Marilyn Monroe Still Has the Best Beach Body Of All Time

We may live in a nation that continues to airbrush ultra-thin models and actresses, obsessing over the latest diets and weight loss plans, but in the end it’s not Kate Moss or Victoria Beckham turning heads with their ultra-slim physiques – it’s the hourglass-silhouette that reins supreme; 37-23-36 to be exact!

Perhaps the nation’s thin obsession is on the way out – Marilyn Monroe has just been named the Top Beach Body of All Time, nearly 50 years after her death! The voluptuous sex symbol beat out the usual contenders Jennifer Aniston (19th), Elle Macpherson (15th), and Rihanna (17th), but also modern day pin-ups Christina Hendricks (2nd place) and Kim Kardashion (4th place).

Debenhams, which commissioned the survey, is predicting a trend towards the fuller figure and last season it reported a 58%  increase in sales of bust-boosting bikinis! A spokesperson for the store said:

“With the average cup size of the list going from a C to a D in just one year, they are proof that a voluptuous figure is even more desirable that ever before. And women want to imitate the look; sales of gel-filled bust-boosting bikini tops increased by 58 per cent last season and we have extended the range ready for the spring 2012 swell.  Our results tell us that looking great on the beach is not about being the thinnest or the youngest woman around. Women are increasingly appreciative of figures that symbolise all the great things about womanhood.”

Sure, it’s just another poll and we don’t know exactly who was polled, etc. But it’s a nice reminder that women shouldn’t starve themselves to look like the unrealistic and hardly attainable photo-shopped models on the covers of magazines. Real women have curves, and no matter what your body type is – thin, tall, short, curvy – embrace your body and treat it well!

See who else made the list below!

THE TOP 20 BEACH BODIES OF ALL TIME