The "Perceptions of Perfection" study, carried out by Fractl for the Online Doctor service from UK health and beauty retailer Superdrug, saw 18 female graphic designers around the world Photoshop the image of a model to reflect what they felt would make the image more attractive to the citizens of their country. According to the authors of the study, “the results show just how much the ‘perfect body’ varies depending on geographic location.”
While the Spanish and Colombian versions of the image closely represented the model’s natural shape and look, designers from Venezuela and Peru favored a bustier image, with Argentina opting for a slimmer model.
The US designer chose a slim but curvaceous shape, while the UK result was made more slender overall. The final result for Italy, home to voluptuous sirens such as Sophia Loren and Monica Bellucci, was surprisingly lean and leggy. Another country endorsing a wispy silhouette if the results are to be believed is China, whose submitted image featured an incredibly slim (if improbably busty) model.
Once translated into real-life dimensions, the experiment’s organizers estimated that the Chinese model would weigh just 101 lbs (around 46 kilos) and have an unhealthily low BMI of 17.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Filipina designer manipulated the picture to cinch in the woman’s waist, emphasizing her hips and chest. Hips were also on the menu in Egypt, while the South African representation was more straight up and down.
The authors explain that the experiment aimed to "better understand potentially unrealistic standards of beauty and to see how such pressures vary around the world." The organizers explain: "We focused on female designers, as we wanted a woman’s view of what her culture finds attractive and to understand more about the pressures they face."
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