I think when my weight is down in a normal range and I am fit, I have close to the same body type as Jessica B or Britney Spears (pre boob job)....MUCH bigger butt and hips than up top but my shoulders kind of square off just like Jessica's. When I've gotten too skinny, it just goes all Gwen Stefani on me. A little butt, but no boobs at all, just a little boyish with not much definition. Don't want that again. Her figure has gotten better since having children though.

If I had a CHOICE, I would like to be a little more proportioned up top like Kim K. or J. Lo and definitely Mel B's abs.

Nicole Scherzinger...perfect combo of definition and curvy :) http://thesuperficial.com/2009/06/ni...n_a_bikini.php

I read the article just a few minutes before reading your post (I am getting regular updates from Leigh's website so it just arrived this morning).
I had to laugh at the definition of bulky. I hate the big hips-huge butt look. I would sign my soul over to the Devil for Linda Hamilton's (in T2) or Dara Torres's body in a heartbeat.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention Hilary Swank. In fact, earlier today, I swapped Dara's picture for Hilary's on my desktop at work (my colleagues think I am nuts, but that's ok).

I think I like all body types as long as the woman is healthy and feels good about herself. So.... confidence is my favorite body type :)

I have an hour glass shape which I'm very happy with, I just need to shed some fat and I'll be good. My thighs will be the real problem as I have lost over 20lbs but zero inches from my thighs :o. I would love to look like Linda Hamilton - strong, and thin but that's not my body type. The closest I'm able to resembling is Scarlett Johannsen which would be fine by me since she's a favorite body type among men.

I just want to wear a bikini and look good. :^:

soft and curvy for me.

I am aiming for a body like Reese Witherspoon (can't link up/post images yet)... slim and feminine... well toned, but no "bulk". :D

I love the girl in the boxing movie. I'd really kill to have a body like hers but I don't think she is bulky. She has muscles and a low enough body fat to show them off.

Really though, in order to get muscles like the women in the 'bulky' section, you have to be extremely dedicated and work out with incredibly heavy weights for a long time and have a low body fat.

I personally like to see 'shape' on women and if you look at the women in the 'not bulky' area, they don't really appear to have any shape to their arms. It makes me believe that they could be skinny-fat which means they have a high percentage of fat for their weight.

Of course the thing about muscle is it is so easy to lose and in order to gain it, you really do have to be dedicated to it. You can gain some muscle obviously from working with weights at any level but you will plateau if you don't push yourself. Now that may be fine and fit with your goals but it doesn't fit with mine.

It was a very interesting article. I hate to admit it, but I agree. I'm one of the ones who wishes I could have the benefit of increased metabolism from muscle gain without it being visible that I have ANY muscle. A lot of people say, "But it's not muscular, it's toned." Well, even the look of "toned" turns me off, I've discovered. I like the arms with no definition, just smooth and soft. So for me..... JUST enough body fat to still be soft, but no more than that. I don't want to be a stick, but I still want a hair of squish to me. That's my ideal. It's also what I look for in other women, as I've realized over the years that I always want to emulate what I myself am attracted to.

Are these what would be considered "toned"? This is the mental image I have:
http://www.decreasemuscle.com/wp-con.../2009/02/2.jpg
http://www.musclehack.com/wp-content...-for-women.jpg
http://i.b5z.net/i/u/230085/i/Rebecc...ss_model_a.jpg

For me that is beyond turn-off. When a woman has even a SLIGHT sixpack.... no no no no no. For me I need just a hint of squish there. Not much, just a hint. If it's not there... no deal.

I don't know what women consider "toned". I HATE that word. It doesn't make any sense. I am sure the three pictures you just listed would be considered "bukly" by the women who took the survey. The first one is Jelena Abbou, I linked her on the first page of this thread. I guess you could consider those women "toned" but I don't know because I don't use the word. Make sense? I think they look great, whatever you want to call them. Not your cup of tea though and that's fine.

Maybe it's weird that I like BOTH? :D

I haven't really thought exactly what kind of body I would like, I just know that there will be point where I will say "I am happy right now"

I love curvy women. I often find that people who are successful in reaching their goal weights would, to me, have looked nicer had they stopped when they were 10 pounds heavier.

My natural shape, however, is a barrel-shaped torso (almost no waist) with very muscular (but still stick-like compared to my barrel body) legs.

Meg, I agree with the second pic you posted. That is also too much muscle for me. The 3rd one would be as far as I would go with the muscle building. She is what I would call "athletic" build like cheerleader or dancer or something. Maybe that is because I can't see her arms. The first one is okay, but veering toward looking like the 2nd picture.

I guess I would prefer like you; a little definition but still soft. But I definitely don't want to look "sqautty" like the 2nd picture by adding too much. Is squatty a word? lol I hope that makes sense. The more muscle a woman adds, the shorter and stockier it tends to look. Just like the dudes, like sometimes they have no necks. To me, anyway.

I would kill for Jelena Abbou's body (without the giant implants). Well, maybe not kill in the literal sense, but kill in the gym ;) I don't think I'll ever quite get there, even with how much I'm lifting now, because a body like that takes years of extreme discipline. But yes, that's what I want. Truthfully, I hate the skinny-fat look, which is unfortunately where I am right now. I don't want to be a soft, flabby size 6 anymore... I only wish I started lifting heavy from the start!

What I have (curves) with less fat attached to them :D...that's what *I* want! And if I can't have that...I'll settle for Jennifer Aniston's body type!