Abstract
The purpose of this study is to categorize the whole body shapes in overweight and obese (OWOB) female in the United States. Based on K-mean cluster analysis and four principle component (PC) scores, four whole body shapes among OWOB female in the US were categorized: Full bust-curvy, straight-oval, straight-pear, and full bust-tilted. The body shapes were mainly identified based on their side views as three PCs explained the characteristics of their body from the side silhouette and one PC related to the upper body from the front view. The results implied that OWOB female’s whole body shapes were significantly differentiated from the side views. Identifying whole body shapes among OWOB women in the US contributes significantly to apparel companies who target the markets of plus sized women to develop new sizing system and body related literature by filling gaps in missing whole body shape categories among OWOB female.
Highlights
IntroductionBackground and SignificancesObesity and problems from being overweight are increasing among Americans, and approximately 30% of adults are overweight and 36.5% are obese (cdc.gov)
August (1981) and others (e.g., Connell, Ulrich, Brannon, Alexander, & Presely) defined the silhouette and profile of the body, the ways of categorizing body shapes caused difficulty to apply to a traditional pattern making method (Song & Ashdown, 2011)
Body measurements extracted from a 3D body scanner have been primarily used in categorizing lower body shapes among 18-35 year-women focusing on female with 34.1 BMI or under (Song & Ashdown, 2011)
Summary
Background and SignificancesObesity and problems from being overweight are increasing among Americans, and approximately 30% of adults are overweight and 36.5% are obese (cdc.gov). Overweight and obese (OWOB) cause significant body changes and fit problems for two reasons: (1) The amounts of fat deposition on certain body areas (e.g., bust, abdomen, buttocks) are significantly higher than not OWOB women; and (2) It is a $21 billion industry for plus-size women’s clothing, but limited numbers of apparel companies focus on plus sized female consumers (Meyersohn, 2018) given the significantly large number of OWOB adults in the United States. Body measurements extracted from a 3D body scanner have been primarily used in categorizing lower body shapes among 18-35 year-women focusing on female with 34.1 BMI or under (Song & Ashdown, 2011).
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