What is the average......

[lookeelikee]

body size of a woman in the UK? Because frankly I'm baffled. I thought it was 12 but apparently is 16

I promise it’s not. Most clothing is made from a standard mannequin that is 5’5-5’7. Which is silly because the average woman is smaller than that. But then they created ‘petite’ ranges for 5’3 and under.

Leaving the actual average height 5’4 catered for nowhere.

Thank you.

Most of the UK high street cuts clothes to 5'4" or 5'5" which is the average British woman.

As a 5'8" woman I have a few go-to brands that cut proportionately for taller ladies. Dresses and jackets need to come from these brands or they don't fit.

Sweaters, I buy a lot of men's small, so the arms are long enough. Jeans, Boden Long fit me. Nothing in M&S fits me. Their mannequins must be a different species. 😁

Well I’m 5’4 and everything is way too long - sleeves, trousers etc. I have to buy the ‘petite’ range. Promise you nothing is designed for 5’4.

I remember reading it’s a size 16. But then a woman of 5ft will look completely different to a tall woman of the same clothes size.

I'm an 8-10 but am no way skinny….but I'm a short arse.
If I was 5ft 11’ I’d be a waif.

It is meaningless trying to express an average size in dress sizes because there is no such thing as a consistent 'size 16' - even within the same brand.

The average weight of a woman in the UK is 73 kg (11 and a half stone) - but that doesn't tell us what size she is, as that would be overweight for a shorter woman, and healthy for a taller woman.

And even if you could establish an average dress size, the same height factor would make it meaningless. A size 16 woman who is 5' tall would look very different from a size 16 woman who was 6' tall.

This is why I didn't google for an answer. It's about perception and demographics and led by the fashion industry.
OLD settings for example
Athletic
Thin
Average
Curvy
BBW

According to NHS England, 59% of English (not British) women are overweight or heavier than overweight.

Size 16 is a rough tool for all the reasons PP have stated, but it seems broadly credible to me.

Well what you see reported is that a size 16 is average. I wonder if that statistic has changed over the last couple of years with the popularity of GLP1’s

I should try reading the thread before making the most obvious comment.

cancel the cheque.

Average waist size is 35 inches (NHS) and sadly it's still increasing.