The Difference Between a Woman’s XXL and a 2X, Explained

Not all sizes are created equal

As we noted before, you’d be forgiven for assuming that XXL and 2X are the same when you’re shopping for clothes. Both of them seem to mean “extra extra large.” However, many plus-sized women who have tried on clothes with these different labels discovered they really aren’t the same at all.

Sometimes, one fits better than the other on the same size woman. In some cases, XXL and 2X products from the same company fit completely differently! Eventually, influencer Makayla Smith did her own investigation into the size discrepancy. What she and her followers discovered blew our minds, and it might just completely change how you shop for clothes.

@itsmakaylasmith
Should I make a video explaining the difference between XXL and 2XL?? 🤔 #plussizeproblems #plussizeexperience #sizingproblems #plussizetiktok
♬ stream escapism – #1 worth it. stan

Is there a huge difference between XXL and 2X?

Through her own research, Makayla Smith confirmed something that many of us had often suspected: that women’s XXL and 2X clothes actually fit differently. However, she confirmed that the difference in sizing is relatively minimal. In other words, a 2X isn’t a size up or down from XXL. Instead, the two garments might both fit on the same woman, but one of them will look more or less flattering than the other.

Of course, the relative similarity in sizing helped fuel the mystery that has been plaguing women for years. The entire reason there has been such a long debate over the matter is that countless women have had trouble figuring out what the size differences might be while they are shopping. Now, it turns out there is a confirmed difference, but it’s one that most people would never even notice.

That is, unless they took to the dressing room and tested things out for themselves!

The importance of the dressing room

You might have noticed that the online debates about the size differences between XXL and 2X got particularly bad a few years ago. In fact, these debates arguably reached their height during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not hard to see why…back when many stores were closed and many customers thought stepping outside their home was dangerous, ordering clothes online became the norm, and people were understandably annoyed that some XXL clothes fit while 2X clothes didn’t (or vice versa).

Now, the pandemic is behind us, and most people have gone back to shopping for their clothing at retail stores. That leads us to a simple but important reminder that you should always head to the dressing room to try on what you have found. Sure, trying clothes on won’t magically help you figure out the differences between XXL and 2X, but they will help you find clothes that fit. And at the end of the day, isn’t that your most important fashion goal?

A retailer solves the sizing mystery

As far as TikTok influencers go, we really love Makayla Smith. However, she didn’t get to the bottom of this mystery…at least, not precisely. However, she has many fans, including one person who works as a fashion retailer. And in a comment on her video, he gave what seems to be the best explanation for the size difference between XXL and 2X.

According to the retailer, the XXL size is extra extra large in the most literal sense. That is, the garment is just a larger version of the same garment that is being sold in other sizes like S, M, L, etc. Conversely, 2X means that the garment was made from a separate pattern that was designed with larger customers in mind.

What does this mean for plus-sized women who are shopping for clothes? In general, you may want to check out 2X stuff because it is generally made from patterns that offer more flattering hip-to-waist ratios and accommodate bigger busts. That will ultimately fit better than XXL clothing which is just a supersized version of clothing designed with smaller people in mind.