Women prefer thin models

WOMEN prefer thin models to those with fuller figures, new research claimed yesterday.

Researchers found two-thirds of women reacted favourably to print advertisements featuring thinner female models.

The University of Bath study said those who preferred thinner models thought they were “more elegant, interesting, likeable and pleasant”.

Less than a third of the 470 female undergraduates questioned reacted favourably to adverts featuring larger models.

Professor Brett Martin, from the university’s marketing group in the School of Management, said: “This study shows us why using thin models is a successful strategy.”

The study claimed that because the women preferred the slimmer models, they were more likely to approve of the products in the test adverts — up-market salads and gourmet hamburgers.

The women who preferred the thin models also tended to believe weight can be controlled through diet and exercise.

The survey’s results come after the organisers of last week’s Madrid Fashion Week imposed regulations banning “super-skinny” models from the catwalks.