Why the size 12 is waist of time

FASHION houses have expanded the waistline of an average size 12 so much it can fit a woman considered obese under Australian guidelines.

Waist measure

FASHION houses have expanded the waistline of an average size 12 so much it can fit a woman considered obese under Australian guidelines.

What started as a ploy to make women feel better about themselves has concerned health experts, who say "vanity sizing" has lulled women into a false sense of security about their weight.

"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," said Michael Moore from the Public Health Association of Australia.

The federal government's Measure Up campaign, aimed at tackling the 61 per cent of Australian adults who are overweight, suggests women with a waistline of more than 80cm are at increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers.

They're at a greatly increased risk of these diseases if their waistline is more than 88cm, yet a size 12, or medium in popular women's retailer Witchery, caters for a waistline of 85-89cm. The same waist measurement at Country Road is a size 16, or extra large. A size 12 at Suzanne Grae fits an 80cm waist.

"That is a travesty because it implies that measurement is OK when clearly that sizing will have lifetime ramifications for health," Mr Moore said.

"We need a sensible national standard that supports sensible weight - not underweight, not overweight."

Obesity expert Professor Ian Caterson from the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders said a waist measurement of more than 88cm was considered obese.

"Everyone expects a size 12 to be normal, but pushing up the sizes is filling women with a false sense of security," Prof Caterson said.

There is an Australian standard for children's clothes sizes, but none for adults.

 Designers and clothing manufacturers use sizing as a marketing tool, consumer group Choice said.

Choice proved its point when it sent out a shopper who ranged from a size 14 at Portmans to a size 10 at Target and Sussan, and back to a 14 at Alannah Hill.

"It's called vanity sizing and essentially the sizing is tailored to the demographic that brand is marketing at, to make them feel good," said Ingrid Just from Choice.