The image of the average woman is shifting. Recently, Miss Indiana made the news because of her looks. She was praised for hitting the pageant circuit with an average looking bod. Sure, she's not as stickily as most contestants, but average. Many jumped on those claims with fact.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average woman is 5'3" tall and wears a size 12 to 14. Miss Indiana is 5'8" and wears a size four. So, sure Miss Indiana has a healthier body than many others in her line of errr... work, but it is not the norm. She still looks fit and elegant, which is a far cry from a short plump woman as is actually the average.
Aside from that, since when did the average woman become 5'3"? I had always thought the average woman's height was 5'6" or so, making me short with my 5'3" frame. When I step out of the house most people are taller than me. Even kids. So, how is it that even though I am often looking up at people I am average? Why is it that the average height for women is now so close to dwarfism? Five inches is all that separates this new average from this specially distinguished group of people. I have remained pretty incredulous to this statistic, so I did some looking of my own. When did American women get so short? My conclusion, there is an inverse bell curve when it comes to height nowadays. There are a lot of tall people and a lot of short people, but not a whole lot in between. Same for male height. The averages, across the board are shorter than I would have imagined. I guess it is always easier to notice those who are not like you than those who are.
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