Elizabeth Cashden argues that a normally imperfect figure can have its advantages. If the situation in society is such that a woman must be strong, independent and competitive, hourglass figures are less common.
According to medical research, the owners of seductive curves are less likely to suffer from infertility and chronic diseases. There is evidence that men prefer women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0,7 or less when choosing a mate. From the point of view of evolutionary biology, this is quite logical, because a healthy and fertile partner will help a man pass genes on to future generations.
However, Elizabeth Cashden found that in the modern world, the average waist-to-hip ratio is 0,8. At first glance, this trend contradicts evolutionary logic, but scientists have found an explanation for this fact. Androgens, in particular testosterone, contribute to the deposition of fatty tissue around the waist. From the point of view of male preferences, this is a minus. But these same hormones are extremely important in a situation when a woman is forced to independently provide for herself and her family, to fight for existence. Another hormone, cortisol, also makes the silhouette cylindrical, but at the same time increases the body’s resistance to stress.
Interestingly, the situation in society also changes men’s preferences. For example, in Greece, Portugal and Japan, where women are often economically dependent on men, men place more emphasis on thin waists than people in the UK and Denmark, countries where men and women are practically equal. In some non-Western societies, where food is scarce and all family members must actively procure it, men prefer women with a higher waist-hip ratio.
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