Female body shape or female figure is the cumulative product of a woman's bone structure along with the distribution of muscle and fat on the body.
Female figures are typically narrower at the waist than at the bust and hips. The bust, waist, and hips are called inflection points, and the ratios of their circumferences are used to define basic body shapes.
Reflecting the wide range of individual beliefs on what is best for physical health and what is preferred aesthetically, as well as disagreements on the social standing and purported "purpose" of women in society, there is no universally acknowledged ideal female body shape. Cultural ideals, however, have developed and continue to exert influence over how a woman relates to her own body, as well as how others in her society may perceive and treat her.[1]
- ^ Gordon, K.H.; Castro, Y.; Sitnikov, L.; Holm-Denoma, J.M. "Cultural body shape ideals and eating disorder symptoms among White, Latina, and Black college women". PsycNET /. Retrieved 6 September 2018.