Jeaneology: ShopSmart Poll Finds Women Own 7 Pairs of Jeans, Only Wear 4

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ShopSmart Magazine

Jul 12, 2010, 06:00 ET

Women Spend $34 Per Pair on Average, with 1 in 10 Women Willing to Spend More Than $100

YONKERS, N.Y., June 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When asked about jeans, a majority of women agree: "We'd live in them if we could!" According to a new national poll featured in the September 2010 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, 85 percent of women typically wear jeans at least once a week, though more than half said they'd wear jeans every day if they could get away with it. And even though women own an average of seven pairs of jeans they tend to only wear four of them on a regular basis.

The poll also found that, on average, women spend just $34 for a pair of jeans. Younger consumers, age 18-34, are more willing to splurge, spending on average $60 on a pair. However, 1 in 10 women say they have spent more than $100 on a pair.

"As much as women are hooked on these weekend faves turned fashion staple, over half of the women polled (56%) said they have trouble finding jeans that fit and flatter, with 8 percent seeking professional help to find a pair," said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. "So we decided to have real women test brands with tummy-tucking, booty-boosting, or overall-slimming claims. Our 'Good Jeans' feature shares whether those figure correcting jeans really make a difference, as well as fit tips, high-versus-low-cost quality comparisons, and more!"

The Truth Unzipped

  • The majority (91%) of women own at least one pair of jeans. Women own 7 pairs on average (1 in 4 women owns 10 or more), but they wear just 4 pairs on a regular basis.
  • Thirty-one percent of women say they refuse to go up a size to find jeans that fit, 50 percent are holding onto a pair of their "skinny jeans" in hopes of squeezing into them again, and 62 percent use their jeans as a measure of whether they need to lose weight.
  • Women (54%) generally like the way they look in jeans. Forty percent of women admit they feel sexy in their jeans but 8% dislike or hate the way they look.

Good Blues Gone Bad

  • The number one trend women wish would go away and never come back: super-low-waisted jeans (others include ripped jeans, jeggings, and skinny jeans).

Blues in the Boardroom

  • Jeans have definitely infiltrated the workplace with more than half (58%) of women who work full time in an office wearing them to work.
  • Of those who wear their blues to work, half limit jeans to one day per week but over a quarter of women (27%) wear jeans to the office just about everyday.

Jean Maintenance

  • The average age of the oldest pair of jeans in a woman's closet is 6 years. One-fifth of women (20%) have owned at least one pair of jeans for 10 years or more.
  • Women typically wash their jeans after 2-3 wears and nearly one third (30%) wash their jeans every time they wear them.

Fashion Police! The Worst Denim Offenses

  1. Butt cleavage or visible underwear or thong
  2. Muffin top from low-cut or too-tight jeans
  3. Jeans that are way too tight
  4. Jeans with too many holes or with holes in the wrong places
  5. Mom jeans

Biggest Complaints

The Top 10 Things That Make It Difficult to Find the Perfect Pair

  1. My tummy looks too big.
  2. I have a muffin top.
  3. My legs look too short.
  4. Jeans are too long or too short.
  5. My thighs look too big.
  6. My butt looks too big.
  7. My butt looks too flat.
  8. My hips look too wide.
  9. I look too lumpy or too large overall.
  10. I look too straight and have no curves.

ShopSmart Jean Poll Methodology:

The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,004 interviews were completed among women aged 18+. Interviewing took place over April 22 – 26, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 3.2% points at a 95% confidence level.

About ShopSmart magazine:

Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon Consumer Reports' celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. The magazine features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and "best of the best" lists. ShopSmart is ideal for busy shoppers who place a premium on time. ShopSmart has a newsstand price of $4.99 and is available nationwide at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Borders, Kroger, Safeway and Publix. ShopSmart is available by subscription at www.ShopSmartmag.org.

ShopSmart is now available 10 times a year. Subscribe at www.ShopSmartmag.org.

SOURCE ShopSmart Magazine