Size Switching

I have been noticing size 0 and size 2 selections at department stores for awhile now. I don't remember ever seeing either of those sizes on the racks at Kaufmann's or JCPenney's as a child. Kaufmann's is gone now, bought by Macy's, but I don't recall seeing those sizes at Macy's until recently. This does not seem to be a phenomenon that portends well. Did those sizes even exist in the 1970's or even the 1980's? Who are they for? I haven't noticed an increase in small women, and every statistic indicates that the latter is the case. Are ten year old girls now shopping the Misses section? Is it all a nefarious plot to sell diet plans and food and exercise equipment, but just how would such sales benefit Calvin Klein or Ann Taylor?