LIFESTYLE
Australian researches from University of New South Wales, Australia, found that men are much more attracted to the homely shape of the girl-next-door than the 'perfect' proportions of models and centrefolds.
The study found that the most appealing female size for men is a 5ft 4in female with a 30in waist and 40in hips who wears a size 14.
The Australian researchers asked 100 male students to rate the attractiveness of more than 200 drawings of female torsos of different sizes.
Kate Winslet: Sexy!
They then compared the most attractive torsos with the vital statistics of eight groups of women, including models, Playboy centrefolds and normal members of the population.
Surprisingly, the real women best matched the ideal body shape, with the best fit being a size US size 10 (or UK size 14), this week's New Scientist reports.
Bust sizes were not taken into account.
It is also concluded that many modern-day celebrities may simply be too thin to be tempting (Victoria Beckham, are you reading this? Skeleton isn't sexy!) But they cautioned that adding other factors into the mix, including bust size, could alter the result (Okay Mrs. Beckham, you deserve a little bit of credit in this department)
Meanwhile, other research has found that the male perception of what makes a woman attractive changes with the economic climate. That is, when times are prosperous, men apparently set their sights on younger, girlish- looking women, with big eyes and softer features. The 60s iconic beauty such as Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy fit the criteria, and to be fair, it was a modern economy breakthrough in both sides of the Atlantic.
But when the economy is in decline and social conditions are threatening, like err... now, men seek solace in curvaceous women with more comforting maternal figures. Nigella Lawson comes to mind.
Source: Curvy [
The study found that the most appealing female size for men is a 5ft 4in female with a 30in waist and 40in hips who wears a size 14.
The Australian researchers asked 100 male students to rate the attractiveness of more than 200 drawings of female torsos of different sizes.
Kate Winslet: Sexy!
They then compared the most attractive torsos with the vital statistics of eight groups of women, including models, Playboy centrefolds and normal members of the population.
Surprisingly, the real women best matched the ideal body shape, with the best fit being a size US size 10 (or UK size 14), this week's New Scientist reports.
Bust sizes were not taken into account.
It is also concluded that many modern-day celebrities may simply be too thin to be tempting (Victoria Beckham, are you reading this? Skeleton isn't sexy!) But they cautioned that adding other factors into the mix, including bust size, could alter the result (Okay Mrs. Beckham, you deserve a little bit of credit in this department)
Meanwhile, other research has found that the male perception of what makes a woman attractive changes with the economic climate. That is, when times are prosperous, men apparently set their sights on younger, girlish- looking women, with big eyes and softer features. The 60s iconic beauty such as Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy fit the criteria, and to be fair, it was a modern economy breakthrough in both sides of the Atlantic.
But when the economy is in decline and social conditions are threatening, like err... now, men seek solace in curvaceous women with more comforting maternal figures. Nigella Lawson comes to mind.
Source: Curvy [
