There's this machine...

There's this machine it at the mall. You step into it, some things go buzz for a few seconds, and then you step out. The operator takes your money and gives you a print-out. The print-out has your vital statistics on it: your height (down to the millimeter), your bust, waist, inseam, arm and a whole host of other measurements. In addition to those measurements, the print-out also has a listing of which sizes at which stores are most likely to fit you properly. It's great. No more frustration in the search for perfect jeans. But there's a catch. Maybe you like the style of Zara or H&M, but your body is more of a Reitman's. What do you do? Your body type has been determined, and your perfect matches have been spit out by the infallible, precise machine. You're not an H&M kind of girl. Your chest is too big or your hips too wide. You fit a silhouette with which you don't identify.

We have the technology. We have the supply chain, design and manufacturing capabilities. Being able to know exactly which clothes you belong in and which you don't is a real possibility. And that's supposed to be a good thing, apparently. Companies have been talking for years about the possibility of putting body scanners in malls to measure people exactly and spit out clothing suggestions. But where's the user agency in that?