The End Of The Hourglass Woman

Women's stressful careers today might just put an end to the classic hourglass figure.


Made popular by voluptuous Marilyn Monroe, the hourglass figure is the woman's curvy shape of tiny waist, wide hips, and big boobs. According to studies, women who possess the classic hourglass figure (usually those with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, where the waist circumference is 70 percent of the hips or lower) have higher fertility rates and less chance of chronic disease.

However, experts suggest that the hourglass figure among women are dying out, and this they blamed to career-oriented women with demanding and stressful jobs. “Women who work release more hormones that help them become physically stronger, so they can deal with the stress of high-powered jobs,” says researcher Elizabeth Cashdan. As a result, women develop fewer curves, small boobs, and no hips – more like the slim figure of Madonna.

But how do women see the end of the hourglass figure? According to researchers, the demanding nature of the jobs carried out by today's high-powered women has, in fact, influence them to prefer a leaner physique, “with weight around the middle rather than the hips.”

To prove the study right, Elizabeth Cashdan and her fellow researchers traveled to 37 countries to measure the waist-to-hip ratio.

The conclusion:
"Waist-to-hip ratio may be a useful signal to men... but whether men prefer it should depend on the degree to which they want their mates to be strong, tough, economically successful and politically competitive."

"And from a woman's perspective, men's preferences are not the only thing that matters. This is about trade-offs. The human body is a compromise," she added.