gullybogan

Dear Reader,

As you may have noticed, girls often starve themselves to be thinner, so that they can be more attractive.

Turns out, if they’re trying to be more attractive to men, they’re wasting their time.

When shown a picture of three girls, sized 8, 12, and 14, and asked which was the most attractive, only one in five men voted for the size 8 girl.

Opinion was divided on which was more ideal, size 12 or size 14, but it was quite clear that men prefer girls who are a ‘healthy’, post-pubescent size.

Which men? Sixty thousand men who read FHM, a blokes’ magazine that invites its readers to spend a lot of their time thinking about girls and how they look.

So who are these girls starving themselves to please?

Turns out, other girls.

Which is a bit pointless, from a Darwinian perspective.

Professor Marika Tiggemann from Flinders University said that the results supported academic research on the topic. “We find women want to be thinner than what men find attractive,” she said. “Men’s idea of what is ‘thin’ is larger than that of women. Unfortunately, a lot of people think being thin demonstrates being in control or being disciplined, while being fat is a sign you’re weak.”

The editor of women’s magazine Cleo, Nedahl Stelio, said that most women did not diet for men but for other women.

“Most men I know would go for more boob over thinner thighs, but women, by nature, are competitive with other women,” Stelio said.

“And if the society and celebrity ideal is thin, that’s what she’s going to aspire to, just to get one up on other women.”

So the message is clear. Girls need to stop reading women’s magazines and start reading men’s magazines instead. That way they’ll have healthier body images to aspire to.