SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters Life!) - An Australian jeans retailer has installed cameras in its dressing rooms to help women answer for themselves that perennial fashion question -- does my bum look big in this?

Jeanswest, one of the country's biggest jeans and casual wear retailers which also has stores abroad, said the "butt cam" was aimed at giving customers a "butt view of what they look like in the latest denim styles".

"It's important the jeans look and feel great and the Butt Cam provides the ultimate 'check point' moment in the fitting room," said Stephen Younane, Jeanswest CEO, in a statement.

Instead of twisting around to try and get a glimpse of their behinds in a mirror, Jeanswest customers give their back to a video camera, installed in the communal area of the fitting room, which broadcasts a live view onto a screen.

The camera does not record any images, Jeanswest said.

Jeanswest has so far installed cameras in three stores in Australia and plans to roll them out nationwide by the end of the year. The company has no plans so far for its overseas stores.

The retailer says it is the first to use the technology in Australia, but some fashion retailers in the United States and Britain are offering similar concepts.

Jeanswest, owned by Glorious Sun Australia Pty Ltd, operates more than 2,200 stores across Australia, New Zealand, China and the Middle East.

(Writing by Miral Fahmy, editing by Belinda Goldsmith)