William Atkins
Saturday, 06 December 2008 23:25
Science -
Biology
Page 1 of 3
U.S. anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan studied the female shape and found that the “hourglass” figure may attract men when it comes time to mate, but the more realistic cylindrical-shaped figure of most women means that such females are more competitive, stronger, and more financially well off, with or without a man.
University of Utah professor
Elizabeth Cashdan summarized her research in the December 2008 issue of the journal
Current Anthropology.
Dr. Cashdan says that the
“hourglass figure” has
"a tiny waist, big breasts and curvy hips à la Marilyn Monroe.” [Fox News: “
Best female figure not an hourglass, scientist says”]
However, she says that this shape may not be
“optimal” because hormones within women make them
“… physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist.” [Fox News]
So, most women do not have the classic hourglass figure because over their evolution they had many, many more problems and concerns in life than just finding a mate.
Most developed countries such as the United States tend to place more importance on women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 or lower.
In such figures, the waist is narrower than the hips. For instance, Cashdan discovered that centerfold
Playboy bunnies have a waist-to-hip ratio that averages 0.68.
A waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 comes out to a measurements of 36-25-36. For example, see the latest winners of
Miss America.
More realistically, most women do not have such measurements. Please read more on page two.
