Lifestyle

What the 'Perfect' Female Body Looks Like Around the World (PHOTOS)

LifestylePublished Aug 14, 2015
By Maressa Brown
perceptions of perfection study USA

From Marilyn Monroe to Jennifer Aniston, celebs and models -- and magazine editors and fashion designers, of course -- have set beauty standards for American women. But what we've perceived as aspirational isn't necessarily what our sisters in other countries believe to be their ideal. Hence why a new study strove to illustrate various perceptions of beauty all over the world.

U.K. online pharmacy Superdrug Online Doctors commissioned 18 graphic artists to Photoshop the same exact female form into a shape that their culture would find attractive. Their goal: "To better understand potentially unrealistic standards of beauty and to see how such pressures vary around the world," according to their press release.

And they focused on female designers, because they wanted "a woman's view of what her culture finds attractive and to understand more about the pressures they face. However, in order to get entries from more countries, we accepted contributions from four men with the caveat that they first seek input from women and base their design changes on this feedback." Nice.

Here, those 18 submissions, which are eye-opening, to say the least. If one thing is for sure across the globe, it's that there's no such thing as one definition of gorgeous.

perfect female body world

Image via onlinedoctor.superdrug.com; MJTH/shutterstock; aarrows/shutterstock

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U.S.
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U.S.

Superdrug researchers ran a brief survey with a 35-person sample and, assuming a height 5'4"-ish, asked participants to guess the weight of the woman in each Photoshopped image. That said, a woman with this ideal U.S. body type would weigh about 128 pounds.

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China
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China

China's submission was the thinnest, estimated at about 102 pounds, which, at 5'4", researchers note qualifies as anorexic, according to the U.K. National Health Service.

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Colombia
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Colombia

A woman with Colombia's ideal body type would weigh approx. 147 pounds.

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Egypt
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Egypt

Egyptian women aspire to this body type and a weight of about 132 pounds.

More from The Stir____: 12 Flattering Swimsuit Options for Every Body Type (PHOTOS)

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Italy
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Italy

Italy submitted the second thinnest figure of the group. This woman would weigh 108 pounds.

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Netherlands
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Netherlands

The ideal Netherlands body type weighs in at around 127 pounds.

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Peru
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Peru

A woman with the ideal body type in Peru would be around 141 pounds, guess the Superdrug researchers.

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Philippines
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Philippines

Researchers found a lady with the ideal body type out of the Philippines would weigh about 128 pounds.

More from The Stir: Plus-Size Vlogger Reveals the Real Reasons 'Why Fat Girls Shouldn't Wear Bikinis' (VIDEO)

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Romania
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Romania

A woman with the ultimate figure in this Eastern European country may weigh about 146 pounds.

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Serbia
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Serbia

To be "perfect" in Serbia means weighing around 135 pounds.

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South Africa
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South Africa

South African women see this type -- and around 131 pounds, apparently -- as their ideal.

More from The Stir: 'Alphabet' Body Types Are So Ridiculous They're Funny (PHOTOS)

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Spain
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Spain

Spain's submission was the "heaviest," say researchers, coming in at around 153 pounds.

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Mexico
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Mexico

Mexican women aspire to this body type and roughly 128 pounds.

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Syria
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Syria

The ideal type for Syrian women weighed in at around 129 pounds.

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Ukraine
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Ukraine

The submission from Ukraine was the third thinnest of the group, coming in at 120 pounds.

More from The Stir: Kate Upton Says She 'Begged' for Her Curvy Body

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Argentina
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Argentina

In Argentina, a woman with this ideal body type would weigh 127 pounds, say researchers.

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Venezuela
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Venezuela

This curvy, busty shape is the ideal for Venezuelan women, and researchers guess someone with this shape would weigh about 145 pounds.

More from The Stir: Looking at Models With 'Perfect' Bodies Could Make You Gain Weight

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U.K.
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U.K.

A woman with the svelte shape popular in the United Kingdom would weigh about 126 pounds.

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