Cathie Jung's enthusiasm for Victorian style clothing. and corsets led to her record for the smallest waist. (tightlacing) - a remarkable 38.1 cm (15 in)
The person who currently holds the world's record for the smallest waist is an English woman named Ethel Granger, who had only a 13 inch waist.
According to the Guinness World Record, “The smallest waist belongs to Cathie Jung (USA, b. 1937), who stands at 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) and has a corseted waist measuring 38.1 cm (15 in).
In fact, out of 2,208 women measured for this survey, the smallest waist size was 22.36″. So a 20 inch waist is exceedingly rare, even among active women.
Ideal waistline measurement
According to the Heart Foundation, a healthy waistline size is: 37 inches or less for men. 31.5 inches or less for women.
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.
This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men. To correctly measure your waist, stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hipbones. Measure your waist just after you breathe out.
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.
Blackpink's Lisa is known for her incredibly slim waist. She has a 22 inch waist, which is considered to be extremely small for her height of 5'5″. Lisa's waist size is often the envy of many of her fans and is especially impressive considering her active lifestyle as a K-pop singer and dancer.
The current Guinness World Record holder for the world's smallest waist is Ethel Granger, of the UK, whose waist measured 13 inches.
Walter Hudson (June 5, 1944 – December 24, 1991) was the holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest waist. He measured 119 inches (302 cm) in 1987 when at his peak weight of 1,197 pounds (543 kg; 85.5 st).
Fashion modeling
They also often pose for editorial shoots in fashion magazines. Female measurements: Female fashion models are usually at least 5'9” tall. Model waist size tends to be 10 inches smaller than the chest and hips.
To have your best chance at maintaining good health, you should aim for: Men should have a waist circumference of 40 inches or less. Women should have a waist circumference of 35 inches or less.
The problem is, taller people tend to have larger WCs. You wouldn't expect a lean, healthy individual who is 6 foot 5 inches (about 196 cm) to have the same WC as a lean, healthy individual who is 5 foot 2 inches (about 157 cm); waist size will increase proportionately in the same way arm length or head size would.
A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 and above is considered obese. Individuals who fall into the BMI range of 25 to 34.9, and have a waist size of over 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, are considered to be at especially high risk for health problems.
Generally, a waist circumference equal to half your height is considered a healthy target. For example, if you're 5'2″, your ideal waist measurement would be around 31 inches (62″ x 0.5 = 31″). On the other hand, if you're 6'2″, your ideal waist measurement would be roughly 37 inches (74″ x 0.5 = 37″).
Waist to hip ratios
Healthy women have ratios of 0.67 to 0.80 while healthy men have 0.80 to 0.95. For attractiveness, ideal for men is 0.90 and female ideal is 0.7 (for Western populations only).
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range.
And a 22-inch waist would still put you below the 1st percentile. In fact, out of 2,208 women measured for this survey, the minimum was 22.36″. And only women three had a waist size of 23 inches or less. That means a 22-inch waist is very rare, even among active women.