56 Comments
(Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.)

Career women are less likely to have classic hourglass figures, due to stress associated with their jobs.

Researchers from the University of Utah looked at ladies from cultures all around the world, and found that working women tend to carry fat around their stomachs, rather than their hips.

Previous studies have shown that a waist-to-hip ratio of .7 is most desirable, but the Utah team found the average ratio for career gals to be around .8. Anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan believes the bodies of these bread winners produce more of the hormone androgen, which makes the female physically stronger and more able to handle workplace stress, but also leaves them with a "straight up and down" figure.

Some people may actually be celebrating the end of the hourglass figure. For our part, upon hearing of this horrifying trend, we immediately began work on an "Inconvenient Truth"-style presentation.

If you need any further evidence of our love for hourglass shapes, check out the big beautiful women below.

BBW -- 15 Hottest Plus-Size Models

    15. Barbara Brickner is one of the biggest names in plus-size modeling, with a 10+ year career that's as healthy as her physique.

    JudgmentofParis.com

    14. Ireland's Charlotte Coyle models for goth-y plus-size mainstay Torrid, and hosted a U.K. reality show in 2006 called Fat Beauty Contest.

    JudgmentofParis.com

    13. Brazilian Fluvia Lucerda shows that her country has the stronghold on hot models of all sizes.

    Fluvialacerda.com

    12. Johanna Dray of France busted into notoriously thin high fashion by appearing in John Galliano's "Everybody is Beautiful" show and subsequent French Vogue editorial.

    Close Models

    11. Up-and-comer Justine Legault hails from Canada, where they apparently loll about the bedroom without any clothing.

    JudgmentofParis.com

    10. You only need one name when you're as stunning as Canadian model Liis.

    Liisweb.com

    9. Once anorexic, Crystal Renn scored layouts in Vogue's U.S., Italian, French and German editions after going plus-size. The smoking Renn has even been on "Oprah," where she discussed body issues.

    Thesun.co.uk

    8. Natalie Laughlin was the first plus-size model to be on a billboard in Times Square -- she consequently earned four more.

    NatalieLaughlin.com

    7. Christina Schmidt played a plus-size model on "Degrassi: The Next Generation." Fans liked her so much she was signed by Wilhelmina.

    JudgmentofParis.com

    6. 21-year-old Whitney Thompson.

    CW.com