BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Image What is the ideal body for a woman?

I think we get bombarded with images of what women are supposed to look like on a daily basis. We see pictures of women who are voluptuous, curvaceous, hourglass, skinny, thin, svelte and catwalk thin everywhere. I'm a size 12 - 14, a bit on the short side. I just don't know what is considered ideal, where does the average woman fit? What are your thoughts, does the ideal body exist?

The ideal body for a woman is one that serves her well. It allows her to go through her day feeling good about herself. She is able to do what she needs to do and feel good doing the chores that she has chosen.

I don't like a stick thin body. I think a woman is supposed to have curves and she should be proud of them.

I think the body on Nina Dobrev is a very good!

If you are asking if women are attracted to a bulky, weightlighter-type guy...the answer afaik is that it is about 50/50.


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I think the ideal adult women body should be in between BMI 20 to 21 which are good and also appealing.

S style i think

I think health is the most important for people.For women,in my opinion,BMI is 19 to 22 is the best.

Eaorai....the 'ideal' is very individual because beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder. No matter what your body type, someone out there will find it appealing. This is why it is so important to not worry so much about what others think. Find what YOU like and make it happen!! believe if we spent half as much time being content and happy with ourselves as we do trying to conform, we would unleash a great deal of personal power. ....sigh....but, I know it's difficult. Incidentally, over the past 30 years the average body size in America has gotten larger and a 12-14 is very average...regardless of what you see in the media.

Each of us has our own ideal. Genetics play a big part in designing our body and if we have to fight that, we aren't being true to who we were born to be.

I agree with Debbie that a stick thin body with all those bones showing is not ideal to many people and cultures and with elizabethann that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And with Meredeth that health is most important.

It's too bad that we feel so compelled to fight against our natural tendencies in order to meet a social ideal.

Are we all supposed to be beautiful in our own unique way?