Earlier quoted context omitted.
The shame you feel is yours, it's not inherent to the sizing.
The shame is inherent to the crushing expectations put on women's appearances and the pressure to be small. It manifests in clothing sizing for the same reason it manifests standing on a scale, it's a measure of your smallness. And what makes it insidious is that the measures are juuust comparable enough across different people to make people feel bad for not having the same numbers as someone 5" shorter than you. An…
Short men also tend to voice the same complaints you have. They tend to have the added strain of absolute helplessness in their situation.