Ideal Weight

Ideal body weight and shape have fluctuated throughout history, from the rotund Venus of Willendorf of antiquity, to the statuesque, leggy flappers of the 1920s, to the ultra-thin "Twiggy"-inspired look of the 1960s and the "heroin chic" cachexia of the 1990s. In some cultures (eg, Hawaiian royalty), women voluntarily consumed or were force-fed excessive quantities of food to maintain their corpulence, a sign of fertility and power. At other times, women, including those with and without anorexia and bulimia, have dieted, induced vomiting, abused laxatives, and exercised excessively to lose weight. Famed opera singer Maria Callas deliberately infected herself with tapeworms to produce a malabsorption syndrome to maintain her lithe figure.