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If Barbie were life-size she would be 7 feet tall. Her measurements would be 38.5 - 26 - 35. She couldn't possibly be alive if she were any shorter...even at 7 feet her wrist would only be a little more than 5" around, the circumference of her upper thighs would only be 21", and her neck only 9" around. This is the doll that most american girls are given to play with, admire, and role-play with as children, a doll that plays a fundamental role in our understanding and expectations of women.

Sadly the comparison between ourselves and supermodels is something many of us live by. Is it realistic? By realistic I mean healthy and natural. According to these expectations, my 'ideal' model weight would be 20 pounds less than my natural weight, and put me in the clinically underweight range.

Height &	'Ideal' Model Weight
5'0"	102 lbs
5'1"	104 lbs
5'2"	105 lbs
5'3"	107 lbs
5'4"	109 lbs
5'5"	111 lbs
5'6"	112 lbs
5'7"	114 lbs
5'8"	116 lbs
5'9"	117 lbs
5'10"	119 lbs

Clinical standards state that five feet of height should equal 105 lbs,
plus five pounds for each extra inch on a healthy person.
Notice that in these supermodel standards there is only a 17 lb difference
in the ten inch difference from a height of five feet to a height of 5'10".
On a healthy scale, the difference for those ten inches would be 50 lbs.

Height &	'Ideal' Hip Measurement
5'0"	29 in.
5'1"	30 in.
5'2"	30 in.
5'3"	31 in.
5'4"	31 in.
5'5"	32 in.
5'6"	32 in.
5'7"	33 in.
5'8"	33 in.
5'9"	34 in.
5'10"	34 in.

Height &	'Ideal' Waist Measurement
5'0"	22.1 in.
5'1"	22.4 in.
5'2"	22.8 in.
5'3"	23.2 in.
5'4"	23.5 in.
5'5"	24.0 in.
5'6"	24.3 in.
5'7"	24.6 in.
5'8"	25.0 in.
5'9"	25.4 in.
5'10"	25.7 in.

Divide your height in inches by 2 to find your 'ideal' chest measurement.

So ... is it realistic?

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