Move over Kim Kardashian - the ideal female body shape is leggy , tall and thin like Taylor Swift , not short and busty with a big bottom like the US reality TV star , claim scientists . A major study involving almost 60,000 volunteers rating almost 1,000 variations of the female figure discovered tall and slender is more attractive than curvy and hourglass-shaped . It is a result which contradicts the views of millions attracted over the decades to the more voluptuous pin ups from Marilyn Monroe to Page Three Girls . Scroll down for video . New research has shown that Taylor Swift has the most desirable body shape for both men and women , whereas curvier bodies like Kim Kardashian 's are not as popular . But according to Australian university researchers , modern men - and women too - see the ideal as taller in height and longer in leg rather than bigger in bum and bust . A complex series of visual tests were conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney for the specialist journal Evolution and Human Behaviour . They created computerised images of different female body shapes based on 24 basic factors from bust and bottom size to length of legs and waist circumference . A first 'generation ' of 120 of these were rated by volunteers from all over the world responding to a social media campaign asking for help . The 60 body shapes with the lowest ratings were eliminated . Each of the remaining 60 were then taken and a slight variation of each was added to create another 120 shapes . Taylor Swift is known for showing off her long limbs in short dresses whilst performing on stage . Again , they were rated by volunteers and the bottom 60 eliminated and the process was repeated for eight 'generations ' - a total of 960 different shapes and sizes of female body . What the researchers found was that in every generation , the 60 lowest rated body shapes were generally the fattest , shortest and roundest of the computerised figures . By the end of the eighth generation , the highest rated female form was tall with a small waist and long , slender legs , a smaller bottom and smaller bust said the researchers . Overall , nearly 60,000 volunteers took part in the ratings of whom 80 per cent were men and from all over the world . The report admitted that an ideal female body shape was still very much a matter of opinion - athletic men like athletic women , for instance , and different cultures had different tastes . The researchers identified 24 female 'body traits ' most commonly found on a sample of 273 women from government census-style data . This included the obvious like bust size and shape and even 'volume ' , length of legs , waist size but also the slope of the shoulders , circumference of lower legs and girth of biceps . It also looked at 'seat prominence ' - in others words , a big bottom - and overall height and shape of torso . They created 20 composite female figures incorporating different traits so they all looked very different from each other . But each of these 20 then had five 'daughters ' - that is , five versions of each but with very subtle changes to some of the body traits , so a total of 120 figures were created . Volunteers were shown side and front on profiles of these women but the faces were pixilated in order for them to be rated purely on body shape and physical features . The top 60 for ratings were taken to the next stage and each of these had two different versions , one slightly bigger different from the other creating another 120 figures . Again , the top 60 went on , made into two version of each female shape and the 120 rated by another set of volunteers and so on for eight 'generations ' each one eliminating the most unpopular figures . As each generation progressed , the favoured shape evolved into a taller , slimmer female figure with long , slender legs and a thin waist . These were then rated by volunteers from all over the world who answered a social media and other adverts to take part . Overall , 59,268 took part of whom 80 per cent were male . Walking through LA Kim showed off her curvier figure , the new research claims to provide some of the most extensive research on female body shapes . But overall it suggests tall and thin is preferred to short and curvy . It said : 'No study of a subject as complex as body shape attractiveness can provide all the answers . ' But it said the study 'provides the most comprehensive and detailed insight yet into which traits constitute the actual targets of selection . 'The predominant evolutionary trend , reflecting a likely major dimension of social selection operating on human female bodies , is toward greater slenderness and , particularly , narrower waists . ' The selection process in the research 'removed those physiques that appeared most overweight , and throughout the experiment we found evidence for strong directional selection on the waist , which was accompanied by lengthening of the legs and a reduction in seat girth , resulting in taller and more slender physiques . '
Scientists claim Taylor Swift has the most desired body shape . Both men and women prefer the longer limbed thinner look . Score: 6