Britons are taller, straighter and larger than ever

Sep 2 2004

Britons are taller, straighter and larger than ever, according to a computer mapping survey carried out at MMU and seven other centres of clothing excellence across the UK.

Size UK measured the body shapes of around 1,500 Mancunian men and women in October 2001 among 10,000 measured nationwide under the survey backed by the department of trade and industry and a consortium or retailers including Marks & Spencer, GUS, N Brown and Redcats.

A copycat study was done in the United States and, like the UK project, hoped to answer the elusive question of who is really a size 12.

Each person had 130 body measurements taken by a computer scanner installed at MMU’s Clothing Design Technology “Centre of Excellence” at the Hollings Campus in Rusholme. Experts led by MMU anthropometrist Dr Rose Otieno also took 25 measurements by hand before the data was collected by Size UK for analysis.

The results are fascinating but not altogether surprising and show notable changes in the UK ‘body’ since the last major survey in the 1950s. In 1951, the average British woman stood at 5ft 2in tall. She probably had a bust of 37 inches and her hips were 39 inches. Her waist was just 27.5 inches.

Today’s woman stands 5ft 4 in tall, with a 38-inch bust, measures 40.5 inches across the hips and has put on some weight around the waist, now measuring 34 inches, a large rise.

The average man is 5ft 9.5in with a 42-inch chest and a 37-inch waist. No data is available for 1950s man.

Dr Rose Otieno says the project will give the clothing retailers a clearer idea of what their customers look like and could lead to better fitting clothes.

For more information about Clothing Design Technology courses, undergraduate and postgraduate, short courses for industry and research, please contact 0161 247 2645/2644 or go to http://www.hollings.mmu.ac.uk/faculty/cdt/