Hah, hah! Great question…

Another question is, who still finds bone thin women appealing? Surely it’s not guys, I’m not aware of any typical blokey mags which feature bone thin women. So is it just the fashion industry, and if so, why? I could be cynical and suggest that thin women equals less material per outfit equals greater profit, but it has to be more than that, right? Especially when the material isn’t anywhere near as expensive as the end product (so the difference in profit margin between, say, a size 4 dress and a size 6 dress, wouldn’t be that large). But then I don’t know, I’m not involved in the fashion industry. Thankfully.

I don’t particularly care what others find attractive (unless I’m attracted to them). The quest for perfection or ageless youth seems something that “broken” people aspire to but that’s just my opinion…

Oh, and I just had one other completely random thought. I wonder if it is possible that the reason bone thin women are so “in” has something to do with our species becoming concerned with overpopulation? If one is too thin it is much harder to both become pregnant and sustain a pregnancy to term.

To clarify, I sense that how each of us perceive beauty is deeply rooted in our values and socio- cultural conditioning. If you behave and make choices solely based on what other people think is beautiful, then you may not recognize the basis for your own vanity. if your level of self-confidence changes based on external influences, you can still transform and listen closer to yourself. If you evolve to behave based on what you decide is beautiful, then its possible you’ll rise above superficial (pop cultural/ mainstream magazine) views of beauty.

For example, if a person is raised in a society with strong religious influences, then that person’s ideas about beauty may be closely linked to those imposed by the person’s religion. This could relate to acceptable clothing, attitude, demeanor or whatever that fits the religious status quo.

Beauty can be physical, intellectual, emotional or link other qualities. By ‘quality’, I mean something you detect in a thing or person that allows you to experience intense pleasure or deep satisfaction in your mind.

When it comes to buildings, nature or, people, beauty to me is a feeling I associate with uniqueness, warmth, rays of light or other reasons I feel serene in the presence of something or someone. For me, beauty is discerned deeper than physical appearances. Whether or not someone has had a facelift, a tummy tuck, breast enlargements or other sugery wouldn’t influence my view about beauty. Yet, I tend to intuit insecurity in people is based on a lack of inner beauty or a lack of self-acceptance.

Consider actresses like Demi Moore and actors like Michael Douglas who pay a hefty price for using plastic surgery to slow the visible aging process. Curiously enough, artificial changes can actually speed up underlying aging and cause more self-consciousness about a lack of perceived physical beauty. Wonder what the world would be like if everyone accepted themselves as they are? A lot of people (plastic surgeons, magazine editors, papprazzi and others) would be out of work!

So as an example, Scarlett Johansson and Evangeline Lilly are equally attractive.

I think the changing desire for size has to do with the classic “have” and “have-nots” in a society. When people have little resources it is desirable for a woman to be bigger. This proves, as you stated, that they are well taken care of. On the flip side though, when people have many resources it seems to go the opposite direction and it is very appealing to be thin. For example, in America food is relatively abundant. Rather than embracing bigger sizes, thin is in style. The thinner the better is the overriding belief, despite obvious health issues.

As far breast size, I still argue there is a biological trigger for men towards voluptuous women. Looking back through history and over cultures this is relatively consistent. The recent movement away from this in some circles or cultures may be due to the rise in the gender neutral look. However, I would argue, that despite fashion, men still have the trigger for larger and perkier breasted women. But, I cannot speak for the opposite gender. Any men want to weigh in on this?

Why is it do you think that voluptuous women aren’t still in style in all cultures? Some civilizations admire women in realtion to their size. Should smaller or larger be better? What do our value judgements say about ourselves? In some cultures, larger-sized women are highly-valued because this means they are well taken care of by their husbands (or families). Thus the husbands and families are also admired and respected.