Curves Ahead
An hourglass figure is more than just a fancy of fashion. Scientists believe the waspish waist has “universal and timeless appeal” that crosses a variety of generations and cultures. Now they have the figures to prove it. And it will also help explain the popularity of glamorous women ranging from Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe to Kylie Minogue. The research is based on analysis of almost 350,000 works of fiction from Britain and the US. The scientists studied the various works to see how often, and in what manner, writers referred to the female waist. As a comparison they also picked out references to other parts of the body including the breasts, hips, legs, thighs and buttocks. They then repeated the experiment with Mahabharata and Ramayana between the 1st and 3rd century and Chinese dynastic Palace poetry between the 4th and 6th century. They found breasts received the most mentions, cropping up 219 times. However, on only 16 occasions was the shape or size referred to as well. There were however 66 references to waists — with every single one specifying a slim waist. This was important because it showed waists were considered attractive, regardless of culture and before the influence of mass media. Lead researcher Devendra Singh of the University of Texas said: “The common historical assumption in the social sciences has been that the standards of beauty are arbitrary, solely culturally determined and in the eye of the beholder.” “The finding that the writers describe a small waist as beautiful suggests instead that this body part — a known marker of health and fertility — is a core feature of feminine beauty that transcends ethnic differences and cultures.” The Indian and Chinese literature in the study featured very different depictions of women. Indian artists showed naked bodies sometimes in sexual acts, while the Chinese tradition did not sanction this
