In the early 1980s I visited Washington, DC—in town for a rally to support passage of the ERA. That didn’t go too well! But I did get to tour several of the Smithsonian Museums for the first time. Here are a few things I learned during that experience (besides the fact that America was not ready for equal rights for women):
1. The level of intellect, creativity, and detail that went into putting together the displays throughout the different museums was awe-inspiring.
2. Only tour the Smithsonians when wearing the most comfortable footwear possible. And no matter how physically fit you are, the Smithsonians will wear you out.
3. The original First Ladies of America (Martha, Jane, Dolly, etc.) were shrimps. An exhibit in the National Museum of American History displayed a life-like replica of each First Lady wearing her inaugural gown (or other fancy dress of the time)—starting with Martha Washington and ending with Nancy Reagan. Those first gals were so little I could have rested my elbows on top of their heads!
4. The best exhibit in the Natural History Museum was called “Manipulation of the Soft Tissue.” Huh? you might be thinking. That was my initial thought, too. It was a display about the different standards of beauty of ancient tribes and what they did to their bodies to achieve it.
Breast implants? Nope.
Ear lobes. One primitive group valued extra long ones. Consequently, men and women hung heavy objects from their lobes, which over time stretched to exorbitant lengths—like a foot long!
Another group valued big lips. These people inserted round plates into their mouths and wrapped their bottom lip over it. Over time as the lip stretched, larger and larger plates were used—until it looked like you could rest a turkey platter on the bottom lip.
The most fascinating was an indigenous tribe (in South America, I think) whose standard of beauty was the body shape of a wasp. To get their bodies to resemble a wasp’s, the men—who were small in stature even as adults—bound their waists when they were young with a wide metal belt. As they aged, the waistline never expanded. It stayed small—like 4-5 inches in diameter.
You would think that the internal organs wouldn’t fit, but I guess they rearranged themselves to accommodate the tiny waist.
As far as these tribes go, I don’t get the long earlobes. But I do get the big lips. According to anthropologists, the male of the human species considers big lips to be attractive—for evolutionary reasons. Full lips equate to youthfulness, which equates to the ability to reproduce.
Men are genetically wired to seek to plant their seeds. Consequently, they look for fertile ground.
Likewise, other fertile attributes are a symmetrical face and an ample bosom. BUT based on scientific studies about how men choose mates, the most important physical attribute that attracts a man to a woman is the waist-to-hip ratio.
German research conducted last year (at the University of Regensburg) found that an hourglass figure was deemed more attractive than athletic types, long-legged types, or big-busted types. This finding was true across cultures and countries.
Likewise, Dr. Barnaby Dixson, a New Zealand anthropologist, conducted another recent comprehensive study. He sampled men from New Zealand, England, Germany, Cameroon, and China and confirmed that the waist-to-hip ratio was the key attraction.
Dr. Dixson quantified the perfect ratio as 0.7 — meaning the waist measurement should be 70% of the hip measurement. For example, if your hips are 40 inches, your waist should measure 28 inches.
In general, I’d say the average American woman’s waistline exceed 70%. Of course I whipped out the tape measure. I have a 75% ratio — and I’m blaming it all on Frankie! (Several blogs about “him” if you’re interested…)
But there are some women whose bodies meet the “ideal” ratio. For instance, Marilyn Monroe had the “correct” figure. Supposedly so do Jessica Alba and Allesandra Ambrosio (had to google her—she’s a Victoria Secret model).
Marilyn Monroe in a figure flattering gold metallic wiggle dress, highlighting her 70% waist-to-hip ratio nicely.
Jessica at the People's Choice Awards in January 2010 shows off her waist-to-hip ratio.
I always figured that if a woman wants to look attractive and she has a small waist, she should flaunt it. Like Christina Aguilera. She has a knock-out figure, as shown in the movie Burlesque.
Christina Aguilera as Ali Rose, an up-and-coming singer in the film Burlesque.
That’s why when I saw the dress she wore to the premiere, I thought, big mistake. Unless she asked her stylist to find her a dress that could double as a pup tent when she goes camping.
Christina in L.A. at the premiere of Burlesque wearing an Ellie Saab muu-muu.
The dress accents her bazooms, but totally hides her best assets: the waist-to-hip ratio.
Unless Xtina doesn’t care about attracting men for evolutionary purposes!
