Enlarging the fonts in mail and textedit

Question

The text in my mail and text edit is tiny! I've tried to enlarge them by going to "fonts" but all I can do is make them more "bold" which helps but for some reason the computer ignores my attempts to change the size of the lettering.
I see where is says "size" and i click on it and increase the numbers but still no change in the size of text in both mail and text edit. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

The problem with small text in received messages is due to the sender using HTML for message composition.
Copied from Why HTML in E-Mail is a Bad Idea.
Because it introduces accessibility problems. When you write in plain text, the receiving mail client renders the text in whatever font the reader chooses. When you format email with HTML, the sender controls the formatting. But this is a trap: You only think your message will render the same way to the viewer as it appears to the sender. In reality, the receiver can end up squinting because the font looks so tiny, or vice versa. HTML is not rendered the same way from one viewing client to the next - all guarantee of accessiblity goes out the window. This is especially problematic for visually impaired persons.
Go to Mail > Preferences > Fonts & Colors.
Next to Message Font, choose your Font and size. The size chosen for the Message font will be used for message text when receiving a message that was composed in Plain Text but not for message text when receiving a message that was composed in HTML since the sender controls the formatting when using HTML for message composition.
When a message is received that was composed in HTML (and you will know this when the message text is tiny), you can add the Bigger/Smaller buttons to the message toolbar and select Bigger to enlarge all text or at the menu bar, go to View > Message and select Plain Text Alternative and the message text will be converted to your chosen font and font size.