April 29, 2014
What Makes the "Perfect" Body?
Let's face it; we would all love to know what makes the "perfect body". Thanks to a survey recently undertaken by Bluebella, we can now see what both men and women think that is. 
My first impression on reading the various articles reporting this was that I must be a man; because I definitely prefer what is labelled as the men's preference, but after thinking that, I actually realised how little muscle definition there is on both of the pictures of the women. With the exclusion of Michelle Keegan and Gwyneth Paltrow's stomachs (which both have some great definition), the female bodies are mostly just thin; they don't appear to have a large amount of muscle. Bluebella's conclusion is that, although many women aspire to being very slim, the men surveyed prefer slightly curvier women. The findings with the male figure are that men want to look more muscular than the women surveyed actually desire. 
Bluebella surveyed 500 men and 500 women, yet there are over 7 billion people in the world, so are these results really accurate? Can they speak for everyone? I think it's great that Bluebella have conducted this survey because it dispels the myth that men admire "skinny" women, which might help in the battle against eating disorders...even if it's only slightly; anything to help with this is great! But it also could (in turn) emotionally damage women who don't have Kim Kardashian's or Kelly Brook's curves, because, when it comes to our appearance, many of us feel more vulnerable than we may be prepared to admit. 
What actually makes us find someone physically attractive though? According to scientists, our bodies and brains are programmed to look for a partner who shows signs of good genes; meaning that, by mating with someone who is healthy, the genes could be passed down to any children conceived in the relationship. 
Clear, smooth skin and symmetry are two of the main things that attract us to a potential partner. Symmetry is important for attraction to both the face and body, as it's said to be a sign of great genetics. Typically, women are less concerned about men's faces being symmetrical though. But why are men (and to a certain extent, women) looking for symmetry? 
On some primitive and subconscious level, when we see a face that doesn't look symmetrical, or "normal", we are programmed to see the person as "unhealthy". This means that we, subconsciously, see them as not being able to parent a healthy, beautiful and virtuous child. This may sound crazy, but there has actually been research undertaken by Professor Gillian Rhodes that supports this theory. Scientifically, the "perfect" woman's face has high cheek bones, big eyes and a thin jaw, while the "perfect" man's face has a large jaw, broad chin and an imposing brow. So, although we all say we have difference taste, there are many things that our minds and bodies all look for when selecting a partner. 
Picture credit: http://ron-sheese.wikidot.com/orange-sana-mira-lexie-oanh-vishal It's also programmed for us to find certain proportions attractive too! Research has found that men prefer a waist to hip ratio of 7:10 (0.7), meaning that the "ideal" waist size for a woman is 70% smaller than her hips. So if your waist measures 26 inches, then your hips would measure 37". Alternatively, if your waist measures 30", then your hips would measure 43". The weight of a woman would appear to be unimportant; it's just about your body ratio. Basically as long as your waist is noticeably smaller than your hips, it will be found attractive. This explains why the men surveyed selected Michelle Keegan's waist (reported to be 24") along with Kelly Brook's hips (reported to be 36"), as the ratio is just off the "perfect" 0.7. 
Picture credit: http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2014/04/12/cuerpo-perfecto_n_5138644.html The "ideal" waist to hip ratio for men, however, is 9:10 (0.9). This means that if your waist measures 34", then your hips would measure 38". Again, the weight would appear to be unimportant, so if your waist measures 38", then your hips would measure 42". Men don't typically tend to measure their hips, so it is difficult to confirm if Ryan Gosling's measurements live up to this, but let's be honest; he looks pretty good! 
To calculate your own waist to hip ratio, perform this simple calculation: Waist measurement ÷ Hip measurement = Ratio. Philosopher Edmund Burke wrote: "We must conclude that beauty is, for the greater part, some quality in bodies, acting mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of the senses." Burke wrote that in 1756, but it's still being quoted today. 
We have all compared the way we look to how someone else looks at some point in our lives, and many people do this regularly. It's a terrible thing to do though because, although on rare occasions, it can have a positive effect; it is more likely to have a negative impact on your emotional and psychological state. When it comes to assessing beauty, we are often are own worst critics. Do you agree with what makes the "perfect body"?
Do you follow us on Instagram?
[caption id="attachment_100032" align="alignnone" width="100"]
@BodyRockTV[/caption]
Sources: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/features/2014/04/see-what-men-and-women-think-is-the-perfect-body http://www.celebsfact.com/michelle-keegan-height-and-weight-bra-size-body-measurements/ http://www.bodymeasurements.org/michelle-keegan/ http://www.bodymeasurements.org/kelly-brook/ http://www.businessinsider.com/what-makes-someone-sexy-2013-2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/attraction.shtml http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/02/health/mental-health/beauty-brain-research/ http://realdoctorstu.com/2011/03/16/the-science-of-attraction-what-makes-a-beautiful-face/ http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(00)00060-X/abstract
My first impression on reading the various articles reporting this was that I must be a man; because I definitely prefer what is labelled as the men's preference, but after thinking that, I actually realised how little muscle definition there is on both of the pictures of the women. With the exclusion of Michelle Keegan and Gwyneth Paltrow's stomachs (which both have some great definition), the female bodies are mostly just thin; they don't appear to have a large amount of muscle. Bluebella's conclusion is that, although many women aspire to being very slim, the men surveyed prefer slightly curvier women. The findings with the male figure are that men want to look more muscular than the women surveyed actually desire. 
Bluebella surveyed 500 men and 500 women, yet there are over 7 billion people in the world, so are these results really accurate? Can they speak for everyone? I think it's great that Bluebella have conducted this survey because it dispels the myth that men admire "skinny" women, which might help in the battle against eating disorders...even if it's only slightly; anything to help with this is great! But it also could (in turn) emotionally damage women who don't have Kim Kardashian's or Kelly Brook's curves, because, when it comes to our appearance, many of us feel more vulnerable than we may be prepared to admit. 
What actually makes us find someone physically attractive though? According to scientists, our bodies and brains are programmed to look for a partner who shows signs of good genes; meaning that, by mating with someone who is healthy, the genes could be passed down to any children conceived in the relationship. 
Clear, smooth skin and symmetry are two of the main things that attract us to a potential partner. Symmetry is important for attraction to both the face and body, as it's said to be a sign of great genetics. Typically, women are less concerned about men's faces being symmetrical though. But why are men (and to a certain extent, women) looking for symmetry? 
On some primitive and subconscious level, when we see a face that doesn't look symmetrical, or "normal", we are programmed to see the person as "unhealthy". This means that we, subconsciously, see them as not being able to parent a healthy, beautiful and virtuous child. This may sound crazy, but there has actually been research undertaken by Professor Gillian Rhodes that supports this theory. Scientifically, the "perfect" woman's face has high cheek bones, big eyes and a thin jaw, while the "perfect" man's face has a large jaw, broad chin and an imposing brow. So, although we all say we have difference taste, there are many things that our minds and bodies all look for when selecting a partner. 
Picture credit: http://ron-sheese.wikidot.com/orange-sana-mira-lexie-oanh-vishal It's also programmed for us to find certain proportions attractive too! Research has found that men prefer a waist to hip ratio of 7:10 (0.7), meaning that the "ideal" waist size for a woman is 70% smaller than her hips. So if your waist measures 26 inches, then your hips would measure 37". Alternatively, if your waist measures 30", then your hips would measure 43". The weight of a woman would appear to be unimportant; it's just about your body ratio. Basically as long as your waist is noticeably smaller than your hips, it will be found attractive. This explains why the men surveyed selected Michelle Keegan's waist (reported to be 24") along with Kelly Brook's hips (reported to be 36"), as the ratio is just off the "perfect" 0.7. 
Picture credit: http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2014/04/12/cuerpo-perfecto_n_5138644.html The "ideal" waist to hip ratio for men, however, is 9:10 (0.9). This means that if your waist measures 34", then your hips would measure 38". Again, the weight would appear to be unimportant, so if your waist measures 38", then your hips would measure 42". Men don't typically tend to measure their hips, so it is difficult to confirm if Ryan Gosling's measurements live up to this, but let's be honest; he looks pretty good! 
To calculate your own waist to hip ratio, perform this simple calculation: Waist measurement ÷ Hip measurement = Ratio. Philosopher Edmund Burke wrote: "We must conclude that beauty is, for the greater part, some quality in bodies, acting mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of the senses." Burke wrote that in 1756, but it's still being quoted today. 
We have all compared the way we look to how someone else looks at some point in our lives, and many people do this regularly. It's a terrible thing to do though because, although on rare occasions, it can have a positive effect; it is more likely to have a negative impact on your emotional and psychological state. When it comes to assessing beauty, we are often are own worst critics. Do you agree with what makes the "perfect body"?
Do you follow us on Instagram?
[caption id="attachment_100032" align="alignnone" width="100"]
@BodyRockTV[/caption]
Sources: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/features/2014/04/see-what-men-and-women-think-is-the-perfect-body http://www.celebsfact.com/michelle-keegan-height-and-weight-bra-size-body-measurements/ http://www.bodymeasurements.org/michelle-keegan/ http://www.bodymeasurements.org/kelly-brook/ http://www.businessinsider.com/what-makes-someone-sexy-2013-2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/attraction.shtml http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/02/health/mental-health/beauty-brain-research/ http://realdoctorstu.com/2011/03/16/the-science-of-attraction-what-makes-a-beautiful-face/ http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(00)00060-X/abstract