Comparison of Satisfaction with the Size of Ready-made Clothing between Normal and Obese Women in the Busan and Gyeongnam Area

부산.경남지역 표준여성과 비만여성의 기성복 치수 만족도 비교

This study conducted a survey to compare the size of ready-made clothes for different body shapes and body sizes, and to discover the differences in satisfaction with the size of ready-made clothes. The subjects were women in their 208 and 308 from Busan and Gyeongnam. The women were classified into groups: normal weight, overweight, and obese, using the Body Mass Index (BMI). The comparison of the body size showed a significant difference among the shapes; the average BMI in overweight women was 24.2 while that of obese women was 27.6. For the clothing size for each body shape, obese women most often wore size 77 and size 88, regardless of the sizes of upper and lower garments. The size consistency of upper and lower garments was the lowest in obese women. However, in most of the shapes, women tended to choose larger-sizes for lower garments than for upper ones. The more obese the subject, the less inclined they were to wear garments for their real body size. Satisfaction with the clothing size was significantly different between body shapes; the more obese, the lower the level of satisfaction with the size. As well, satisfaction with the fit of clothing at certain parts was shown to be low especially in the bust measurement, shoulder width, upper garment length, crotch length, and thigh circumference. When surveyed about the use of alterations for different body shapes, the results were that over 65% of subjects did not alter upper garments regardless of their body shape. Comparatively, 68% or above of all body shapes did do alterations to lower garments for example, the length of pants or skirts.