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Why Kylie Minogue could have the perfect legs

By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 17/01/2008


Scientists have discovered the secret to the perfect pair of legs - an extra five per cent.

Research found that the average woman - at around 5ft 4in tall with an inside leg measurement of 29in - would need shapely 30.5in legs to reach perfection.


Kylie Minogue is only 5ft tall, but has legs that are proportionally long compared with her small frame


However, very long legs are not necessarily better because the study also showed that those with an extra 10 per cent were actually rated as less attractive.

The findings could explain the sex appeal of stars such as Kylie Minogue, the singer, who despite being only 5ft tall, has topped polls of the "best celebrity legs".

Although her legs are petite, they are proportionally long compared with her small frame. It could also explain why women often choose to wear high heels, giving the illusion of longer limbs.

Polish researchers at Wroclaw University asked 218 male and female volunteers to rate, in order of attractiveness, seven silhouettes of a man and woman.

advertisementAlthough the images were the same height, each had different leg lengths. The most attractive were judged to be those with legs that were five per cent longer than average.

The average British man, at 5ft 10in with an inside leg measurement of 31in, should have an inside leg measuring 32.5in.

Dr Boguslaw Pawlowski, who led the study, said that long legs signal health.

He said that short legs are linked with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes and with higher levels of a body fat called triglyceride, which is linked to the clogging of the arteries, heart disease, strokes and insulin resistance in men.

Although the study, reported in New Scientist, was limited to Polish people, Dr Pawlowski suspects the results would apply across most Western cultures.



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