Scientists have discovered that young men really do prefer 'normal' women to the skinny size zero models often portrayed as glamorous.
Psychologists at St Andrews University solved the weighty issue after photographing dozens of female students - then getting male students to rate them.
They discovered that - despite the size zero trend - the young men preferred girls of an average weight and build.


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The St Andrews researchers asked 84 female students aged between 18-26 a variety of questions on their health, took their blood pressure and photographed them.
They then surveyed a group of male students, asking them to rate the photographs of the females for attractiveness, health and weight.
The males rated each aspect out of seven.
The researchers found that young men rated girls in the 'normal' weight range - with a BMI of between 18.5 and 25 - as the most attractive and healthy looking.
The findings are published today in the online scientific journal Perception.
Lead researcher Vinet Coetzee said the discovery sent a strong message to young women who may believe they need to be underweight to be considered attractive.


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'Scientists have been trying to answer this question for decades, and have made many breakthroughs in our understanding of health and attractiveness, but until now they have tended to overlook the influence of weight.
'What we found was that these young men perceived girls in the normal weight range to be more attractive and healthy than underweight or overweight girls.
'There was no "perfect size" - just within the "normal weight range".'
Miss Coetzee added: 'We studied a group of young healthy students, all aged 18-26.
'However, amongst this group, those students that were rated as more overweight reported more frequent and longer lasting cold and flu bouts, used antibiotics more frequently and had higher blood pressure than the students that were considered normal weight.
'Even at this young age, their health was already suffering because they were overweight, and what is more, other people can spot this in their face.
'The young men were also rated and the same was true for them. The ones rated most healthy and attractive were those in the normal range.'
Professor of psychology David Perrett, who also took part in the study, said: 'A take home message for young people is that maintaining a normal weight benefits current health and will improve good looks.
'In our study, people in the normal weight range were judged healthier and more attractive than under or overweight individuals.
'This sends a strong message to all the girls out there who believe you have to be underweight to be attractive. The people making judgments in our study were all between the ages of 18 and 26 and they did not rate underweight girls most attractive.
'They preferred normal weight girls.'
* The paper, 'Facial adiposity: A cue to health?' by Vinet Coetzee, David I. Perrett and Ian D. Stephen is published online by the journal Perception.