Australians overall are much trimmer than Americans (and some Europeans). While they naturally “settle” and get a bit bigger as they age, they do so much more slowly than Americans. They appear to stay “fitter” some 10 to 15 years longer than we do, probably in part due to the walking they do. Mass trans is everywhere here, and seems to be used by most everyone. They don’t go to the mall, so shopping for dinner can involve going to several different stores to get everything. The end result is there is a lot of walking, by most everyone. I suspect that traffic and the cost of parking contributes to that as well. If Americans are a “3” on a healthy scale from 1 to 10, Australians are probably a “7” or better, at least until they top the 60ish age range.
The other cultural difference we note is that men here don’t wear pleated pants. While we thought that was just the style in the US, it’s now apparent that it’s to cover a rear end that’s 2 ax handles wide in many cases. The other thing that’s different is that their clothes are tailored very tight. VERY TIGHT. To the point that you could not only read some of their credit card numbers, you quite possibly could read the expiration date on the back of the card.
In Sydney, at least, they also tend to dress up a bit more. Although you see shorts and T’s, you also see lots more tailored shorts (as opposed to cargo shorts) and collared shirts. The dress for work in the central business district appears to be slacks, a long sleeved shirt, with a tie either on or available. Cuff links are much more in use here than in the US, and although ties often come off at lunch, they seem to go back on when they go back to work in the afternoons.
