Waist Not, Want Not

Women don't need the unrealistic hourglass figure to be successful; in fact, it may be a hindrance.

That's because the hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist.

So in societies and situations where women are under pressure to procure resources and otherwise bring home the bacon, they may be less likely to have the classic hourglass figure, Cashdan hypothesizes in the December issue of the journal Current Anthropology.

That's good to know. Not very many women over 40 have the hourglass figure anyway.