...to think that it might not really be true that the UK average clothes size for women is UK size 16?

[which1]

I just can't help but think that that's not true. That this is the average has been floating around for years I know.

But whilst I do see some people who are size 16 or above, I do not think I see so many as to tip the scales to the extent that 16 becomes the average.

I would say that the average is a UK12.

(I'm not talking about on Mumsnet as the vast majority here are pretty slim and around size 8 average from all the threads that I see either about clothes sizes or posters who mention in passing on a related topic.)

Clothes size is like completely and totally meaningless.

I'm a rather hefty size 12 (as in a 12 in any shop is never too small and I often wear a 10). I am 5'10. Anywhere in the world outside the competitive undersizing of MN I am tall and slim.

Most are a size 8 my arse. Overweight at size 6 erm only if you have body dysmorphia.

I honestly think that your bmi and fitness are far more important that what size leggings you wear from Asda but I'm a lone voice as usual I expect.

you’d feel huge being a 12.

I really really wouldn't

I'm a 12 and people have commented about me being an 8. I am definitely not an 8! I think people have no idea re sizes and looking at people round here, I'm definitely on the smaller side.

Why are more affluent people generally slimmer? I’ve always wondered that.

It’s complex, but reasons must include

Better diet, so nutrients trigger satiety.

Fresh veg is expensive, perishable and time consuming to prepare.

More food choice in Waitrose than in say a corner shop.

More childcare so more opportunity to exercise.

More access to exercise and leisure. Kit, classes etc.

Possibly more education around nutrition.

Less stress , so less comfort eating.

Role models of tackling problems in a systematic way, and that working out( complex, but if you have only seen your parents trapped in poverty, must give a feeling of helplessness, limited options.)

Wealth gives rise to feelings of possibilities and longer term control over life.

Poverty tends towards short term goals and short term gratification.

Probably lots more that others might want to add.

"why would you be a snarky bitch to someone "

I wasn't a snarky bitch! I asked a genuine question to that poster. I'd like to know if she thinks people shouldn't talk about the average size because she's bigger than it.

"Also, no one in this thread is really talking about the obesity problem"

Of course they are. The whole thread is about how the average size now is one that would have been considered very large a few years ago and one at which most women (even if not the tallest ones) would be overweight. Of course it's about the obesity problem!

@ethelfleda
"You can eat well on a budget - but you have to be able to cook I guess"

It isn't just about cost. It's basically having very little to look forward to and stimulate the feel good part of the brain.

A combination of sugar and fat serves both purposes and if you shop at, farm foods, Iceland etc, you can get that hit every day, regardless of income.

A Doctor on the television programme about the link between poverty and obesity, described it as an easy solution to a shit life.

I've just got down to a size 14. I'm about average to small where i live/shop. I've been fat for about three years after an illness. I avoided shopping in the city centre (Liverpool) and went to St Helens instead. At my heavest not far under 16 stone, i didn't stand out and saw, plenty of women larger than me.

I've been babysitting lately. So I'm at the front of the bus just people watching. I'm shocked by the bellys on men of all ages.

I have dress patterns from the 70/80s and we've gone up two sizes. I can remember my Mother going on a diet when she hit a size 18, which would be today's 14. That was when corsets stopped being worn every day.

Sure
Bit 5.10 and a 12 is different to 5.1 and a 12.

My sis is 6ft and she doesn’t look a 14. But my point really was in some areas where there is social pressure to be slim 10 might be average. Its def not where i live

I am 5ft 6, size 16 (possibly 14 on top if the cut is generous), with a BMI of 28. To have a BMI of 25 I’d need to lose 18lbs which would most likely put me at at a size 14.

I feel slightly heavier than average - I have lots of friends who are slimmer than me, and not quite so many who are heavier! But there are a few who are MUCH heavier than me and that will skew the average.

Also it depends how old you are - with many of us the weight creeps on as you get older. And post kids of course.

I shop lots at Iceland.
I buy meat, frozen veg, cream, frozen berries, free range eggs, 85% chocolate and follow a keto diet which can absolutely be achieved on a budget. I don't overeat.
A grocery budget (five children) doesn't equate to a shit diet full of processed crap.
Being a regular at your local Waitrose isn't a prerequisite to a decent diet.

@which1

Very few women are a size 8.

A size 8 is actually a size 12.

Have you not heard of vanity sizing?

Women who are size 16 are really a size 20.

Although I agree we've gone up several sizes in the last 50 years, previous generations (including my mother and aunts) were underfed. Also, they didn't have modern fabrics, bedding or central heating to keep warm and dry.

Bit 5.10 and a 12 is different to 5.1 and a 12
Totally.
I am very petite at 5.3 size 8.
My work friend is 5.9 size 12. She is very slim and lean, if I was a 12 I'd be overweight, she couldn't be an 8 to support her height.
Hence BMI takes height and weight into consideration.
When discussing the average woman as a size 12 I am thinking of someone 5.3 or under.

I find it hard to believe as I'm a 16\18 and to be honest I'm bloody massive and feel.And look awful.for it

I still wonder how marilyn monroe was a size 16. She looked tiny

A size 8 is actually a size 12
It really isn't in most shops excluding next. H and M Newlook primark size 8's are small, all fit me perfectly, I am under 8 stone 5.3ft so definitely an 8.

HotSince82 I agree with you, though I don't follow a keto diet myself. I think if you are motivated you can eat a reasonably healthy diet on a budget, it can be hard work though and you do have to change the mindset of eating for enjoyment or a quick emotional fix.

Kerkya she wasn't a size 16. That's a myth.

Apparently the average BMI for women of my age group is 28.6. I reckon with a BMI of 28 I'd be a size 12.

My mum was a size 18 in the 1950s. Looking at pics of her in a swimsuit looking totally slim and amazing, I'd say that she was the equivalent of a 12 today tops.

I wouldn't say the average is a size 12. I'm a size 16 but I look quite slim, probably because I'm tall. The average size would be skewed by the number of women who are obese and who take a size 20 upwards. There are a lot of them.

Women who are size 16 are really a size 20.

When I compare my measurements to those on dressmaking patterns, I'm a size 22/24 rather than a shop 16.

I'm fat, and 22/24 feels a hell of a lot more accurate to me!

@HotSince82 it’s not a prerequisite but it is easier

I’m a womanswear buyer for an independent. Think price range similar to Whistles/Cos so it’s reasonable to say a more affluent customer than average. The first sizes to sell out are always S (36, 8-10)

Where I live there’s a fairly wide range of people from all sorts of backgrounds. I’m 5’1, size 0/4 and I am by no means the slimmest person I’ve seen!

That said over the years it’s hard not to notice a slowly growing population and I am constantly flabbergasted by the portion sizes served when I eat out. Sometimes it’s obscene!

"I still wonder how marilyn monroe was a size 16."

She wasn't.

At her largest her waist was 28.5 inches. But she was between a 6/8, by today's sizing.

Different areas have different demographics and you might just not see it around your place. I notice it a lot more in certain parts of the country.