Average size of women in U.S.

[justamouse]

Sounds reasonable that a size 14 might be average BUT today's size 14 is really yesterday's size 16. Think I might vote for today's size 12 being average. Hard to generalize though given height and build.

 

This.

 

Marilyn Monroe would wear a size 6/8 in today's clothing. She was 5' 5 1/2" 118, dress size 12 pant size 8 and at her heaviest, weighed 140.

 

Her dressmaker claims her figure was 35-22-35

 

snopes has a good comment on it

[elise1mds]

Women's feet are getting bigger, too.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1239975/Female-feet-getting-larger-size-10s-demand.html

 

I believe it. I have worn a size 9 shoe since the time I was 13. In the last year, I've noticed that size 9 shoes are now a half size too big, and I wind up buying an 8 1/2. I think those sizes have been adjusted, too, because what are the odds of my feet actually shrinking with age?

[Peela]

I think if the media took the attention off the ideal woman's look, if they stopped giving the whole issue so much attention- possibly combined with people moving back to real, ordinary food rather than fast food- after a generation or 2 we would just naturally fall back to whatever our natural weights are- some bigger than others- but probably less than now.

 

I think it has to do with the media, and with multi national companies such as those that control farming and processing of foods. They want us to take this on as a personal issue because there are billions of $ to be made. Teach us not to eat fats- and create a whole market for low fat foods- and then you have a whole generation of fat people because it's not a sustainable way to live so binging occurs. So then they vilify carbs (because all those fat free foods were high in refined carbs which burned out our sugar metabolising capacity ) and now there is a huge market for that.

 

I dont think being a bit overweight is necessarily unhealthy, but its just about impossible to maintain a lower healthy weight when constantly bombarded by foods, both in advertising and on the shelves of most shops, that feed our primally driven desire for high energy foods. We are designed to take those foods when we can get them because they weren't always available seasonally for thousands of years. But now they are available all the time. Its very hard to over ride those primal imperatives.

 

Generalisations are of course just that- generalisations. I think we all know what is healthy for us and when we don't feel so good. An interesting statistic I learned a while back is that those people who are a little overweight have a higher chance of living longer than those who are not- whether obese or a healthy weight. Its because they have some physical resources to draw on- makes sense to me.

 

Is it about what we look like or about our health? I prefer to be smaller for my looks yet I feel healthy weight a bit more than that too.

I would say most definitely though that the "average" weight in America is not something to base one's ideal on, at all, with skyrocketing diabetes and cancer levels. It's not a healthy nation (and Australia is close behind).

[swellmomma]

Saying things like this is where the trouble starts. I don't think anyone should say a certain size clothing is what's considered average because women vary so greatly in how their bodies are made. It's more important to be active and eat healthy than to focus on a size.

 

:iagree: before kids I only weighed 118lbs, and was very slim yet I wore a size 9 because I have wide hips. I am not a healthy weight right now and have not been since I had my first child, but I do know that getting down to 6-8 is unrealistic for my body even if I dropped back down to 118 lbs again.

[leeannpal]

I think if the media took the attention off the ideal woman's look, if they stopped giving the whole issue so much attention- possibly combined with people moving back to real, ordinary food rather than fast food- after a generation or 2 we would just naturally fall back to whatever our natural weights are- some bigger than others- but probably less than now.

 

I think it has to do with the media, and with multi national companies such as those that control farming and processing of foods. They want us to take this on as a personal issue because there are billions of $ to be made. Teach us not to eat fats- and create a whole market for low fat foods- and then you have a whole generation of fat people because it's not a sustainable way to live so binging occurs. So then they vilify carbs (because all those fat free foods were high in refined carbs which burned out our sugar metabolising capacity ) and now there is a huge market for that.

 

I dont think being a bit overweight is necessarily unhealthy, but its just about impossible to maintain a lower healthy weight when constantly bombarded by foods, both in advertising and on the shelves of most shops, that feed our primally driven desire for high energy foods. We are designed to take those foods when we can get them because they weren't always available seasonally for thousands of years. But now they are available all the time. Its very hard to over ride those primal imperatives.

 

Generalisations are of course just that- generalisations. I think we all know what is healthy for us and when we don't feel so good. An interesting statistic I learned a while back is that those people who are a little overweight have a higher chance of living longer than those who are not- whether obese or a healthy weight. Its because they have some physical resources to draw on- makes sense to me.

 

Is it about what we look like or about our health? I prefer to be smaller for my looks yet I feel healthy weight a bit more than that too.

I would say most definitely though that the "average" weight in America is not something to base one's ideal on, at all, with skyrocketing diabetes and cancer levels. It's not a healthy nation (and Australia is close behind).

 

Is there an applause emoticon on here? I think you have it right! My family is in the process of changing our diets back to whole foods. That means ditching so much of what is traditionally American food. My husband and I have lived in several different countries and actually prefer cuisine from Asia and the Middle East. After a fruitful trip to an Asian food store today, I'm looking forward to my steamed Chinese buns and Korean Bulgogi this week.

 

I do think that people need to be more concerned with healthy eating and exercising than waist size, BMI or dress sizing.

[HSMom2One]

I am densely built. I can weight 25lbs more than someone with the same measurements.

 

Me too!! I have big b**bs and have always weighed more than the charts, more than others with my same size and measurements. I gave up long ago trying to fit into the mold the charts set. When I was my absolute fittest and healthiest, I weighed 140 lbs. and wore size 12-14 (at 5'4"). I looked great, and felt good in every way. That is where I would love to be again, so I am working toward that goal.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[FaithManor]

I would guess this chart doesn't take into consideration torso length either. I have about 3 inches between my bottom rib and top of hip bone, the odds of me ever having a waist size indicated in the chart is pretty much non-existent, well at least without me having developed some sort of eating disorder.

 

At my height, back when my waist was the size indicated on the chart, I had to eat less than 800 calories per day (zero fats, not even healthy ones) to maintain that skininess. It does not work for short-torsoed (number of inches between last rib and the top of the hip) people and can lead to anorexia, digestive disorders, anemia, and a host of deficiencies. So I completely agree with nukeswife, it is not a safe chart for everyone.

 

What kills me is how determined doctors are to stick with "charts" when they should plainly see it isn't healthy or realistic for that patient.

 

But, that said. I do think there is a lot of ridiculous vanity sizing going on in the clothing industry. However, I think the styles of the last 5 or 6 years have made it more difficult to find anything that fits. Honestly, it seems impossible for me to find a shirt or blouse that was not made for big booKs and mine aren't filling up the space. Poor dd wears a woman's x-small and has the matching set of booKs one would expect but the shirts are just HUGE on top. HUGE! So, across the board, the clothing is just not fitting people well in general or at least that is how a lot of my friends (with all varying body types) feel.

 

Faith

[Plucky]

I believe it. I have worn a size 9 shoe since the time I was 13. In the last year, I've noticed that size 9 shoes are now a half size too big, and I wind up buying an 8 1/2. I think those sizes have been adjusted, too, because what are the odds of my feet actually shrinking with age?

 

I haven't noticed shoes changing sizes. I know that I wore a wide shoe my whole life. I get irritated when wide sized shoes are blamed on obesity. I was just born with wide feet. So not fun shopping for shoes.

[FaithManor]

Mine wide shoes are caused by bunions. If it weren't for shoes coming in wides, I'd have to wear a shoe three sizes too long just to get enough width to get the one bunion into the toes.

 

Faith

[Plucky]

Mine wide shoes are caused by bunions. If it weren't for shoes coming in wides, I'd have to wear a shoe three sizes too long just to get enough width to get the one bunion into the toes.

 

Faith

 

:grouphug: I'm sorry. For me and my dd even getting bigger sizes doesn't work. We have to get a wide width shoe. When dd was little we had to buy all her shoes from Stride Right. They were the only ones that carried a shoe that would fit her.

[FaithManor]

:grouphug: I'm sorry. For me and my dd even getting bigger sizes doesn't work. We have to get a wide width shoe. When dd was little we had to buy all her shoes from Stride Right. They were the only ones that carried a shoe that would fit her.

 

 

My mom's foot is like that. She is very wide across the top of her toes but then she has the itty-bittiest ankle and so if she buys a wide for the toes, she gets blisters on her ankles from the rubbing.

 

Seriously, I think it was a travesty when shoes began being made in factories. The old fashioned cobbler who drew your foot and made shoes to fit, now that was the ticket!!

 

Faith

[Crimson Wife]

Well, I think vanity sizing has done women a huge disservice. My mother, who was 5'4" and weighed 115 pounds, wore a size 12 until the day of my wedding, because that's what she had always worn.

 

She went to try on dresses for my wedding and the attendant fitting her took her measurements. She was a size 2.

 

I believe this. I've got a pair of GAP jeans from the early '90's that I wear for painting marked 10P. They are the exact same size as a current pair of GAP jeans marked 4P. When I sew, my pattern size is a 12.

 

I'm 5'2" and 110 lbs. or a BMI of 20.1. I'm petite but not anorexic-looking (no jutting bones). Back when I was growing up in the '80's there were lots of then-30something women I knew who were a similar size. Today, I'm smaller than the vast majority of women I know my age.

[Veritaserum]

Body type really plays a big role in determining a person's healthy weight. I have a small/medium bone structure like my dad. We are both taller than average (I'm 5'7" and he's 6'3"), but we are not big people. After my third child was born I weighed 125 and felt great. My thyroid stopped working and my new "normal" is ~140 and I'm trying to make peace with that. I was as high as 155 and felt fat because it just looked wrong to have that much padding on my frame. I hated it. I'd only ever weighed that much while 9 months pregnant. My sister has our mom's medium/large bone structure. She is 5'6" and looks great at ~150, but way too thin at <140.

[Koerarmoca]

I don't get bogged down with charts and stats and graphs. I am 5'4 and very large framed. Big boned for sure. I wear an 11 shoe and have the hands of an NBA player. I look sickly at 150 but that is "overweight" according to my height. I look great around 175-180 and that would be my personal goal. I wear all elastic wasted skirts so I have no idea what my true size even is. I could stand to loose a few pounds its an uphill battle I can generally lose 20 then I put on 30.. its a battle. Such as life I guess.

[Joanne]

Difficult topic.

 

I've been a size 2 and I've been a size 2. Currently, I am, on the charts, morbidly obese. I'm on my way down (got 2 compliments today! I'm not currently weighing myself so I don't know my current stats).

 

What bothers *me* on the topic are 2 things:

 

1. Where have the waists gone? Girls under 25 don't have waists anymore. Overweight girls when I was growing up had an hourglass, it was just a larger one.

 

2. The "eat less, move more" health and weight loss paradigm isn't accurate or scientifically valid for many dieters.

[Crimson Wife]

Overweight girls when I was growing up had an hourglass, it was just a larger one.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

The girls I knew growing up who were overweight used to have a lot of "junk in the trunk" but they didn't have big potbellies. I look at the young girls today and they are mostly "apple" shaped. Is this because of HFCS? :confused:

[The Governess]

Here is an interesting article about average waistlines in the U.S.: http://healthhubs.ne...etter-than-bmi/

 

The article says that the average U.S. woman had a waistline of 37 inches in 2007, an increase of 7 inches over the last 40 years. No matter what size you call it, that waistline is not healthy for the vast majority of women.

[tntgoodwin]

This.

 

Marilyn Monroe would wear a size 6/8 in today's clothing. She was 5' 5 1/2" 118, dress size 12 pant size 8 and at her heaviest, weighed 140.

 

Her dressmaker claims her figure was 35-22-35

 

snopes has a good comment on it

 

Thank you.

 

A. Marilyn Monroe was a 16, she had the perfect body.

B. I think 6-8 is the ideal size for the "average" woman, with obvious exceptions.

A. No, that can't be, that is too small! You are hurting women's self-esteem, you horrible man.

C. Turns out Marilyn would be a 6-8 in today's sizes.

...

A. :crickets:

[Aelwydd]

Thank you.

 

A. Marilyn Monroe was a 16, she had the perfect body.

B. I think 6-8 is the ideal size for the "average" woman, with obvious exceptions.

A. No, that can't be, that is too small! You are hurting women's self-esteem, you horrible man.

C. Turns out Marilyn would be a 6-8 in today's sizes.

...

A. :crickets:

 

 

Yeah, well it turns out I think the ideal size for men is anywhere between 9 and 12. I hope that doesn't hurt anyone's "esteem." :D

[Carpe]

Yeah, well it turns out I think the ideal size for men is anywhere between 9 and 12. I hope that doesn't hurt anyone's "esteem." :D

 

If you're saying what I think you're saying, you are a braver woman than I am.:leaving:

[Aelwydd]

If you're saying what I think you're saying, you are a braver woman than I am.:leaving:

 

I am totally oblivious to any and all implications of your statement.

[KungFuPanda]

What does a size 14 even MEAN? Without divulging my size . . . I can now wear 4 sizes smaller than I did in high school. I'm AT LEAST ten pounds heavier. I hate to shop and put it off. I can go years without buying jeans, so when I'm forced to shop the sizing confuses me.

 

Kungfupanda

[AngieW in Texas]

I'm so varied in size that it's ridiculous. I have Dolly Parton proportions on top, so most bra makers don't even make my size and very few stores actually carry them. I haven't had a bra that fit properly since my first pregnancy (when I got even bigger and never went down again). It would be fine if I could wear underwire, but those things always leave bruises (and I've gone to specialty bra shops for fittings).

 

According to the chart, I would need a 24 in shirts. Pants and shorts are a mess because my waist is size 16 and my hips are size 8. I mostly buy size 8 or 10 in shorts. Lee is the only brand that is proportioned correctly for me.

[tntgoodwin]

Yeah, well it turns out I think the ideal size for men is anywhere between 9 and 12. I hope that doesn't hurt anyone's "esteem." :D

 

LOL

[LizzyBee]

I'm only 5'0" tall with a small to medium frame, so size 14 would be very unhealthy for me. A few years ago, I gained some weight that put me up to size 10, and I couldn't find any clothes that looked flattering in any way. When 10 wouldn't fit, I stopped buying clothes. I simply refused to buy size 12. In addition, my cholesterol and bp both crept up to the zone where medication was not necessary, but it would be if I continued trending up. The final blow was when I found out I weighed more than my mom, and my mom is not at a healthy weight. I finally got enough determination to change the way I was eating and lose some weight. I lost 15 lbs and got back down to a size 8. I would have preferred to lose 5-10 more, but I determined not to obsess about it. I felt better, looked better, and I could find clothes that looked nice on me.

 

Then a year later, I started losing more weight and got down to size 6. I was thrilled since I thought I'd never see size 6 again, but my eating habits started slipping wildly because suddenly I could eat what I wanted and still lose weight. I have a hard time eating healthy if I'm at a comfortable weight. The funny thing is that I got tons of compliments on how I looked. Then I was diagnosed with leukemia on June 30, and suddenly everyone thinks I'm wasting away even though I am by no means underweight for my height. :lol: (As a side note, the type of leukemia my oncologist thinks I have is treatable and controllable with medication; we're just waiting for confirmation from the pathologist. As my primary doctor said, I will die with it but not from it.)

Edited July 12, 2011 by LizzyBee

[SweetMissMagnolia]

that about relates to what I've heard too.....love marilyn monroe--she was a pretty lady....

[HLDoll]

Well, I think vanity sizing has done women a huge disservice. My mother, who was 5'4" and weighed 115 pounds, wore a size 12 until the day of my wedding, because that's what she had always worn.

 

She went to try on dresses for my wedding and the attendant fitting her took her measurements. She was a size 2.

 

I am 5'6" and weigh between 128-132....depending on how careful I'm being. :D I can wear anywhere from a size 4 to a size 10, depending on how "vanity-sizing dependent" the clothes manufacturer is being. I read an article that some designers have downsized their clothes by as much as 5 sizes. So, my grandmother....who wore a 24 back in the early 70s....would only be a 14 today. She would not have considered herself overweight if she "fit" into that size. She was overweight. Not sure how that helps women be healthy.

 

Of course, maybe if we weren't all so vain about that number on the tag...:lol: (And yes, I prefer my tag to say "4" instead of "10". Guilty as charged. :D)

 

This is so true. I have things in my closet anywhere from a 4 (more recent) to a 10 (10+ years old). Some of the recent 4s fit looser than the old 10s. And even when I weighed about 5 pounds less in college (15 years ago), I was never a size 4. I can't believe how much sizes have changed in the past 10-15 years. There is no "standard" in women's sizing.

[Britomart]

An interesting statistic I learned a while back is that those people who are a little overweight have a higher chance of living longer than those who are not- whether obese or a healthy weight. Its because they have some physical resources to draw on- makes sense to me.

 

 

I've heard that if you control for smoking, that advantage disappears (since smoking helps control weight, but also has a higher mortality rate).

 

Vanity sizing absolutely exists. I remember the first time I got a vintage sewing pattern and realized that, though I'm a 6-8 in today's sizes, I need to cut a 12-14 in vintage sizes.

 

Obviously there's a range for healthy weight and it has to to with body composition and frame size, but I think it's a mistake to think that healthy range is infinitely flexible.

[WishboneDawn]

I don't get bogged down with charts and stats and graphs. I am 5'4 and very large framed. Big boned for sure. I wear an 11 shoe and have the hands of an NBA player. I look sickly at 150 but that is "overweight" according to my height. I look great around 175-180 and that would be my personal goal. I wear all elastic wasted skirts so I have no idea what my true size even is. I could stand to loose a few pounds its an uphill battle I can generally lose 20 then I put on 30.. its a battle. Such as life I guess.

 

Except for height (I'm around 5'7) this could be me, right down to shoe size. The best I ever felt and the weight that had men checking me out all the time was 170. The fittest I've been as an adult was at considerably more then that.

 

I'm done with weight. I'm almost 40, I'm not interested in wasting any more time obsessing over it.

[WishboneDawn]

I should also note that I don't really know sizes. I find they're unreliable and the only size I know is one brand of jeans that I always buy. Otherwise I just try stuff on and if it looks good I buy it, regardless of what's marked on the tag.

 

Sizes have changed because manufacturers know we pay attention to them and often put more stock in them then in our judgement.

[Mrs Mungo]

Let's put this another way, entirely. It *doesn't matter* to the media or fashion industry whether X or Y is healthy for women. You can't have a real discussion about this and pretend that they do care.

 

The *look* of women in the public eye is extremely important, more important than anything else they do.

 

How many movies have you seen where a dorky, ugly, overweight, stupid, lazy and/or mean man gets the hot, successful, smart woman? I can easily name dozens off the top of my head. Can you say the same of the reverse? Absolutely not. I can think of 2 or 3 and that's the whole focus of the movie, the novelty of it.

 

What look is popular? Curvy? Slender? Athletic? Tan? Pale? That is what women are expected to emulate. Men *do not* have the same level of pressure applied to them. It's not even close.

 

Let me give another example of how this pressure is applied in real life. My dh subscribes to Men's Health. I have a copy here. I also have a copy of my Real Simple magazine, it focuses on food, home organization, that sort of thing, but definitely marketed to women. In the first 25 pages of my magazine there are 5 anti-wrinkle ads. There are ads for weight-loss products, bras that are advertised as helping you look thinner, light beer, low calorie frozen dinners, etc. Over half of the ads are dedicated to some aspect of how women should look.

 

My dh's magazine (despite being a "health" magazine)? Has ads for watches, cars, hard alcohol, cigars, etc. There is *one* ad in the whole magazine related to health/looks and that's one for a supplement that boosts a man's drive.

 

Discussing whether this or that weight is "healthy" is a red herring as to what this sort of discussion is really about.

[MIch elle]

I'm 5'7" have a large bone structure and wear sz 10 shoe; I carry my weight evenly. I was a size 12 in high school, size 10/12 in college, and size 12 now but am 50 lbs heavier now. :confused:

 

My goal is no longer size but weight.

[Mrs Mungo]

Here's an article that has a lot to do with the original post:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/01/image/ig-size1

[DesertDweller]

So much of the super skinny look being in must be because of women. Most men that I know don't prefer that look.

 

Of course, there are always exceptions. I think 14 may be average, but then our country is overly obese.

 

I think usually somewhere around a 6-8 is probably ideal for an average woman.

 

I would agree that a size 14 probably is average today, but I do think a size 6-8 is more ideal.

 

I was a size 14, almost size 16, and I weighed about 180 pounds at 5'5". I was definitely overweight and not in the best of health.

 

I'm now 126 pounds and about a size 6 in most clothing. I feel and look better.

 

I think thin is healthier. Unfortunately, many people take this to the extreme and end up looking almost anorexic. Most of this is brought on by the media and the super thin models that seem to be idolized for having an almost boyish figure.

 

And honestly, a person can be thin and be in poor health. A person can weigh heavier and be very healthy because the weight is from muscle and not fat.

[historically accurate]

I agree! There are so many factors that contribute to weight distribution, it isn't right or fair to put women in a box like this. And yes, it is more important to be active and eat healthy than to focus on size.

 

A number of years ago when I visited the Louvre in Paris, I found myself in the Rubens Gallery standing in awe of life-sized paintings of full-figured women. In Rubens' era, a size 14 woman would be considered beautiful and healthy, and that is why I danced gleefully with open arms around the gallery that day. My dear mother was with me, and all I could say to her was, "Mom, we're HOME!!" You see, Mom and I are both full-figured women by heredity. I just wish we'd been alive in the day of Peter Paul Rubens! All the struggling with body image and size that we've endured all of our lives would have never existed. It's all relevant to the culture and times in which you live, wouldn't you say?

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

We recently visited Holland, MI and learned about witchcraft trials in the Netherlands. Apparently, very slight, light-weight people were often accused because it was believed they could fly. My mom & I both looked at each other and blurted "At least we're not witches!" at exactly the same time!

[cathmom]

Let's put this another way, entirely. It *doesn't matter* to the media or fashion industry whether X or Y is healthy for women. You can't have a real discussion about this and pretend that they do care.

 

The *look* of women in the public eye is extremely important, more important than anything else they do.

 

How many movies have you seen where a dorky, ugly, overweight, stupid, lazy and/or mean man gets the hot, successful, smart woman? I can easily name dozens off the top of my head. Can you say the same of the reverse? Absolutely not. I can think of 2 or 3 and that's the whole focus of the movie, the novelty of it.

 

What look is popular? Curvy? Slender? Athletic? Tan? Pale? That is what women are expected to emulate. Men *do not* have the same level of pressure applied to them. It's not even close.

 

Let me give another example of how this pressure is applied in real life. My dh subscribes to Men's Health. I have a copy here. I also have a copy of my Real Simple magazine, it focuses on food, home organization, that sort of thing, but definitely marketed to women. In the first 25 pages of my magazine there are 5 anti-wrinkle ads. There are ads for weight-loss products, bras that are advertised as helping you look thinner, light beer, low calorie frozen dinners, etc. Over half of the ads are dedicated to some aspect of how women should look.

 

My dh's magazine (despite being a "health" magazine)? Has ads for watches, cars, hard alcohol, cigars, etc. There is *one* ad in the whole magazine related to health/looks and that's one for a supplement that boosts a man's drive.

 

Discussing whether this or that weight is "healthy" is a red herring as to what this sort of discussion is really about.

 

Fabulous post!

[Scarlett]

:tongue_smilie: This reminds me of a friend I had. She is 10 years older. When I was in my late 30s, she was in her late 40s. I'm taller. Our body types are totally different. She felt huge in a size 6 and her weight did not fall within the healthy weight range. She felt so much better being back in a size 4 and all I could think was that I hadn't seen a size 4 since 7th grade.

 

I guess size 12 sounds big, but I felt healthiest at that size. My weight was in the middle of my healthy weight range. That is where I would like to be again. Any smaller than that, and I start looking bad. I have no desire to be a size 8 again. I would have to be below my healthy weight range to fit in a size 8.

 

 

 

Well, exactly! I weigh much less than I look! And I am happiest at 125 pounds. I am 5'6". I have a beautiful friend who is probably 5'7" and 10 years younger...I bet she hasn't seen 125pounds since she was a teen! But she looks gorgeous and thin.

 

I do believe there is a huge problem with weight in this country.....Average is not what we should aspire to.

[goldberry]

I'm almost 6 foot and have NEVER been a size 6. When I was stick thin in high school I was an 8 or 9. I am a 14 when I am at the upper end of my weight recommendation (not comfortable for me) and a 12 when I am at my ideal and comfortable weight.

 

When I am in a 12, I am described as "thin". But, I fear I am one of those "thin fat people" in that it is much easier for me to be thin that to be in shape. I have a horrible resting heart rate (between 88-90). I stick with exercise for maybe 6 months or so, then give up. I hate it and have to keeping coming back to it.

 

Because of the emphasis given to size, it is too easy for me to stop exercising when I am "thin enough" to wear the clothes I want. Health is so much more important than size.

[DawnM]

I actually found you in a search for Joel Fuhrman.....did you not like the Eat to Live program?

 

I am thinking of going back to a more Vegan lifestyle since I felt so much better eating that way.

 

Dawn

 

Hmmmm, a 14 in vanity sizes? And average when so many people are overweight? Yes, I think it is possible and terribly unhealthy. Of course, stressing about it isn't good, but I don't think we should just say, "I'm a size 14 and that is average so good enough" either. And I do think the idea of being thinner than and just as unshapely as a prepubescent boy is nutty too.

 

ETA: I so need to do something. Some of you may remember that I worked really hard on this when my hubby went to work in Kentucky for 4½ months. We used Skype, but I didn't let him see my body the entire time. I went from an 18/20 down to a 12/14 in that time, losing 43 pounds. I kept it off pretty well for about six months, but then we went traveling with him last summer. Unfortunately, living in hotels, eating fast food (and what is easy to cook in hotels as well as continental breakfasts), etc is just not conducive to keeping off the weight, much less losing more. On top of that, I got sicker than ever while traveling so didn't move barely at all. I'm now about where I started. The four big people in the house started a diet yesterday. I'm starting P90 tomorrow (not ready for The X).

[ocelotmom]

I'm 5'11", and well within my ideal weight range (though, according to the tape measure, I could still stand to exchange some fat for muscle). I wear between a 10 and 14 depending on brand. I can't imagine ever fitting into a 6 unless I was severely, unhealthily underweight.

 

I also sometimes have to wear clothing a bit looser than intended in order to get enough length.

[LisaKinVA]

Sizes have changed... kinda wish things were sold based upon inches rather than arbitrary numbers (like mens' clothes).

 

I went cocktail-dress shopping last week. It was AWFUL. I'm apparently about the same size as Marilyn Monroe ;), and there is virtually NOTHING on the rack that looks good on me.

 

The size 10 dresses don't fit me in the chest, and are loose around the waist and hips. A size 12 fits in the chest and hangs like a sack around my waist and hips. Honestly, I would have had much better luck in the bathing suit department!

 

I hate shopping for clothes. I always have. I'm just not made like a stick, dag-nabit. I do have one dd who is, though...

 

My 65yo mother keeps talking about sizes today, she talks about all the girls she went to high school with (who weren't overweight), and how they *never* wore a size 8. She's tall...5'7" and wore a size 10 in high school... and she weighed 118 pounds WET. I'm 5'5", and haven't seen south of 120 since I was in Jr. High (of course, I had curves my mother never did).

 

I do think clothes are designed for sticks... and then they just add some fabric and "call" it a size 12, or whatever. They just aren't DESIGNED for women with figures. As far as my personal history goes... I don't think it's been that way for the past 20+ years (I've always gravitated towards 2-piece dressing vs. dresses, because I could get blouses/sweaters/skirts/pants that fit my body... and dresses never did.

[Mrs Mungo]

Sizes have changed... kinda wish things were sold based upon inches rather than arbitrary numbers (like mens' clothes).

 

I went cocktail-dress shopping last week. It was AWFUL. I'm apparently about the same size as Marilyn Monroe ;), and there is virtually NOTHING on the rack that looks good on me.

 

The size 10 dresses don't fit me in the chest, and are loose around the waist and hips. A size 12 fits in the chest and hangs like a sack around my waist and hips. Honestly, I would have had much better luck in the bathing suit department!

 

Cocktail dresses almost always have to be adjusted by a seamstress. Buy one that fits well in your biggest body part and have the rest taken in. It isn't usually very expensive. It's well worth it for a great fitting dress!

[Julie Smith]

I remember a linked posted on this message board several months ago. It contained pictures of people and comments according to Doctors? about whether or not they were a healthy weight.

 

Anyone know what I'm talking about? Can anyone find it?

[WishboneDawn]

I do think clothes are designed for sticks... and then they just add some fabric and "call" it a size 12, or whatever. They just aren't DESIGNED for women with figures. As far as my personal history goes... I don't think it's been that way for the past 20+ years (I've always gravitated towards 2-piece dressing vs. dresses, because I could get blouses/sweaters/skirts/pants that fit my body... and dresses never did.

 

Yup! I learned with knitting that when you're sizing something up for a plus size you don't simply add inches. You need to change the actual shape of the garment.

[fiedel]

If the average American woman is a size 14, wouldn't it stand to reason that a size 14 would be the most common size sold in the United States?

Nope. In fact, size 14 is among the least purchased sizes out there for many manufacturers. So it seems that being a size 14 and buying a size 14 are in fact two very different things.

 

 

 

So what gives?

 

 

 

I read these facts the other day in WWD, the fashion industry/retail newspaper published five days a week in New York City. The story concerned the significant fit difficulties that face manufacturers and designers who want to target the plus-size market, and it also outlined the dwindling options that plus-size shoppers have because of it.

 

It's hard to ignore the relentless media coverage of America's obesity problem, and well, just as hard to miss the evidence all around us believe me, I couldn't miss it, as I spent last week at the beach. The bumps, the chunks, the cellulite, oh my. And that was just under MY umbrella.

 

 

__________________________

Education Consultants in India

[Heather in Neverland]

Try living in an Asian country where all the clothes are made to fit the body of a 12yo boy. :glare:

 

Two things come to mind: body shape and different manufacturers .

 

I am 5'6. I weigh 150. I have curves (36-25-37). Finding pants or jeans that fit my bubble butt AND my waist? Nearly impossible. Finding anything to fit me in this country? I'd have a better chance at spotting Elvis.

 

Because of the way I am shaped I can pull off 150 pretty well. My BFF is 5'8 with no chest or hips to speak of . She looks pudgy at the same weight (by her words).

 

Also, at my favorite American clothing store, I wear a size 8. If the pants have any kind of stretch in them, like lycra, i can get into a 6. At the stores on either side of it I can barely squeeze into a 12. And here in sunny Malaysia... Sigh... I have to have clothes made to fit me.

 

So average size? I don't know how you would calculate that unless all the manufacturers agreed to use the exact same size methods when constructing their clothes.

[mom@shiloh]

Whew! this is a long thread! Just need to tell a little story here. My mother recently moved out of her house and my sister and I were cleaning out some things. We came across a dress that my mother had worn to a special event about 40 years ago. My mother usually sewed all of her clothes, but this one came from a store and had a tag in it. It said size 14. I tried it on. My dress size is 6, but this almost fit me. Something to think about.....

Jean

[Annabel Lee]

You know, a PP mentioned "vanity sizing" and I believe manufacturers are doing this. This is based on the clothes I just cleaned out of the recesses of my storage, in hopes of someday fitting back into them (what was I thinking?). Some of them are still cute, so I let my daughter try on what she wanted. Clothes labeled with the same exact size she wears now were too small. The next size up (in '90's clothing) fit her well, though. :001_huh: