Plus Sizes Market Evolves to Serve Overweight Consumers

The results of a study of American body shapes and sizes reveal trends that impact a number of industries, including apparel. While a well-known 2004 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had already shown that Americans are getting a lot heavier, another study, which was sponsored in 2003 by the U.S. military as well as clothing companies such as Lands’ End, J.C. Penney, Target and Dillard’s, shows how factors such as age, income and occupation affect the size and shape of the human body. The study utilized an advanced 3D body scanner developed by [TC]² of Cary, North Carolina. Researchers scanned over 10,800 men and women in several cities around the U.S. For example, those who earn up to $25,000 per year weigh 152 pounds on average, while those in the $50,000-to-$75,000 category average 160 pounds. Those earning above $75,000 weighed nearly the same as those in the lowest income category. Regardless of income, the average adult American woman is 5’4” tall, weighs 155 pounds and wears a size 14.

More recently, an associate professor at Washington State University estimated that the average American woman wore a Misses size 16 to 18 as of 2016. Another 2016 study was conducted by the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education. It found, after sampling measurements of 5,500 women in the U.S., that since 1988, the average waist size increased from 34.9 inches to 37.5 inches. American childhood obesity is also a very challenging health problem.

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Plus Sizes Market Evolves to Serve Overweight Consumers, Business and Industry Trends Analysis

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