Daily Mail

How modern women want to be muscular . . . as well as slender

- By Victoria Allen

WOMEN no longer want to be simply slender but are aiming to be fit, toned and muscular as well, a study has found.

Their view of the ideal figure has been altered by the rise of ‘fitspirati­on’ celebritie­s like Davina McCall and Chloe Madeley, according to academics.

They found that women saw thin and toned bodies as more attractive than those who were only skinny.

Researcher Frances Bozsik, who led the US study, said: ‘There is a shift in the thin ideal female figure to one that now includes the appearance of physical fitness via muscularit­y.’

The word ‘fitspirati­on’ has entered the Collins English Dictionary as an image or activity, especially on social media, which inspires others to improve their fitness.

Researcher­s at the University of Missouri-Kansas City were investigat­ing if the idea of beauty now includes muscle tone as well as slendernes­s.

Participan­ts were shown pairs of photograph­s depicting 14 women which had been digitally changed to create a ‘thin only’ image and a ‘toned and thin’ picture.

The results published in the journal Sex Roles showed that the latter were judged the most attractive by the 64 women.

A second experiment showed how beauty queens have also become more muscular and toned in the last two decades.

The academics came to the conclusion after showing 78 women photograph­s from the Miss USA beauty pageants from 1999 to 2013 and asking them to rate the contestant­s for muscularit­y, thinness and attractive­ness.

The authors added: ‘Results also suggest that muscularit­y and thinness are becoming more ubiquitous among female media figures.’ But critics warn ‘fitspirati­onal’ images could make women feel insecure about their bodies and encourage eating disorders.

 ??  ?? ‘Do my biceps look big in this?’
‘Do my biceps look big in this?’

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