Definition

A woman with an hourglass figure or body shape is considered to have the ideal proportions between her shoulders, breast, waist, and hips. It is one of the four female body types that the fashion industry recognizes. It is a misconception about beauty.

The breast, waist, and hip circumferences of a woman’s body determine the hourglass form. Hourglass body types have broad hips almost equal in size to their wide busts. They also have a thin waist. This body’s top and bottom halves are broad and about equal in size, but the center is narrow in diameter, giving the overall shape of wide-narrow-wide. This body shape is called for its similarity to that of an hourglass. It has been shown that hourglass-shaped women are more appreciated, which may pressure women with significantly diverse body types to work toward achieving the hourglass figure. This may cause young ladies worldwide to have eating problems due to body dissatisfaction.

Explanation

A beauty myth is the hourglass figure. The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, published in 1991, talks about these pernicious standards of beauty used to oppress women, particularly when they are breaking through obstacles to achieve. It is even more challenging to see where these ideas of beauty—the hourglass figure—come from powerful companies that make money from women’s fears. These notions of beauty are taught to women every day in various ways.

In part, a radical “myth” of beauty, such as the hourglass form, which sets unattainable standards for women and their bodies, keeps women in subjugation. This illusion is not individualistic but rather a “culture conspiracy” to maintain and benefit from patriarchal systems of family and government. She explains how the notion of “beauty” is a tool used to make women feel horrible about themselves since so few people can achieve the standard. Wolf admits that attractiveness plays a valid part in our lives and in our attraction to one another, but she contends that the issue arises when attractiveness is equated with extremes of youth, pertness, and thinness that are out of reach for the majority of healthy women.

Characteristics of the Hourglass

• Shoulders that are a little rounded
• The hips and bottom are rounded.
• Greater thighs
• Usually, weight growth is distributed uniformly throughout the body.
• The same breadth at the hips and bust
• The waist is narrow and defined.

Patriarchal foundations

A female’s hourglass form is a powerful visual indicator of her sexual maturity, well-being, and capacity for childbearing.  Because of this, males are naturally attracted to women’s hourglass forms, which symbolize feminine beauty.

The desire of the human male for women with hourglass forms is the outcome of a particular selective history rather than any mystical power. A reference point for female sexual appeal, the body form is a blueprint.

Different ethnic groups may consciously believe that a woman’s beauty is determined by the size and form of a particular body component, but the link between the body parts is constant, and apparent departures from this desired body shape reduce the sexual attraction.