what do we find attractive in a person's physical appearance? Cultures differ, but there are some features that we all approve of. Women usually prefer taller men with a V-shaped upper body. Men generally prefer women with a large hip-to-waist ratio and a youthful appearance. Both sexes give priority to people with features that are balanced, especially on the face.
These preferences result from human evolution. Being tall and having balanced features are general sings of good health. They also suggest access to a high-quality food supply. From a male’s point of view, when assessing a possible. partner, a large hip-to-waist ratio and youth are assets. They indicate that a women is better able to have children. Form the female evolutionary viewpoint, a tall, well-built male might be a successful hunter and guard who can feed and protect the household.
Currently, in many countries, being slim is seen as attractive. Historical ideals of beauty were different. For example, if we look at European paintings from previous eras, we see that ideal figures of female beauty were extremely heavy by today’s standards. The reason for this lies largely in society. What makes us fat is a rich diet combined with lack of exercise. Until a couple of hundred years ago, virtually all people lived in relative poverty; only the rich had plenty of food and could avoid hard work. In developed countries today, only the rich afford the time and money needed to exercise at sports facilities. And the availability of
high-calorie, cheap fast food in many countries makes it easy for poorer people to add inches to their waistlines.
Fashion also affects our ideas of what an ideal appearance is. In recent investigations, men and women were shown pictures of women and asked to rate them in terms of attractiveness. Women in the study rated pictures of thinner women as more attractive. This shows the power of advertising in fashion. Female models are usually much thinner than the average female.
We all want to be attractive, but there are negative consequences to the pursuit of beauty as definde by the fashion industry. One is eating disorder. People with and eating disorder often think that they are fat when really they are not fat at all. This leads them to dangerously limit the amount of food they eat. Eating disorders were once very rare, but they have increased since the 1960s. They are common among women; young women aged between 15 and 19 make up 40 percent of new cases in the US. By comparison, they are rare among men. These disorders have the highest rate of death of any mental illness.
The fashion and advertising industries are obviously to blame. Clothes are designed for and worn by thin models, who are themselves often victims of eating disorders. To boost sales, companies flood the market with fattening junk foods. At the same time, advertisers promote slimness as the ideal of beauty. It is truly time to end this unhealthy situation.