OUR FIVE-FIGURE TYPES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 180, 1 August 1931, Page 15 (Supplement)

OUR FIVE-FIGURE TYPES

(By

“Eve”)

The truth of the time-worn platitude that ‘ ‘ there is nothing new under the sun’’ is always being affirmed, for science is continually showing us howmany points of similarity there are between life to-day and that of the past. Some years ago a noted Australian doc-; tor, in a book entitled “Post Mortem,” showed how history had been affected by the diseases of ancient rulers, many of whom suffered from those very troubles that are the scourge of humanity to-day. More recently a group of Australian scientists have snown us that, no matter how much we flatter ourselves we are “different,” we can all be divided off into five figure-types. In other words, the women of Australia and New Zealand of all sizes and weights are so proportioned that they can be classified out to five main divisions. It. may not flatter our vanity to know this—but, as I shall show later, it saves our pockets. Funnily enough, it. was the need for the modernising of corsetry which brought about this investigation. Years ago it was recognised that corsets were too restrictive and that the system of selling solely by sizes, then in existence, was unsound. When specialists in an Australian University undertook the task of scientifically studying figure types, it was not known 'whether there were a dozen, a hundred, or a thou-, sand types. Anthropometrists, working under a well-known Sydney professor, made measurements of the bust, waist, and hips of 20,000 Australian and NewZealand women. The mass of data was carefully charted, and it was then found that, despite all our variations in size and weight, we could be reduced to five main figure types. These five types are broadly classified as: (1) Big hip, (2) short below waist, (3) average proportions, (4) sway back, and (5) big abdomen. With that definite data to work upon, the corset manufacturers were able to produce entirely new types of corsets —or “foundation garments”—which were scientifically sound, and to control any undesirable features in our figuresWithout control of any sort, those of us who come under the first type get very much bigger round the hips, while those of the second type become heavy in the bust. If we arc fortunate enough to fall into class three, of average proportions, we have the ideal figure, ano all we need is light control to main I tain it so. Figures of the fourth class if let go, develop into the big abdomen type, so need controlling, as also do those in the fifth class. Type and size, then, are two entirely different things. A woman of sixteen stone and one of eight stone may be perfectly proportioned types, both falling into class three. Each would take the same type of corset but in verydifferent sizes. That typifies the tremendous importance of this type classification to the modern woman. At one sweep it has lifted corsetry from a trade to an art, for instead of forcing the body to fit the size as we did in the days of our bad old corsets, we are to-day buying what are, in effect, ‘ ‘ made-to-measure ’ ’ corsets. Can we be certain that full advantage will be taken of this scientific study of type, when go to buy our corsets'? Yes, because a very wonder ful calculator was worked out at the same time. Individual bust, waist and hip measurements are tafcen, and these are collated on a sliding scale which : automatically indicates into which type class we fall. There can be no mistake, for the calculator cannot err. Once the type class is known, an accurate and “personal” fitting is merely a question of relative size. It brings I absolute accuracy and desirable simI plicity into the buying of foundation iga ents which can mean so very much i to those of us possessing minor defects 'of figure, capable of correction by I modern methods. It has given thousands of women that confidence which now exists in the modern corset, and carries the endorsement of many medical men who recognise the virtues of correctly designed and properly proportioned foundation garments.