The skinny on weight preference

Posted Oct 27th 2006 at 8:41AM by Anne Metz (Subscribe to Anne Metz's posts)

Filed under: Fashion, News, Runway Report

We all know that the fashion industry prefers skinny models to fuller figured ones, but do you ever wonder how the rest of the population feels about body size? Well, one new survey conducted for the German magazine Revue suggests that both men and women overwhelmingly prefer fuller figures to the waif look. The poll found that 77% of women and 86% of men find curvaceous bodies more appealing than skinnier versions. When asked to compare photographs of a well-known German actress with a fleshier figure to that of Kate Moss, the pollsters found that only 14% of men and 23% of women sided with the skinny supermodel.

Do you agree with this study? Is a fuller figure better than the waif look?

Write in and tell us.

Source

Tags: full-figured, kate moss, KateMoss, model ban, ModelBan, skinny models, SkinnyModels

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)

Anny 10-27-2006 @ 11:13AM

thanks for this information

Roberto 10-27-2006 @ 4:50PM

I'm not going to agree/disagree with the results but the poll sounds fairly flawed. "a well-known German actress" and Kate Moss doesn't seem like a very good representation of people's preferences (thinner or fuller). Maybe if there was 10 choices: 5 fitting into each category- would determine where people lean. IMO

Bill G. 10-28-2006 @ 6:19AM

I have always found full figured women to be more desirable than thin women. When I hear, read or watch about how thin women should be, I never fail to get sick to my stomach. It disgusts me at how tainted our, (American), point of view is towards the subject. Full figured women are amazing in everyway. The love, compassion, humor, humility and sensuality are unmatched, and the sex is unparalelled. I also agree with Roberto. Head to head match-ups are unreliable. The 10, 5-5 idea seems to be the right idea to get a proper result.

CHAR 10-28-2006 @ 6:45AM

Healthy is the best way to be; if your ribs stick out and you look like a walking bag of bones..you have a problem and it's not pretty or sexy.

karen 10-28-2006 @ 6:42AM

why is this article listed on AOL's site under the phrase ""we couldnt believe it either"!!? how offensive to me as a woman... WHY WOULD YOU LIST THIS ARTICLE LIKE THAT AMERICA ONLINE.... THAT IS HURTFULL AND NO ,,,PEOPLE... I AM NOT FAT....IT JUST OFFENDED ME AS A WOMAN!!!

Andrea 10-28-2006 @ 7:00AM

When it comes to the waif or half-starved look I find it to be ugly. Some people are dying because they don't have enough food to eat, yet we have people who can feed themselves parading around with that look as if it is something to be proud of.

Kdwg 10-28-2006 @ 7:02AM

Full fugured women are the best by far. Whether clothed, in lingerie, in the buff, in the tub or during a great roll in the hay, so many things about them are simply the best!

Penny Pickelmann 10-28-2006 @ 7:07AM

Well, with me being a fuller figured woman..I'm glad to hear that the tide may be changing. I have always felt judged for being "FAT" and I have felt fat every since I was 6 years old. I look back to my high school days and wish I were that "FAT" now. But I have got to say, I think it's all in the personal hygeine and attitude and personality that really matters not just the fact whether one is boney on bouncy.

mary 10-28-2006 @ 7:26AM

I think it's about two things: 1. Health. 2. One's personal comfort level. If someone is happy being 20 pounds over or under weight, more power to them! If you find yourself more attractive superskinny, go for it. If you like a bit of padding, go for it. As long as it's not terribly excessive, I say....whatever you're happy and confident with.

heather 10-28-2006 @ 7:26AM

i've never been able to wrap my head around the idea that starving oneself to the point that one's body begins to cannibalize itself is supposed to be viewed as sexy. that prohibiting oneself from EATING so that one can be photographed more frequently than another celebrity x-ray is sick. the message our media is sending to our younger generation of girls is, you are beautiful if you are skinny. every magazine cover touts advice on how to lose weight, or how so-and-so celebrity lost weight, and every fitness magazine has unrealistically thin fitness models from cover to cover.
we are blessed with the ability to actually create life - our bodies vessels to carry and feed that life - why not celebrate that incredible gift and honor our beautiful bodies whatever size they may be?

carol 10-28-2006 @ 7:28AM

All the great beauties long remembered from Cleopatra , Lillian Russell, and Marilyn Monroe topped the scales over 200 pounds. It is clear that meat on the bones makes for a better treat for the eyes to most men and I would guess most women. The trend towards the waif look since the 60s was unhealthy and I attribute it to the drug and rock n roll culture...think of the emaciated icons of that era. They had to market their look to be the norm. Lately it is not the case, since all around this country the women and most men are fat and greasy porkers. Just look at our waistlines and asses, our skin shows all the sugar and fried foods that go into us. The children of this country are the most malnourished and lazy in the world. Those on the christian children fund commercial look healthier than here , we should be feeding that paste to our own children, they would probably have more energy. If we ate right and weighed 200 lbs. we would look better. It is not how much you eat ...but, what you eat that makes the difference in how you will look and feel. Exercise and good nutrition is the what makes one look great. The few skinny people around this country don't look so great either. I see alot of people these days drinking their meals and I don't mean protein shakes.

coll h. 10-28-2006 @ 7:32AM

I am a full figured diva and I LOVE BEING ME.

angel 10-28-2006 @ 9:37AM

I am a plus sized woman.. and have more dates and offers than many thin women I know... I have been told that being voluptuous is very sexy.. and have never had any complaints... or lack of dates... lol

Jinx 10-28-2006 @ 7:41AM

Thank-You!
After watching the lengths that people will go through to be thin, and watching people (N.Ritchie) go from curvy to scurvy, it's about time we all get realistic. I totally agree with #5. I'm not particularly heavy or obese (I got my bumps) but geeze, can we please just be human beings? Everyone was brought into this world being different, when did we all become those little paper dolls? What is the deal with the want to be rail thin, cold and sickly? Is that really pretty? I would rather be a happy magic marker than a miserable pencil.
Celebrate life...How do people celebrate? Eat, Drink and be Merry!

Stephanie 10-28-2006 @ 9:54AM

I totally think that people look better fuller figured than bean pole thin. I don't like to see bones. If I wanna bone I will eat a T-Bone steak and add to my figure and give the bone to the dog! LOL

Patti 10-28-2006 @ 7:52AM

Waif or Fullfigured? How about being YOU, the best You, you can be.
Do not live your life by fashion magazines. What their ideas of healthy is, is all prefabricated. If you follow their trends, you have been sucked into their black holes. Instead, opt for what works for YOU, because NO ONE on this planet can be you! Rejoice in your body, your spirit, your aura...Live YOUR life to the fullest...no one else can do that for you!

Angel Rosario 10-28-2006 @ 9:31AM

Thank you ! Thin women look like they are starving. I find flat chested or fake boobs on a wet chicken a turnoff !

JSpencer 10-28-2006 @ 8:02AM

I like to see healthy looking women. Whether they are full figured or slim they need to look healthy. Women were born to have curves, not to look like a lollypop with a head. I do not like to see a women with no curves. Women who are so thin that their bones are protuding through the skin are unhealthy. My brother use to say, "nobody wants a bone but a dog", and even they still like a little meat on it.

Midge 10-28-2006 @ 8:07AM

IMHO the fashion industry rotates around designers who may desire other men; hence they unconsciously design for what they would like other men to wear if they were women...this being said, American women are being "shoehorned" into believing that a unpadded, boyish/masculine physique is the norm, i.e., no bust, no defined waist, no hip, thin legs which is the male form. The hardest part is being blessed with a true female body (hourglass shape) and trying to buy clothes - nothing fits across bust and hips properly and the waists are always too large. IMHO this is due to personal preferences of clothing designers.

spinner 10-28-2006 @ 8:14AM

I'm thin and have always been thin.I'm not boney and I eat whatever I want.People are always asking me if I diet or how did I get this thin?I have no idea but I can tell you if I'm hungry I eat.There are people out there who are just skinny because they have skinny Genes.Don't assume all skinny people are starving.Also everyone used to say"wait until you hit 30,the pounds are going to pile on with the way your eating" I'm 36 and still at 114lbs. In my opinion,I think when women diet that they may be messing up there natural metabolism.Thats just an opinion though.