Whether you’re 20years old or 50, the hour-glass figure remains the body shape the majority of us aspire to. With over two thirds of the nation wishing they had the classic Marilyn curves, it would seem that the boyish body personified by Twiggy in the sixties and Kate Moss in the nineties and noughties is somewhat outdated.
In a landmark study, commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kellogg’s Special K, more than 2,000 UK women were surveyed to examine the key influences that have impacted on the female body ideal and the things that have boosted and bruised our confidence over the last five decades. The results showed that real women are resolutely rejecting perfection and demanding more honesty to inspire better ‘shape’ confidence. Key body shape boosters include seeing shapely women on TV rather than size zero models, curvy celebrities with hunky boyfriends (such as Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson), and older actresses such as Helen Mirren ‘baring all’ for nude scenes.
As well as applauding women in the public eye who are honest about their bodies, British women believe influencers like the media could and should do more to inspire real women. Well someone who knows a thing or two about the pressures of staying in shape is TV presenter and mum Kirsty Gallacher. After almost a decade in the spotlight, the recently engaged star talks frankly about her body and how she maintains her classic hour glass shape.
