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.
Ideally, your waist measurement should be less than half of your height. (So if you're 5 foot 6, or 66 inches, your waist circumference should be less than 33 inches.)
In general if you're a woman, you want a measurement that's less than 34.5 inches. If you're a man, a number below 40 inches is ideal. A measurement that's higher than those isn't a death sentence, but it has been strongly linked with a higher risk of several serious diseases including type 2 diabetes.
Ashwell has proposed that governments adopt a simple public health message: “Keep your waist to less than half your height.” That means someone who is 5 foot 5 (65 inches; 167.64 centimeters) should maintain a waistline smaller than 33 inches or 84 centimeters.
The bottom line
The average American woman's waist size is 38.7 inches. Also, the average American woman is 63.6 inches tall and weigh 170 pounds. All of these numbers are indicators of health, but not predictors.
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.
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 You Do If You're Skinny? If you have a BMI of less 18.5, you're technically considered underweight. If your flexed biceps measure less than 13.3″ in circumference, that's a good sign that your muscles are smaller than average, and so you could be considered skinny.
Do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five or more days per week. Better yet, strive to get 45 to 60 minutes each day. Even if you don't lose weight with aerobics, you can lose visceral fat as well as gain muscle mass.
Finally, the researchers question the current guidelines, “recommending that a single waist circumference threshold for white adults (men greater than 102 centimeters [cm]; women greater than 88 cm) be used to denote a high waist circumference, regardless of BMI category.”
For attractiveness, ideal for men is 0.90 and female ideal is 0.7 (for Western populations only). WHR increases with each pregnancy and increases slightly with age. However, a 17 year old will have nearly the same WHR as a 22 year woman and at menopause it reaches the level of a male's WHR (about 1).
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.
A weight of 100–120 pounds (46–55kg)
Your waistline may be telling you that you have a higher risk of developing obesity-related conditions if you are1: A man whose waist circumference is more than 40 inches. A non-pregnant woman whose waist circumference is more than 35 inches.
Too Skinny: What BMI is Considered Underweight? From a clinical perspective, an individual is considered “too skinny” if they are deemed underweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an individual is underweight if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5 [1].
A majority of models if not all models were born with a very fast metabolism. Genetics is the biggest reason why they have very tiny waists. Then, as they get older their body starts to slowly change especially if they're not eating right.
Thus a man who is 6ft or 72 inches tall (183 cm), should keep his waist under 36 inches (91 cm), and a woman who is 5ft 4 in or 64 inches tall (163 cm), should keep her waist measurement under 32 inches (81 cm).
28 inch is size 10 nowadays.
The average Australian woman has long been thought to be a size 14-16, which lands right in that weird spot of nearly sizing out of standard retailers, which typically run from sizes six to 16, but not quite sizing into plus-size retailers, which typically start at a size 18.
In women, the waist measurement should not be over 80 cm. Those at a very high risk include men with a waist circumference of over 102 cm and women with a waist circumference of more than 88 cm.