hmmm, arrh, You are correct about our 'perceptions' of what is sexy -------- but, when given the actual physical choice ------ one couldn't get further from the truth.
Putting aside your and my personal preference and looking just at pure numbers - limited to Australia with limited cultures ---- I participated in an experiment about ? 10? 15 years back that blew our perceptions clean out the window.
Whilst at the Academy of Arts in Inveresk a group of us organised an exhibition of sculpture of the female form - naked.
Basically we had between 10 and 20 sculptures which were moulded from women of various shapes, sizes and ages. One was pregnant - about 7 months.
All moulds were done from crutch to throat. Some were finished in plaster, some fibreglass and a variety of finishes over the plaster one's - there were a couple of other materials as well, I would have to go and find the papers to confirm what they were.
However, it was the shapes that were important.
We had a wide variety of shapes to choose from ----------- some of the sexiest women you would want to meet -
slim ones, skinny ones, plumpy ones.
Two of the slim women were hot ---------- and I mean HOT.
Now, I am only talking physically (most of the women were attractive) - but, it was physicality that was important here.
By hot and physically attractive - I mean a camera had to see it ------- not like some great theatrical actresses who can't cut it on film - those who are great because of what the camera can't see -
no, these had to have it visually.
We had 3 exhibitions with those sculptures and people were observed at every showing. They were allowed to do anything they wanted with the sculptures - touch them, hug them - photograph them - whatever they wanted. No one knew the names of the models and nothing was written as artist statements - the only information was that this was an exhibition of female form and what materials were used.
We also had cards for people to mark which ones they found attractive physically (as women) and which one's they liked as just 'shapes' and a few other questions - I would have to go back to get it exactly right.
The results were consistent and unexpected.
The skinnies - didn't get a look in -------- almost never a second glance - that was expected.
(People look very different with their clothes off).
The huge difference was between what we would call the slim 'attractive' ones' - ie. HOT and the chubbies.
The slim one's got a look - often a second look - and people said they were attractive - but, basically - people roared past them to get to the chubbies -------- and, they couldn't keep their hands off them.
There was the odd toucher for the sexy one's ----------- but, basically the chubbies were never left alone - people consistently ran their hands over their curves - tummy, boobs and shoulder just outside the boob.
The numbers were just unarguable and the time spent with the preferred one's was enormously high compared to the others.
The only other things of note from memory (but, was expected) was that women touched more than men - by percentage.
And yes, most loved the pregnant one (about 80%) - of the rest most just didn't like it - but several young women really hated it - the word 'alien' came up several times.
What does it prove? I don't know - but it sure said something - and it said something that we didn't expect and imo it says something about what we perceive to be - but, is not - not once you drop the kit and get down to business.
Anyway - I hope you find it interesting. I also hope that David Walsh at Mona gets an exhibition like that one day (after all he has already had 152 porcelain Virgina's hanging on the wall - so a few torso's shouldn't be a stretch )
His numbers would be far greater than we could expose to and more cultures - so, it would be an interesting exhibit imo.
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