How thin is your waist? The weaker a woman’s waist is expressed, the harder and stronger her character is. American anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan made such conclusions examining the types of figures in almost thirty different populations.
Cashdan has studied the women in America, Europe and Asia for many years and found some interesting patterns. The anthropologist concluded that a female silhouette might not just be a sign of female attractiveness sent to men, but also a sign of a strong character.
It is known that the most attractive women usually have a 0.7 or smaller waist-to-hip ratio. The average ratio in modern women, however, equals 0.8. Special hormones like androgens are responsible for this, making women hardy and strong, at the same time depositing fat in the waist, making the figure look column-like. Another hormone, cortisol, makes the female silhouette straighter, and at the same time increases the body’s ability to resist stress. Therefore, girls with a wide waist and narrow hips often have a strong character.
According to Cashdan, modern women’s figures look like this due to women’s desire of being strong and self-sufficient. In Greece, Portugal and Japan, where women are often economically dependent on men, a thin waist is considered the hallmark of a feminine figure. At the same time in the UK, Denmark and other countries where men and women are almost equal, the waist-hip ratio in women is different – thin silhouettes occur less often. By the way, women with a distinct waist are generally healthier and more seldom suffer from infertility and reproductive system diseases than their friends with a wide waist.
