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Between 1400 and 1700, a fat body shape was considered sexually appealing and fashionable. The ideal woman was portrayed as plump, big breasted and maternal. This standard of feminine aesthetics was associated with socio-economic conditions - a plump figure was a sign of wealth, health and youth.
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By the 1880s magazines for women were popular and sometimes wholly dependent on advertising for profitability.
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This body shape ideal was exemplified by such film icons as Betty Grable and Mae West.
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Marilyn Monroe was in the first edition which sold over 50,000 copies. The playboy centrefold was a cultural phenomena during the 1950s
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Skinny fashion models, such as Twiggy, replaced shapely film stars as the dominant cultural icons.
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A summit meeting held at 10 Downing Street in June 2000 confirmed both general concern about self-starvation and the need for more research into the role of the media.
