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NEW YORK, Mar 01, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A U.S. survey of body sizes indicates the clothing industry's 63-year-old size standards are about 63 years out of date for modern consumers.
While the standard size for a woman was deemed to be a size 8 in 1941, women then averaged a 35-inch bust, a 27-inch waist and a 37.5-inch hip.
But using a sophisticated scanner, researchers from the clothing industry and military found the average American woman aged 18 to 25 in 2004 has 38-32-41 figure.
By the time they reach their late thirties, the average figure for a white woman is 41-34-43, and for a black woman 43-37-46.
Men's sizes have shifted as well from the old average of a 40-inch chest, 34-inch waist and 40-inch hip. Among men aged 18 to 25, the average size recorded by the survey was a 41-inch chest, 35-inch waist, and 41-inch hips.
More than 10,000 people in 13 U.S. cities were scanned for the study.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
