Women pick body beautiful

Zeta-Jones: a beauty with a great body

Women would rather have plastic surgery than exercise in their quest for a better figure, according to a new survey.

More than two-thirds would be happy to submit to the surgeon's knife, with the most popular options being liposuction, tummy tucks and surgery on lines around the eyes. But only 37 per cent are prepared to work out to get in better shape.

The REAL Female Body Survey, which polled 5,000 women, found that actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Marilyn Monroe were the women most admired for their looks. The Welsh beauty was voted the most beautiful living woman.

But Monroe can be considered to have eclipsed that honour by being voted the most beautiful woman of all time - with screen icon Audrey Hepburn second and Diana, Princess of Wales, third. Zeta-Jones was also voted as having the perfect face and the perfect hair. But she came third in the best female celebrity body category to singers Jennifer Lopez and Kylie Minogue.

Respondents named Ulrika Jonsson as someone they admired - she was fourth in the best-looking female TV presenter section, behind Cat Deeley, Davina McCall and Carol Smillie.

The survey was commissioned by REAL magazine, a glossy fortnightly for women. It also found that:

Only three per cent of women in the UK were happy with their body

Nine out of 10 women were unhappy with their hips and thighs

More than a third (35 per cent) thought bigger breasts would help a woman's career.


Sian Rees, the editor of REAL, said: "A woman's body shape dominates her whole life - it's a modern-day obsession. It's staggering that only three per cent of women are happy with their body.

"One of the driving forces is that women are increasingly influenced by celebrities who, let's face it, don't live a normal life. It can make a cruel comparison for real women trying to juggle work and family."

That desperation to achieve a slim figure is highlighted by the revelation that 84 per cent of women had dieted at some stage in their lives. The survey found that the average woman had tried to diet at least seven times.

Women got their own back on bigname stars in the survey by naming model Jordan as having the worst female celebrity body, beating actress Pamela Anderson and television personality Vanessa Feltz.

The survey also found regional differences in female attitudes. Women in London and the South-East were the most likely to exercise regularly in an effort to achieve the body beautiful - 46 per cent compared with the national average of 37 per cent.

They also spent more on cosmetics each month (£35 compared with the national average of £30).

Although women appeared to be harshly critical of their own bodies, the survey revealed they were far more forgiving of their boyfriends' or husbands' appearance.

Nine out of 10 said they were happy with their partner's looks, although 36 per cent thought their man was too fat.

Ms Rees said: "It's still a man's world. While only three per cent of women in the UK are happy with their body, a resounding 91 per cent are happy with their man's looks."

Still on the subject of men, respondents voted actor Brad Pitt as having the perfect male body, and actor/director Mel Gibson as the man with the best bottom.

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