Why is スタイル used to denote body figure?


You know how Japanese people say "スタイルのいいお姉さん" to basically refer to "that
girl with huge boobs" or "that really tall girl"? I've seen this get thrown
around a lot but never really got the rationale behind this. My guess is that
it's a euphemism but can someone give an accurate explanation of this?




In Japanese, スタイルのいい女性 is a plain and straightforward phrase that means "a
woman with a nice figure/body." No euphemism is involved. And it usually
refers to her general appearance, not specifically to her height or breast.

大辞泉 says [the primary meaning of スタイル is 姿 ( _figure_ ) of a
person](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/118595/m0u/), although it can
also mean _manner_ , _fashion_ , _format_ , etc. [Many Japanese people simply
believe that definition](http://www.eigowithluke.com/2013/06/style/), and you
can call it a kind of 和製英語.

I failed to find the exact explanation of when and why スタイル came to mean body
figure, but I think the reason is easy to speculate. スタイル was already used in
such a way at least in [a novel written in
1927](http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000037/files/1417_22265.html).

>
> 少佐がどうして彼を従卒にしたか、それは、彼がスタイルのいい、好男子であったからであった。そのおかげで彼は打たれたことはなかった。しかし、彼は、なべて男が美しい女を好くように、上官が男前だけで従卒をきめ…




In Japanese, スタイルのいい女性 is a plain and straightforward phrase that means "a
woman with a nice figure/body." No euphemism is involved. And it usually
refers to her general appearance, not specifically to her height or breast.

大辞泉 says [the primary meaning of スタイル is 姿 ( _figure_ ) of a
person](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/118595/m0u/), although it can
also mean _manner_ , _fashion_ , _format_ , etc. [Many Japanese people simply
believe that definition](http://www.eigowithluke.com/2013/06/style/), and you
can call it a kind of 和製英語.

I failed to find the exact explanation of when and why スタイル came to mean body
figure, but I think the reason is easy to speculate. スタイル was already used in
such a way at least in [a novel written in
1927](http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000037/files/1417_22265.html).

>
> 少佐がどうして彼を従卒にしたか、それは、彼がスタイルのいい、好男子であったからであった。そのおかげで彼は打たれたことはなかった。しかし、彼は、なべて男が美しい女を好くように、上官が男前だけで従卒をきめ…

