hourglass

There is a strange dichotomy in the fashion world. Very lean high-fashion models regularly get called 'fat', yet we also laud hourglass figures on the cover of magazines.

Madmen actress Christina Hendricks talks about body shape in New York magazine - in particular how her figure has been discussed more than her acting ability.

Research in Evolution and Human Behavior has found an interesting relationship between a mother's gluteofemoral (i.e. butt and thigh) fat and her child's cognitive ability.

Essentially: hourglass-shaped women have smarter kids.

Forgive the double entendre.

When it comes to the hourglass figure - many women pursue it, and it seems that men pursue women with it.

Psychologists at the University of Texas (obviously with way too much time on their hands) have reviewed hundreds of years worth of literature and concluded: Men lust after slender-waisted women.

Apparently it all comes down to Waist-to-Hip ratio. A slender waist is seen as "a core feature of feminine beauty that transcends ethnic-morphological differences".