Measuring up-way up!

Not since 1941 (and then only to decide on what size to make a G.I.'s uniform) has anyone dared to take a tape measure to the American body politic. But now the tapes are out and we have recently published results, sponsored by the clothing and textile industry, the Army and Navy and several universities, of the measurements of some 10,000 people across the country. The study confirms what most other reports have been saying: measurements are up, way up for everybody, across the board. Whereas the average woman's dress size was long considered an 8, today the average is more like a 14. The once average man's size 40 (40 inch chest, 34-inch waist, 40-inch hip), has shot up to a 44-inch chest, 37-inch waist, 42-inch hip. Most interesting is the finding that men and women are not just bigger, they are also rounder in the middle. Does all this bother us? Apparently most people haven't even noticed: asked how much they think they weighed, more than half of the men and almost 40 percent of the women said they were "about the right weight." You can get used to anything if you live with it long enough.

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