended) even in so crude a way as "250 is the new 120."

Trying to fit oneself into clothes designed for such an attenuated body type is impossible for many women, whose bodies are just designed differently. An article last week in THE NY TIMES showed two teen males who looked as if they'd survived a famine -- barely -- and THEY were be promoted as the new ideal size for males. Frankly, aside from fears of the age of consent, I saw nothing there to hold onto.

For people who are not basically young, tall ectomorphs, the intensity of exercise and diet needed to achieve even a bit of this look is going to be pretty severe. I've taught recovering anorexics, who've tried and failed to maintain these unreal expectations.

There's another thing. Many women, because of exercise, weight gain, and/or current boot design, cannot get tall boots over their calves. There's ways around this, of course.

However, the way the boots are designed, the way the clothes are designed -- for men and women alike -- prevent stores from selling as much merchandise as they would like. I've got no numbers for that -- just the sale racks.

Standard sizes would be good for manufacturers and stores, as well as customers, whose health, self-esteem (it's aggravating when nothing fits and you go home empty handed), and appearance would benefit. Again, men as well as women.

Finally, when I see these very young models, all I can think of is the Olympic sport called women's gymnastics. I believe, until the qualifications changed, those weren't women, but pre-pubescent or amenorrheic girls, as opposed to the much larger and healthier men's gymnasts.

This kind of hit to the body at an early age when bones are still developing strikes me as having long-term health consequences, rather like malnutrition in an emerging nation.

Artificial leather is indeed one way, as is stretch fabric. Another way is to accustom oneself to lower boots with tights in matching colors, or to look for the loose boots with straps.

Google Zappo or Vermont Country Store, to name only two, online. For a wider search, Google on wide-calf boots, pick your price range, and get out your Paypal or your plastic. These boots range from the practical/warm/comfortable to the high-fashion/preposterous.

You can also buy conventional boots and have a gusset put in. This is expensive, assuming you can find a shoemaker who's able to do it, and there's no assurance that the boot will look the way you want it.

These hints and searches enabled me to end a two-year boot shortage in my closet. Because I live where it's cold, that was a problem.

There's a certain something -- I don't know what -- to an anti-feminist's coming onto a feminist board to rant, disclose far too much about his personal life and frustrations, and condemn, in fairly hysterical and overgeneralized denunciations, the women present and tell they that "men" have learned to do without them, while regaling all present with the story of a girlfriend whose existence I, for one, doubt.

With the purpose, as he says, of recruiting men. Similarly minded men for whom a feminist board is apparently irresistible ranting grounds -- but don't call them trolls because They Say That's Not So.

That's solipsism on a cosmic scale. Wow. Just. Wow.

"Size" is one of the craziest things about women's clothing you can imagine. For every woman who would be relieved by a rational system of sizing, there's at least one who might object to it for reasons that have nothing to do with fit and everything to do with emotion.

Once we get done with size, let's talk about women's altering garments for free.

Long-time pro and SFWA member, and I do go to cons.

I know Ben and Barbara, but I haven't seen them in years. Sorry.

Lynx, good luck with Boskone. Where I live, there's a blizzard. I'll be at Lunacon in March.

Would you mind avoiding the term JAP? Speaking as someone who was brought up princess-style and learned some useful lessons from it, I found that one of the useful lessons is that regarding people as JAPs promotes misogyny and anti-Semitism.

First, the R word and now JAP. I'm being VERY politically correct...but to generalize, I expect a white-shoe lawyer with your level of articulacy to argue without using epithets. "Venal suburban princesses" casts no aspersions on anyone's faith.

Speaking as a member of the same demographic, I'd say that inside the "family" is one thing. People in different groups -will- use words for those groups that, frankly, I don't even want to type.

Congratulations on surviving law school and the job-hunt steeplechase.

Forget about it. What you have here is an angry male or males, probably libertarian, definitely opposed to the war (which is the one sensible point any of these anonymice are making), and using "grow up" as a justification for gang rape.

And that's not misogynist HOW?

Because the anonymice said so?

Who died and left them in charge?

No one, which is one of the reasons they're so angry: they don't have the hegemony to which they think their gender, their alleged intelligence, and their politics entitles them.

I prefer to focus on CanuckistanBob's posts. He has in-country experience, and while I don't always like what he says, he's a reasonable and informed person.