The female body is considered eminently mysterious. It is by measuring, weighing and counting that we attempt to understand this mystery. This mania of measuring is rarely called into question.1 A glance at the history of the female body shows that its body mass is influenced by completely different and constantly changing ideals of beauty, from ample to thin.2 90–60–90, numbers that stand for the circumference in centimetres of the bust, waist and hips of a woman, are considered the ideal proportions. These proportions, however, are a snapshot in time;3 with Twiggy, for example, a very different body type was in fashion.4 90–60–90 is a standard size in the fashion industry, as designers tailor their clothes to this size.5 These numbers found their way into the general female beauty discourse in the 1980s through media coverage.
