For women, a 27-inch waist is roughly 9″ smaller than the average female's. And even among fit women, a 27-inch waist is on the small side. So it's a good target for overall health and fitness. However, your ideal waist size depends on your body type and height.
Generally speaking, a 28-inch waist is on the small side and indicates low abdominal fat, a marker of good health. However, having a slim waist doesn't automatically make you healthy. And you must also consider other diet and lifestyle factors.
What should your waist measurement be? For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is 'low risk', 94–102cm (37-40in) is 'high risk' and more than 102cm (40in) is 'very high'. For women, below 80cm (31.5in) is low risk, 80–88cm (31.5-34.6in) is high risk and more than 88cm (34.6in) is very high.
For your best health, your waist should be less than 40 inches around for men, and less than 35 inches for women, although it may vary depending on race or ethnicity. If it's larger than that, you may want to talk with your doctor about what your next steps are, including losing weight.
The average waist size for American women is 35.6 inches. That means a 27-inch waist would be smaller than 95% of average women. However, it's important to remember that 3 out of 4 adult women in the US are overweight or obese. So you might not want to compare yourself to the general population.
These increases correspond with the increasing trend in the proportion of Australians who are overweight or obese as measured using Body Mass Index. See Overweight and Obesity. On average, men aged 18 years and over had a waist measurement of 97.9 cm, while women had a waist measurement of 87.7 cm.
US 6 - either UK 8 (Waist 26”/27" and Bust 33”/34") or UK 10 (Waist 27”/28" and Bust 35”/36") US 8 - either UK 10 (Waist 27”/28" and Bust 35”/36") or UK 12 (Waist 29”/30" and Bust 37”/38") US 10 - either UK 12 (Waist 29”/30" and Bust 37”/38") or UK 14 (Waist 31”/32" and Bust 39”/40")
The current Guinness World Record holder for the world's smallest waist is Ethel Granger, of the UK, whose waist measured 13 inches. The record was set in 1939.
In general, keep waist circumference to less than half your height. For example, for a 6-foot man (72 inches), a healthy waist size would be anything less than 36 inches. For a 5-foot-2 woman (62 inches), a healthy waist size would be anything less than 31 inches.
extremely slim (XXS) = 26/30 (waist/length) very slim (XS) = 28/30 (waist/length) slim (S) = 30/30 (waist/length) average (M), but tight and low fitting = 32/30 (waist/length)
The specific proportions of 36–24–36 inches (90-60-90 centimeters) have frequently been given as the "hourglass" proportions for women since at least the 1960s (these measurements are, for example, the title of a hit instrumental by The Shadows).
With catwalk models averaging size 6-8, as well as new tiny sizing categories in the US such as sizes 00 and 0 (sizes 4 and 6 in Australia), the battle for body image extends across the shopping malls throughout the country.
(In case you're not familiar with these sizes... a size 27 is generally a size 4, and a size 30 is generally a size 10.
Likewise, models can be older but agencies and clients tend to like their models looking younger and more youthful. Height is typically between 5'9″-6″, bust is between 32″-36″, waist is between 22″-26″, and hips should be between 33″-35″.
Waist Circumference
If most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips, you're at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) National Health Survey 2017–18 has painted a picture of the typical Australian's health. The report found that the typical Australian male is overweight at a height of 175 cm and weight of 87 kg, with the typical female is also overweight at 161 cm and 72 kg.