NOW IS THE HOUR...

GLASS THAT IS!

BRITISH women are desperate to get their waistlines back.

According to a new report a massive 60pc say they are actually “fruit-shaped” apple and pears but over two thirds of the nation are desperate for the classic Marilyn Monroe-esque hourglass figure.

In a landmark study to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Kellogg’s Special K*, it was found the ultimate slimming goal for women is no longer being the “Perfect 10” but to get a curvy hourglass shape.

Whether you’re 25 or 55 the hourglass figure personified by the shapely Nigella Lawson today resolutely remains the body shape the majority of us aspire to, with just 7pc of us yearning for the boyish and shapeless body made famous by the likes of Twiggy in the sixties and Kate Moss in the nineties and the noughties.

With over 35pc of the nation’s women confessing they are apple-shaped – a shape characterized by an undefined waist – and just 13pc of us possessing an enviable hourglass figure - it seems shape not size is what matters most to women these days.

The research by Special K revealed women are taking their inspiration from curvy celebrities in the media too. While the sensuous hourglass curves of Nigella topped Special K’s inspiration index, Dame Helen Mirren was voted the second biggest “body booster” – becoming an inspiration to millions after being photographed in her bikini last year, while Dame Judi Dench came in third.

Key body shape boosters include seeing shapely women on TV rather than size zero models, curvy celebrities with hunky boyfriends (such as Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson), and older actresses such as Helen Mirren ‘baring all’ for nude scenes