Hourglass Figures - Headed for Extinction?
Categories: Diet & Weight Loss
In the days when Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate pin-up girl, the ideal figure was an hourglass one: Big in the bust, small in the waist, big in the hips. You don't see that kind of shape much on the red carpet these days. Instead, the bobble-head look seems to take precedence. But even out of the spotlight, in the homes of the average folk, it seems the hourglass is disappearing -- we're carrying more weight in our tummies than our hips, according to recent studies, and our hip-to-waist ratios are going down, especially in cultures where women tend to be more financially independent. And our jobs are to blame.
"According to anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan, high-powered working women are less likely to have the classic shape of a tiny waist with wide hips and large bosom due to the stress levels associated with their jobs," say the findings, found here. "As a result, working women today are more likely to have a more 'straight up and down' figure."
You might be able to live with the extra belly fat, but your body can't -- carrying extra padding around your waist is really unhealthy. Whatever your body shape, you should aim for a healthy BMI through a nutritious diet and plenty of exercise.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
u262f 1-12-2009 @ 6:36PM
How about the obvious fact that we're more likely to have a "straight up and down" figure because we stopped wearing body-restricting undergarments? Sophie Loren and Marilyn Monroe achieved their figures via body-shaping undergarments.
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toni 1-13-2009 @ 12:11PM
exactly - remember when women used to faint because their corsets were cinched up so tightly to give them 21 inch waists? UGH. And yet Spanx (or one of those type mfgs) makes a control slip undergarment that has padding built into the rear end...as if we need that!
teresa 3-10-2009 @ 11:54AM
i have a 21 inch waist without a corset toni. i also have breasts, hips and a rear. its just the way i am built.
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