A research into the paragons of beauty in Great Britain revealed that glossy magazine covers and celeb pin-ups have the popular notion firmly under control.
The aim of the study was to unearth the factors that attract most the opposite sex and make men or women desirable in the eyes of women or men, respectively. Also, the measures for the average representative of either sex are given – which, wonder or no wonder, fall short from expectations.
Thus, almost all the people polled – both sexes included – stated that weight over 10 stones and size over 14 put the person beyond the pale of attraction. Nevertheless, the average Brit female weighs something like 11st 2lbs and patronizes a 17 size, which puts her nowhere within the desirability area.
At least women are aware of it and seem to regard the 10-stone notch a milestone for resorting to diets and workouts.
According to the survey, the Duchess of Cambridge, Davina McCall, and Holly Willoughby are the celebs that are credited with the most beautiful bodies.
Speaking of their own sex, as many as 75% of men are of the opinion that a waist that measures 36 inches or over calls for some serious dieting. Since the study sets the average man’s waist at 35.8 inches, it looks as if men allow themselves to measure larger than the average woman.
Men are generally assessed by five salient features: masculine looks, broad shoulders, shapely arms and bottom, and a hairline that stays low. A six-pack didn’t make it onto the list; actually, it landed among the undesirable features where it can be found beside having a puny frame and skinny legs.
David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, and Gerard Butler are looked upon as the finest examples of attractive males.
Almost half of the respondents appear to have made up their minds to go on a diet in the new year, but there are more who are unwilling to heed the “Dry January” cry and exclude alcohol from their meals.
While it was 54% for hard drinks, only about 25% think they will be unable to do without chocolate.
The survey was commissioned by Diet Chef, and their spokesperson referred to the results as “interesting” and “disturbing.” The disturbing part is the tiny size and weight for women which is at quite long odds with the reality of 16 average dress size – whereas men are allowed to grow sizes bigger.
The spokesperson noted that people tend to take cue from magazine cover models who are airbrushed to unnatural perfection instead of thinking about their personal body harmony and healthy looks as related to their particular bodily features.
On the other hand, Katie Lowe, Body Image and Wellbeing Expert at fatgirlphd.com, found the results not in the least bit surprising. When we consider female health, she said, “the emphasis seems to be firmly on the scales” which has little to do with the actual measurements and physical requirements.
Also, she pointed out, men are inclined to use waistline measurements, while women go to scales for information, keeping in mind that measurements are a better means of checking out progress on a loss program and are given to much less variation.
What makes us rely on the scales, Lowe says, is belief that BMI mirrors our health well – although, strictly speaking, it is only one factor in the assessment of a person’s wellbeing. One can easily imagine a physical condition when 10 stone would mean an unhealthy state, while another individual would be in the pinkest of conditions at a significantly heavier weight. It ought to properly be judged by the ratio of muscle, bone, and fat, cardiovascular health, and other aspects.
After all is said and done, what the scales show is just one of a number of measurements that shouldn’t be overrated so as to influence people’s opinions of themselves. Furthermore, regarding the results of the survey as to the average sizes, people are hardly realistic in their attempts to trim themselves down to model sizes.
There are two things a healthy-minded individual should do: understand the real meaning of a healthy weight and stop letting the scales number influence our self-worth.
