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What Makes a Body "Great"

When someone says, "She has a great body," what does this imply and how do we react? When we hear the expression, do we right away start comparing our own bodies to the one in question? Does the phrase "great body" mean the same thing to men as it does to women, and does it mean different things to individuals of both sexes?

Different Strokes

The word "great" is vague but suggests a standard that is not easy to attain for every woman. While some women are just born lucky with perfect features and forms, other women, no matter how much they diet or how much strenuous exercise they undertake, find that the classic measurements remain out of reach. This begs the question: Can a woman with a less than classic body, still have a great body?

Our mothers always told us that it takes all kinds to make a world. In the case of our bodies, great or not, the truism fits, as well as the one that says "different strokes for different folks." Take breast men, for instance: if a woman has no breasts to speak of, she will never, in his mind, have a great body unless she invests in surgical implants. On the other hand, some men prefer small breasts and hold to the idea that "more than a handful is wasted."

An Art Form

Yet another man's eyes veer straightaway to the hemline, hoping for legs up to there, with trim thighs, shapely calves, and slim ankles. Leg man Ken Rogers* of Middleton, WI, says, "I really don't care about breasts, they're just blobs on the chest and not particularly shapely, but legs are an art form, especially when a woman wears sheer hose and heels.

But flat women are b-tches, so I prefer a woman with big breasts. The main thing I look for, though, is a great set of legs, preferably in a mini-skirt."

Is Ken anti-feminist? The idea that a woman with small breasts would be bitchy due to a life-long grudge is hard to take, but on the other hand, it would seem self-evident that a woman with big breasts would not be ultra-worried about her perceived femininity. In fact, it's easy to see that a woman with big breasts is going to be mighty pleased to have someone look down and finally notice her terrific legs, since breasts seem to be the first female body part that men notice. A big girl is going to be happy to be done with teenaged boys, hyper-focused on her chest, and thrilled to finally find a man who has matured into leg lust.

But aren't some men just as likely to have a Jones for a unique or unusual body type? The answer to that is a definite yes. So, if you're the type of girl with a squat body and big bones, don't despair—your body is great, too, for that certain, great guy who likes his girls down to earth. And this, in a nutshell, is the secret of how to make a great body: know that your body is the best it can be and that it's perfect for the guy who was made for you. If you project satisfaction with your body, if you appear to be more than comfortable in your own skin, men are going to describe you in those most glowing of terms, " Now that's a great body!"

*Not his real name