Health

Size 12 women ‘likely’ to be obese

Size 12 women 'likely' to be obese

If you’re putting off going to the gym because you still fit into size 12 clothes, dust off your running shoes — the average size 12 garment fits women who are medically obese.

Australian fashion houses have expanded the measurements of the average size 12 item of clothing so it fits women with a waistline of 88cm, which is considered obese.

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“A size 12 used to be quite svelte and not overweight but, nowadays, someone who is a size 12 is highly likely to be overweight,” the Public Health Association of Australia told the Herald Sun.

“That is a travesty because it implies that measurement is okay when clearly that sizing will have lifetime ramifications for health.”

Women with a waistline of more than 80cm are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and cancer.

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Moore has called for an Australian standard for adult’s clothing sizing to end the practice of ‘vanity sizing’ to make women feel better about their bodies.

Your say: Do you think clothes sizes should be standardised, or do you like being a smaller size in certain brands?

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