Body image continues to be a hot button topic in America. And it should be. For decades, the media and the fashion industry have given women a distorted perception of what being beautiful means. The standards are unreachable for most — particularly when it comes to clothing sizes. A recent study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education reveals that the average size of an American woman is actually size 16 — not size 14 as previously thought. One of the study’s experts, Susan Dunn, spoke to TODAY about how this new information should affect the fashion industry. “We hope that this information can get out and be used by industry and consumers alike. Just knowing where the average is can help a lot of women with their self image,” said Dunn in an email to TODAY. “And we hope that the apparel industry can see the numbers and…