Sometimes when I see pictures of very thin celebrities with super thin legs, I tend to feel that they are more delicate and feminine, and yes, that more people (ok, men), may find them more desireable.

I do flip flop back and forth from wanting strong, powerful thighs which are more desired in my culture, to wanting thin and delicate legs, that are more desired in the model-liking crowd.

Sigh. Does anyone else ever feel this way?

With my build, I don't think I will ever have very thin legs. I think I will always have very strong legs. So, with my build, I am leaning towards maybe having strong thighs and hoping to look more athletic if I can't look "dainty".

I honestly feel as if those women look like they are about to snap in half. A lot of my guy friends say the same thing, that super thin women look they are so delicate, they might break.

I don't think you should compare yourself to other women (easier said than done, I know). I'm 5'9" with a large frame...I'm never going to be delicate. But I could be toned, strong, healthy looking...and confident. Confident is more alluring than almost anything else

Yes, I think it is easy to get caught up in it. The images of willowy models are every where. I'm 6 feet with a medium frame. Even at a healthy weight, I was no where close to having a "model" like figure. I don't think they look dainty, fragile maybe. I think we (women) need to learn to appreciate a healthy body and that healthy bodies come in more than one size, shape.
That's my 2 cents :~)

I think generally women want thinner bodies than men find most attractive.

My husband has a large group of guy friends, and they fall on every point on the attractiveness spectrum themselves.

The one guy (yep, only one) who has a strong preference for the supermodel "waif" type (very young, very slender and usually very blonde) is constantly being ripped on by the other guys. They've accused him of being "afraid of boobies," teased him about the girls looking like 12 year old boys, and like they might blow away in a stiff wind).

I've always envied the strong actress bodies (that the tabloids call fat), like Lynda Carter's (Wonderwoman in the 70's) and Lucy Lawless's (Xena, warrior princess).

Maybe it`s that we always want what we can`t have?

Very few of us can realistically achieve the waif body, so it bears a certain exclusivity, which, to some, makes it more desirable.

Aesthetic standards are very personal things, though they're certainly informed by the culture we're in. I'm still thinking about this, but I can tell you, it's not delicacy that I admire, but elegance, and a long, attenuated line seems to me to be more elegant. I am not thinking in fleshy, sexual terms. I think I admire most a kind of beauty that is less approachable or touchable -- it is more like something you'd stand admiring in a museum. And the museum would be MOMA. I'm not talking about a Renoir or a Rubens -- I'm talking about midcentury modern and looking at a Brancusi or something along those lines, which would be minimal, streamlined, functional.

Also I incline toward the conspicuous consumption theory, which posits that the richest men have the thinnest wives. Those bodies are worked for and above all, paid for. Their slenderness says: "I'm affluent & educated. Every morsel of food that I eat is sourced from Dean & DeLuca or Whole Foods. I have a personal yoga instructor who comes to our in-house gym every morning. I play tennis, swim, ride ski and sail boats. I still model a little on the side, when I have the time. My personal shopper at Bergdorfs knows my size (which never changes) & sets aside a few interesting items for me each season."

I agree with this - thinner and no curves has a certain aesthetic appeal to me. I don't completely aspire to it, but I can admire it, and I don't think this has to be a battle of thin/waif = bad, just because it's not a realistic body type for most women.

I will never be a waif but my legs are long and not that heavy compared with my overall body, so I do actually expect to end up with slim, and hopefully elegant, legs that look good in short(ish) skirts and skinny jeans. On the other hand, I'll always have a thick waist, and will never get to highlight that as a figure trait even though I think it's also aesthetically appealing (and fwiw, highly attractive to men).

So to me, while I can find certain body traits appealing, I have to combine that with a realistic assessment of my own body's best traits and admire and accentuate those traits in myself even if I admire different ones in other women.

I know I am never going to have thin supermodel thighs. I store most of my weight in my thighs so expecting them to be super thin is unrealistic and I am glad I recognize it. I would love to have thighs like someone such as Beyonce. When I see her legs, it is realistic and normal. I think that more models should encompass real women so we don't strive to have sticks as legs!

Both myself and my hubby think that More toned athletic bodies are more attractive. I think alot of celebrities would look better with a little more meat on their bones. I find some of them look ill and kind of grose. I don't find bones attractive. But that's just my personal opinion.

I'm very into the whole strength thing. I want muscles. Not huge but noticable.

Different periods of time in history idealized different body shapes. It is what it is.

But I have no desire to be waif-like, esp. when I know magazines are usually touched up.

A.

I agree with so many of you.

The culture I was raised in definitely has more of an emphasis on having nice hips and thighs, etc. No waif, stick like figures.

I also agree with the poster who talked about money and status. And when you live in society, especially a society where your own culture is not the predominant one, then, you are kind of going back and forth between different ideas.

I love the strong, super fit, linda hamilton type physique, and I also like the thin, seeming so happy and bubbly sports illustrated model kind of look.

I think I just have the desire to prance around a bit and project an image of carefree and light---and at my current weight I am not able to prance so much.

When I see the pictures of Hollywood stars that are skeletal: all collar bones and knobby knees I assume they are anorexic. The 98 lb 5ft 8 tall woman isn't healthy. I don't believe that is a look to aspire to nor do I believe they accurately represent what "every woman" should look like. The Model that gets fired for not fitting into a size 00, but swims in a size 2 isn't average. Hollywood and the Fashion Industry try to sell women a bill of goods that we need to be skin and bones to be attractive. I don't fall for it!

I think that if you surveyed 100 men, they'd much rather be with an average sized woman with t*** and a** vs. a skeletal version of a woman that can fit into a size 00.

On the other hand, I don't believe the way I look right now is average either nor is it something to aspire to. Healthy to me is to be able to go into regular stores and fit comfortably into a size 12-14.

Even before I started the battle with my weight, my body was most comfortable at 165 lbs, I wore a size 12 and a L top. My family is from Germany/Norway so we are fairly sturdy people. I know I'd never be waif-like even if I starved myself.

I think most women are more delicate and feminine than me, but that's because I'm taller than the average guy and just big overall. I'm a girlie girl to the core, so I find myself wishing I was more like what you describe rather than what I am. But that's we do as humans, right? We want what we can't have. And we want to be considered attractive and the closer we are to the societal ideal the more attractive we are. It's natural selection - we want the "good" traits passed on and the "bad" ones to fade away.

You have to be the best YOU can be and not worry about the waifs. I will never be tall and willowy, but I will be happy with my goal weight.

My husband doesn't like ultra skinny girls either and most of his friends are the same.

One more thing about those women. I am a photographer and a graphic designer. Every single one of those women are airbrushed and "fixed" to the hilt. You can't take what you see on TV and magazines as how they really are. I promise you they all have flaws like we all do. They just have pros to fix and hide them.

Saef, I want people to know that my husband can afford to
FEED me well ;-) Back in the day, well before even my time, larger women were found attractive, and their men were admired for being able to keep them in carbs. Not that I want to stay fat, but....beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Barb