The hourglass has officially run out. Research into the shape of women in the UK has revealed that women's waists are 16cm wider than they were in 1951. We are also taller but have shot up less than we have shot out.
"Whereas size 12 was once the average, today's female is edging towards a size 16 and the classic hourglass shape is on the decline."
Dr Ian Campbell, president of the National Obesity Forum, insisted the cause could be summed up in one word - affluence. "It is not that people are greedy or lazy. It is just the whole change in our lives. Calories have become very cheap and exercise has become expensive. We have developed a culture that encourages eating. But we are working long and irregular hours and eating processed foods. Exercise is expensive because we are short of time so it is convenient to drive or use public transport rather than walk."
Studies have also found that "the traditional pear-shaped female form, where weight is carried on the hips and thighs, is on the decline and women are turning apple shaped - with growing beer bellies, a trait usually associated with overweight men... which is less healthy because it means they carry excess fat around their abdomen which can lead to heart disease and diabetes."
