In my last post, I noted that women's bodies have changed significantly over time. In answer to a reader comment, I thought I would address this. Normative images of 'beauty' and slenderness have shifted in popular representations in the media as most of us know, however, I was referring specifically to the changing shape of women's bodies (quite literally). The bulk of this research comes from the fashion industry which has for the most part, ignored the changing shapes of women's bodies and which is in part responsible for how hard it is for most of us to buy a pair of jeans that fit. The truth is that clothing manufacturers are still designing slim-fitting clothing based on the ideal womanly body of the 1950s, the hourglass. Only 8% of women in the world today have this figure.
In a study by researchers at North Carolina State University, 6000 women's bodies were analysed over a period of 2 years. As a result, the researchers 4 body shapes which now seem to be the most prevalent among women:
1) rectangular: waist less than 9inches smaller than hips/bust---46% of women
2) spoons: bottom heavy, or 'pear shape'---20% of women
3) inverted triangle: bust is at least 3 inches larger than hips--14% of women
4) hourglass: equal hip and busy measurement and narrow waist---8% of women
The 'inverted triangle' shape is particularly pertinent now as a result of cosmetic breast-enhancing surgery which signifies a shape that is not influenced by diet or exercise, whereas the first two 'shapes' are affected by weight gain.
Another study of British women found that the average woman's waist has expanded 6 inches since 1950. The average woman today is taller and has a bigger bust and hips. Most of these changes are attributed to lifestyle.
Check out this post from the Diet Blog, for a visual representation of the changing shape of women's bodies:
http://www.dietblog.com/archives/2007/04/15/female_body_shape_in_the_20th_century.php
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1 comment:
thanks!
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