Yes, the weight of the average American is steadily rising and vanity sizing is everywhere, but are the mannequins getting bigger too? The Chicago Tribune an interesting piece on mannequins, those slim beauties gracing store windows. The average mannequin is six inches taller and six sizes smaller than the average American woman and as we get bigger the mannequins set a less realistic example of what the clothes will look like on your body. Mannequins often reflect fashion trends, current mannequins have larger bottoms and are more curvaceous, some even resembling women with breast implants.

In the article, body image expert and professor of psychology at Missouri State University in Springfield, Brooke L. Whisenhunt, says that "anytime you see clothing on the mannequin or model there's pressure to look like them and fit into the clothes." The recent deaths of anorexic models have made some think of reevaluating the slim ideal of the mannequin. Mannequins in a size 8 instead of the traditional 4 to 6 are becoming the norm and the demand for plus-sized mannequins is on the rise. What do you think Styledashers, would you rather have a mannequin that reflects your size or one that reflect the designers' idea.