After studying the movements of women for years, finally we get scientific confirmation of what we're seeing: Researchers at Cambridge University in the U.K. have figured out exactly what makes a perfect swivel-hipped walk with "a more angular swaying and bounce to the hips."
The mathematicians got out their slide rules, calculators, blow-up dolls and binoculars, scientifically determining the perfect ratio of waist to hips.
Their results? The closer that ratio is to 0.7 (waist measurement is 70% of the hip measurement), the sexier the swagger. And guess who has that exact ratio? Jessica Alba, pictured below.
Other babes of historical importance were also mentioned, such as Marilyn Monroe, with a target ratio of 0.69, making it almost to the level of perfection of Jessica, but not quite. This 0.7 ratio translates into a waist of 25 inches and 36-inch hips, making that tick-tock walk look absolutely perfect.
But the ratio is not necessarily related to measurements or weight just the difference between those two measurements. However, we're betting that if those numbers get a whole lot larger, the illusion is lost.
Other possessors of that magic 0.7 ratio: Sophia Loren, Alessandra Ambrosio and Venus de Milo.
From Wikipedia:
A WHR of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men have been shown to correlate strongly with general health and fertility. Scientists have discovered that the waist-hip ratio (WHR) is a significant factor in judging female attractiveness. Women with a 0.7 WHR are usually rated as more attractive by men from European cultures.
Glad we got that straight. It's all mathematical.
Jessica Alba has the perfect wiggle, study says
Jessica Alba's waist:hip ratio gives her a sexy walk
The academics found that it is the ratio between hips and waist that puts the sway into a woman's walk - and the nearer that ratio is to 0.7, the better.
This ratio provides the body with the right torso strength to produce a more angular swing and bounce to the hips during the walking motion.
Therefore, a woman with a 25in waist and 36in hips would have just the right proportions to carry off a sexy swagger as she walks.
The Jessica Alba sashay beat off competition from Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and even Marilyn Monroe, whose walk along a railway platform in Some Like It Hot is one of the most famous in film history.
While Monroe was a fraction off the target ratio with 0.69, the Cambridge team said that Alba had the perfect proportions.
Telegraph Newspapers, London, UK; 25-Aug-2007