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The Miracle of Puberty: How Gender Differences Shape Our Physical Characteristics.
The human body shape is a complex phenomenon, with exquisite details and functions. A person's body shape is primarily defined by the shaping of the bone structure and the distribution of muscle and fat. The human body's skeletal structure changes only slightly after reaching adulthood, with growth usually completing between the ages of 13 and 18. When the growth plates of long bones close, the body stops growing. Although body types vary by gender, women's body types in particular have a complex cultural and historical background.
The science of measurement and evaluation of body shape is called anthropometry.
Physiology
During puberty, the differences between male and female bodies change for reproductive purposes. Between adults, muscle mass may change due to exercise, and fat distribution may change due to hormonal changes. Genetics play an important role in the development of body shape.
Facial features
Due to the effects of testosterone, boys may develop these facial bone characteristics during puberty: a more prominent brow bone, larger nasal bones, a thicker chin, and a higher facial aspect ratio. Although some studies question this, suggesting that testosterone may reduce malar prominence in men. Since women's testosterone content is about 1/15 of men's, women's facial features are less prominent than men's, and their faces are closer to those of immature children.
Bone structure
Bone structure provides the framework for overall body shape and changes little as it matures. In general, men have a taller average height, but body shape analysis is often normalized to height. The length of each bone is constant, but as the bones move, the joint angles change.
Female characteristics
During puberty, a woman's hip bones widen, and estrogen (the primary sex hormone in women) causes the pelvis to expand as part of sexual differentiation. Therefore, women generally have wider hips, which facilitates childbirth. The female pelvis is flatter, rounder, and proportionally larger, allowing the fetal head to pass smoothly during delivery.
Women's pelvic sacrum is shorter and wider, and points more posteriorly, which sometimes affects the way they walk, causing the hips to swing.Hips typically become wider than shoulders after puberty, but not all women follow this secondary sex characteristic stereotype.
Male characteristics
Men's shoulders widen during puberty, a result of the influence of testosterone and prompting the ribs to expand.
Fat distribution, muscle and tissue
Body shape is affected by fat distribution, which in turn is related to current levels of sex hormones. Unlike bone structure, muscle and fat distribution may change with changes in eating habits, exercise, and hormonal levels.
Fat distribution
Estrogen causes women to store fat in their buttocks, thighs and hips. When women enter menopause, the estrogen produced by the ovaries decreases, and fat will move from the buttocks and thighs to the waist. At this time, the distribution of fat will become similar to that of men.
As a result, women typically have relatively narrow waists and larger hips, resulting in a lower waist-to-hip ratio, which makes their hips visually wider compared to men.
Muscles
Testosterone helps increase and maintain muscle mass. On average, men have approximately 5 to 20 times higher testosterone levels than women, which allows men to naturally and biologically gain more muscle mass and size. However, women can also increase muscle mass by naturally increasing testosterone levels.
Breasts
Female breasts are formed by functional mammary glands, which develop during puberty under the influence of a variety of hormones. Breast glands do not contain muscle tissue, and the shape of a woman's breasts is affected by age, genetics, and weight. After menopause, women's breasts tend to become larger due to an increase in fat.
Weight
Being overweight or underweight can affect a person's shape, posture and the way they walk, which is often measured by body mass index (BMI). A BMI below 18.5 is classified as underweight, between 18.5 and 24.9 is ideal, and above 24.9 is overweight.
Body posture and gait
Body shape affects posture and gait and has great appeal in social interactions. The shape of the body hints at an individual's pubertal hormone levels, which in turn are related to fertility, and also indicates current levels of sex hormones. Good body shape usually reflects good health.
Health effects
According to research from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, certain body shapes (such as an "apple shape") increase health risks, and these people are taller and taller than those who are more hip- and thigh-dominant (a "pear shape"). Higher risk of blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that all age groups should pay attention to the ratio of waist circumference to height, regardless of gender, ethnicity or BMI.
Fitness and Sports
For health and body fitness, it is necessary to perform various exercises. It is commonly believed that exercise that targets a specific area will reduce fat in that area, however this belief has been proven to be false. These exercises may change the shape of the body, but fat loss is not specific to one location.
Social and cultural ideals
The social and cultural symbols of male and female body shapes have far-reaching significance, and physical attractiveness is often closely related to gender characteristics. Research shows that BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and especially men's waist-to-chest ratio all become more attractive in women's minds.
Terminology
The classification of female body sizes is mainly based on the circumference of the chest, waist, and hips, and different terms are used to describe various body shapes: such as V-shaped, hourglass-shaped, apple-shaped, pear-shaped, etc.
Body shape is influenced both by biology and genetics, as well as by culture and social expectations. As times change, will perceptions and expectations about the body also change?
