Average American men are puffier than their counterparts in Japan, the Netherlands, France

Oct 14, 2013 07:57 GMT  ·  By
Avatars show what the average man in the US looks like when compared to his counterparts in other regions of the world
   Avatars show what the average man in the US looks like when compared to his counterparts in other regions of the world

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, the average man in this country measures about 5 feet and 9 inches (1.74 meters) in height, sports a 39-inch (99 centimeters) waist and has a BMI (body mass index) of 29.

By comparison, average men in Japan, the Netherlands and France have BMIs of 23.7, 25.2 and 25.6, respectively. Otherwise put, they are significantly slimmer.

Wanting to draw attention to this public health issue in the US, artist Nickolay Lamm decided to roll out two avatars: one showing how the average American man in the US looks like, and one showing the figure of the run-off-the-mill man in said three countries.

The avatars, pictured above, prove that, over the past 50 years, men in the US have been steadily getting puffier. According to Live Science, their height has also plateaued.

By comparison, men in the Netherlands and in other parts of Europe have gotten a tad taller than they used to be.