The average woman in America today is a size 14 to 16. A fourteen is the start into plus sizes. Now I am all about being a plus size diva however, overweight is called OVERweight because it is an unhealthy extra. I am a morbidly obese woman with a body mass index of 55 or greater. My weight gain was a side effect of an anti-depressant I used to take. I do think big can be beautiful but either way you cut it big is just unhealthy. And it ruined me.