Picture from
Just to be clear upfront, I am anti-skinny. Why? For several reasons. I personally don't find overly skinny women attractive to my artistic eye. This has been true since childhood.
Okay, yes, I have found a few skinny women to be attractive in appearance, or beautiful...like Twiggy, or those women who are ***naturally*** Olive-Oil thin. Twiggy herself said she ate like a horse. She didn't diet to achieve her figure. That was simply her body type.
Mostly, however, this extreme level of thinness is NOT NATURAL, and is dangerous to a woman's health. You know, as in anorexia, and other severe health problems. You're simply not getting the nutrients your precious body needs to remain healthy.
That said, a whole lot of men out there, don't care for the super-thin body type either. Oh, they may have the trophy girlfriend, the trophy wife, who looks like a super model...but that's all ego---the negative side of the ego. Because we all need a healthy ego, too.
Then, on the opposite end is the whole FLUFFY-sized heroine. NO PROBLEM there, as long as health isn't an issue. There are men who adore that body shape. And we ALL need and deserve LOVE.
My question: What happened to the HAPPY MEDIUM as in a woman's body type? Anywhere from lithe and slender to voluptuous and curvaceous? Yet not on the verge of anorexia, or extra-huge rolls of fat that hamper health.
At least, two decades ago, I got off the whole stupid [not good for you] diet bandwagon. FOR GOOD. Yes, I do all I can to eat well, and supplement for health. I stay active as possible. And if I could afford more natural supplements that would increase my physical well-being, I'd naturally lose a bit of excess poundage. As I've learned from studying health issue and remedies, t's your true state of HEALTH that determines the weight of your body. In fact, if you're obese, you're likely very nutritionally deficient.
Anyway, back to the HAPPY MEDIUM body types that most men adore, as in the photo above. How many of us romance authors write our love stories with these kind of heroines? If there are surveys about the dominant body type of heroines in romances, I don't know where they are.
And yes, my heroines range from petite and on the slender side [Kandy in KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS] to voluptuous and very curvaceous [Sherilyn in HER MIDNIGHT STARDUST COWBOYS] Because if I were a man, that's what I would be attracted to, depending on the individual hero's preferences, of course.
According To Science, Not The Fashion Industry, This Is The Ideal Woman
Every woman wants an ideal body,
but this is something that most women view differently. However,
scientists have finally found how the woman body should look like.
According
to the fashion industry, the skinny type of body is ideal, but let’s
face it – they idealize this type of body because of their creations,
which look perfect on a skinny model. It’s all about profits. Science,
however, has a completely opposite opinion. According to scientists from
the University of Texas, the ideal woman body is 1.68 tall with
99-63-91 bust\hip\weight measurements. You can see what that looks like
in the picture below:
Not
quite what everyone thought, right? The woman on the picture is Kelly
Brook, a well-known 34-year old model from England. People refer to
Brook as “plump”, but scientists say that she has the ideal body in
terms of attractiveness. This shape also signifies the most important
human trait – fertility.
Our primary function is to create new
generations, and a full figure like Brook’s signifies a woman’s
efficiency at doing that. Men are attracted to facial and body
characteristics like Brook’s and associate them with good health and
youth. The attraction transcends culture – according to a study, men
coming from different cultural backgrounds will likely be attracted to
the same woman with youthful and healthy characteristics.
Why are the skinny models considered ideal?
“Because
the fashion industry is trying to sell clothes,” says Jennifer Lee, a
designer who previously worked with the famous Karl Lagerfeld. Fashion
models are hired on their ability to highlight the lines and structure
of the clothing they wear, which is why there aren’t many models like
Kelly Brook, unless the clothing is specifically designed for that type
of figure.
And, although skinny
models rule the runway, science has shown that most men are attracted to
larger women. Being skinny is also associated with diseases and
conditions, although being too large can be a problem as well. Striking a
balance is the key for good health.
Was King Arthur real? Did Merlin do magic? After a ten year absence from Dreamland and a seven year span between books, 
legendary historical investigator Graham Phillips returns with the truth about Arthur, Camelot and Merlin. 
