Men don't go for busts in a boom

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but it is also in the hands of the stock market.

This is the conclusion of a study claiming the male perception of what makes a woman attractive changes with the economic climate.

When times are prosperous, men apparently set their sights on younger, girlish-looking women, with big eyes and softer features.

But when the economy is in decline and social conditions are threatening, men seek solace in curvaceous women with more comforting maternal figures.

It follows that the carefree Swinging Sixties brought with them the gamine Twiggy, the elfin Audrey Hepburn and the doe-eyed Julie Christie.

The icons of the less prosperous Nineties include more mature, statuesque figures such as Anna Nicole Smith and Sharon Stone.

Researcher Dr Terry Pettijohn said: 'In short, we want someone to have fun with when times are good and we want someone to take care of us when times are bad.'

Dr Pettijohn's team of psychologists in Pennsylvania came to its conclusions after studying the vital statistics of 40 years of Playboy centrefolds.

The team compared the faces and figures of the Playmates of the Year from 1960 to 2000 with an annual 'hard times measure', tracking changes in U.S. rates of unemployment, marriage and murder Elfin: Movie icon Audrey Hepburn over the same period. Dr Pettijohn, a social psychologist, said: 'When social and economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-towaist ratios and smaller body mass index values were selected.

'Conversely, as social and economic conditions improved, younger, lighter, shorter Playmates were preferred.'

The findings are exemplified by Anna Nicole Smith. Standing just under 6ft tall and weighing ten stone, she was the heaviest and joint-tallest of the 40 women. She was also one of the fullest-figured.

Dr Pettijohn says it is no coincidence she came to prominence in 1993 - one of the worst years on record for the U.S. economy.

However, the research has been dismissed as 'nonsense' by leading UK economist Ruth Lea, director of the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank. She pointed to the male fondness for 'plump'women during the prosperous Victorian period.