Body scanners measure body type, not size

The company, which merged with a competitor in 2009, upgraded technology and relaunched last year in 54 malls around the country including Perimeter, North Point, Arbor Place and Cumberland Malls.

"Whatever your body type is, we help you find the designer that has that cut for your body type," said Wil Slaton, area manager over Georgia. "All manufacturers make their cuts a little differently."

Tell us about it. Clothing sizes in the U.S. were once based on statistical data from the 1940s and 50s. Not only does American society include more diverse body types, but the clothing industry has engaged in vanity sizing which might, for example, slap a size 10 label on a garment closer to a size 12. As a result, size is rarely a reliable measure for finding clothing that fits.

Me-Ality scanners are designed to take the guesswork out of sizing. The machines, which resemble Star Trek transporters, use radio waves to measure moisture content of skin and give a fit based on body type. After standing motionless in a booth as a scanner rotates twice around the body, shoppers get a printout of recommended pant sizes and styles available at retailers in the mall. The 10-minute experience is free to consumers, but sponsored by retailers.

Though only participating retailers in the mall are included among the initial results, shoppers can use a receipt from their scan to visit Me-Ality booths at other malls for additional store recommendations or they can get recommendations online from nearly 50 participating retailers or brands nationwide including Gap, Old Navy, DKNY Jeans, and J. Crew.

The number of matches any one person gets depends on their body type and the retailers in the mall, Slaton said. "If you are in the size two-to-six range you get a lot. Once you get into the 12 or 14 sizes, it will be based on the [number] of retailers that carry those sizes," he said.

Many shoppers, women in particular, have said the scanner results are helpful. Men and shoppers with hard-to-fit sizes have had more challenges. And the company has had some operational hiccups.

One shopper at Cumberland Mall received 20 matches after being scanned, but learned that one store no longer carried the jeans recommended. Another recommendation was for jeans at the Gap, but the Cumberland Mall location closed earlier this year. The scanner at Perimeter Mall is currently out of service, and according to Slaton, has to be replaced with a new machine.

"You kind of caught us with our pants down," said Slaton when asked about the issues. "There are some things we have to work through. Our partners may close down places in the mall...and fashion is ever-changing. Is that a broken piece in our system, no. Is it a sign of the times? Yes."

A Me-Ality demonstration at Cumberland Mall attracted a number of shoppers last week including Angelique Brown, 19, of Powder Springs. She admitted to being a little confused. "I thought I had to pose in it," Brown said. "It was very awkward because I didn’t know what was going on."

Brown ended up with nine suggestions for jeans including brands such as American Eagle, DKNY jeans, Blue Asphalt and White House Black Market. Unlike some visitors, she wasn't surprised by her sizes, which were mostly size five. "I'm skinny, but I have a little curve, so it was understandable," said Brown who usually wears anything from a size zero to a size three.

She is planning another trip to the mall this week to test the results. "I am looking forward to trying it. I feel like every female should know their shape and what size they are," Brown said. "Some women go by what they see on the scale, but what they need to go by is what shape they are."