According to some of the luckiest scientists on earth, a woman’s waist to hip ratio may be the most important factor in determining her physical attractiveness.
Along with a variety of other factors, a relatively small waist and large hips is one of nature’s tricks to guarantee the evolution of our human race. To be blunt, a woman’s curves tells any available men that she is young and healthy and capable of makin’ babies.
So there you have it: Men are genetically programmed to be attracted to a woman’s curves.
So, how come America’s women have added an average of 6″ to their waistlines since the 1950s?
Where has the hourglass shape gone?
Why are more and more women looking less like this?
photo credit: http://www.nzgirl.co.nz
and looking more like this:
Well, according to a whole lot of research:
It’s your diet.
More specifically, it’s all of the processed carbs in your diet. Like this:
and this:
and this:
But, don’t believe me.
Researchers from McMaster University found that the ratio of protein to carbs in your diet will determine your waist to hip ratio.
Eat more protein and less carbs…and you have curves.
Eat less protein and more carbs…and you will turn into a sausage
Want more info?….Here’s the study.
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Thanks for linking to the article.
At first blush, the researchers seem to suggest that substituting 1/2 a chicken breast for 150 g cooked rice would be associated with a significant improvement, on average, in waist-hip ratio.
That’s not a big change in diet.
-Steve
Err…regarding Ms. Loren. Didn’t she attribute her figure to pasta?
Hi protein – ok got it. Oh hang on Im a man damn!
There’s a big difference between a Mediterranean style diet with al dente pasta and a Big Mac with fries and a Coke…I also think genetics may have something to do with it.
Steve,
You’re right. It is a small change.
And to be fair, I don’t think the problem with the Western diet is that people are eating too much rice. It’s all of the processed junk that makes up a huuuuuuge portion of our food intake.
Either way, the science does make a good point.
Great info and photos
I think one of my goals for the new year needs to be to stop taking things so personally.
Case in point: I’ve been kind of happy that I’ve lost about 20 lbs since August. Then I looked at the last pic on this page, which is of a woman who is about the same size as me, or maybe even a little smaller, and now all I’m thinking is, in DR’s eyes I’m still a fat sausage.
Brit, I like the picture of the woman that you mentioned . I think she has a nice shape, with a narrow rib cage/waist, feminine curves and to me that is what makes a woman pretty, not whether I can see her abs or not.
If you eat and exercise in such a way as to feel energized and healthy, I bet you look great already.
Hi Brit,
I am sorry if my use of that picture upset you.
My intent was to illustrate the difference between a healthy and unhealthy waist to hip ratio.
It should be enough for us to realize that our way of eating has had a negative impact on our health…metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, etc… But, the numbers of diet-related chronic disease are still increasing. It amazes me that people are willing to sacrifice their health just so they can continue to eat Big macs and pizza.
But if self-preservation isn’t a strong enough deterrant to junk food, maybe vanity is.
That is what I hoped to get out of this article.
Your weight loss is something that you should be proud of. Hopefully, it has paid off by improving your overall health, energy, strength, etc…
And, believe it or not, whether or not you lose another pound, I am more than impressed. We are all blessed with a different body types. For me, I can build muscle mass very easily, but if I don’t restrict grains and sugar from my diet, those muscles WILL be covered in fat…very quickly. That’s just the way it is. I will never be built like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. I am pretty sure that each of my thighs is bigger than Brad’s entire waist.
But, I can strive to be the fittest and healthiest me.
I hope that you continue trying to get fitter in 2009. Let me know if I can help
I know you weren’t trying to upset anyone. That’s more on me than you. I just get discouraged easily–I look at that picture and think, wow, I haven’t really done anything yet.
I haven’t noticed any health improvements, but really, I’ve never been that bad to begin with (in my own opinion, of course). I’m not good at running, and I get a little out of breath when climbing the FIVE flights of stairs in the parking garage I use on campus, but I get around fine for daily stuff. And whenever I donate blood, my blood pressure is in the normal range. So I’d say I’m okay on that front, even before I lose any weight.
Thanks for the compliment. I don’t know how well I’ll do, but I am going to try to continue losing weight in 2009, because I recently tried on the dress I’m supposed to wear in my friend’s wedding, and I don’t completely love how it looks. I’m not sure what you could do to help, though. Sometimes I feel like I need someone standing over me 24/7, telling me what to do–and as a graduate student, I’m never going to have the time or money for that.
It works.
2 kids, still 36-26-38 because I avoid carbs. Happy husband too.
And what about the people who don’t want to lose weight, but gain weight and get a lower waist-hip ratio? I mean, you say replacing carbohydrates with proteins will change the waist-hip ratio but what about underweight people? Will replacing carbohydrates with proteins do something for their waist-hip ratio while their gaining, or should we soak ourselves in carbohydrates in hope we gain a little bit and all the weight goes to the waist?
Maybe these women look that way by not eating processed carbs, but don’t leave out the breast enlargement that is glaringly obvious on at least one of them.
touche
this all seems to make sense. however, I find that, like many of my female family members, I do not have large difference between my waist and hip measurements. According to my BMI I am healthy, and had my body fat measured: all was a- ok. I’m just more of an athletic build; slim, kinda squarish, and well, lets just say “busty”. I mind what I eat, and I live an active lifestyle. But according to this, I am one of the ladies who males are “genetically programmed” not to be attracted to? I think there are some oversights or over generalizations made about the shape of a woman. It’s like everyone wants to find the key to womens beauty and too quickly proclaim one type of attractiveness over another. Considering that myself and the ladies in my family have not had any trouble finding a mate and “makin’ babies”, I don’t really buy this hip ratio stuff.
It seems to me that many men these days prefer skinny little stick figure women and/or women without hips. Personally, I go for the hour glass figure. Gotta have boobs, gotta have hips, the waist is not that important, but obviously a belly with pock-marks and cellulite all over it is nasty. Fat middle aged men have pot bellies, not ladies. My $.02
Ok I just have to make a comment about the comparison of Sophia Lauren in that extremely tight corset to the lady in the last picture. C’MON!!!! How about showing some healthy examples and not just Hollywood’s version of how women should look. How many times have we seen stories about the unhealthy lifesyles of many of Hollywood’s female stars so they can continue to get work. Not to mention the amount of plastic surgery and injections many are receiving. Those duck lips and unmoving foreheads do not come from nature. Even they say that they are airbrushed and photo-shopped and do not look like they do on magazine covers. I’m all for a healthy diet and lifestyle but lets bring some realism into this story. I think a healthy natural looking woman is more beautiful than a contrived beauty.