We often hear that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but in reality, it is also in the eye of the masses. The standard of beauty is something that we often look to without really looking at it directly.
In recent years, social media has been a big player when it comes to the standards of beauty. It seems as if it is continuing to play a role, and as women and men continue to display their bodies in a natural way, our standards of beauty may be changing further.
According to a recent study in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education, there is a reported shift that is occurring. This shift that was discovered is actually in the size clothing that women wear.
Not all that long ago, the average size for a woman would be 14. Rather than wearing 14 on average, however, women are wearing 16 or 18.
In order to make this determination, the study analyzed more than 5,500 US women. They determined that the average waste size increased from 34.9 inches to 37.5 inches over the past 20 years.
According to a lead expert in the study, Susan Dunn, knowing the average can help a lot of women with their self-image. Dunn worked along with co-author Deborah Christel. She is calling on fashion designers and those within the industry to adopt those changes.
She said: “These women aren’t going away, they aren’t going to disappear, and they deserve to have clothing.”
In other words, clothing makers need to update the sizing standards of their products to reflect the real world for the modern American woman. To embrace their true shape and size rather than continuing on an outdated system.
