It's true: bigger is more beautiful

By Kate Morley - 03/04/2007

A recent survey by a national weight loss surgery company has revealed that, despite recent media focus on the ‘size 0’ debate, nearly half of the population (45%) think that the ideal dress size for a woman is a size 12.

The survey, carried out by Surgicare, polled over 2,000 men and women of all age groups over the age of 16, revealed that the second most popular size, after size 12 was size 10, winning 28% of votes. This was followed by size 14, with 18% of votes. Interestingly, the survey, coming after the recent TV documentary ‘The Truth About Size Zero’, revealed that only a mere 0.4% thought that this size, a UK equivalent of size 4, is the ideal dress size for a woman.
 
Despite the concerns of many women, who feel they need to be ultra slim to be attractive to the opposite sex, the survey shows there’s remarkably little difference in the opinions of men and women as to what is attractive. According to Surgicare, both men and woman alike chose size 12 over and above any other dress size, with a massive 73% of men liking their women to be size 10 or 12 (31% said size 10 and 42% said size 12).
 
Interestingly – and indeed worryingly – it is the younger people aged 16-24, who seem more likely to be influenced by the media. In this age group, a greater proportion of participants thought that smaller sizes – size 4 to 10 – were more ideal. In this age group, 45% of men and women believed that size 10 was the best dress size and 17% voted for size 8 or even smaller.
 
The survey also revealed regional variations, with more people in Northern Ireland (4%) than in the rest of the UK considering size 0 (UK Size 4) to be the ideal dress size. Also, Charlotte Church will be pleased to know that people in Wales prefer a curvier size 14 as a second choice (21%). However, overall every region still picked size 12 as the ideal size.

With the survey also revealing that only 14% of people initially judge someone they first meet by their weight, perhaps we are increasingly misguided in our constant quest for physical perfection; as Surgicare’s weight loss surgery Chief Executive, Mark Bury, says: "We are surprised by the results because we thought there would be obvious differences in what men and women considered the ideal dress size. However, it’s reassuring to find out the size 0 debate isn’t changing public opinion and nearly half of the population prefer a healthy size 12."