The UK is a nation of -porkers- discuss

Don't think aspartamine would be passed for human consumption these days, neither would coke .

In 1951 av height for a woman was 63 inches; waist size 27.5
2015 " " " " " 64.5 " " 34 !

Bet they all had sugar in their tea in 1951.

Where are those statistics from, tegan?

They all expended a lot more energy in those days, doing all that manic housework and washing and walking to the shops every day too.

27" sounds quite big for 1951 actually. I think 24" waist was quite normal in the late 50s. (That's what mine was! [sigh]

And there was less food available (rationing had not ended by 1951) and people were poorer, jane.

I used to do manic housework. I can just remember it.

Mine was even smaller!

(But I was only about 7...)

God bags! That's very true!

Sugar was still rationed in 1951

I have never done manic anything, least of all housework. Don't believe my mother did either, nor her mother. My paternal gran might have done but she was never terribly slim (nor terribly overweight).

She was a sturdy young woman (and sturdy old woman).

I'm gonna start again soon - manic housework. Gonna get thin again.

What do you know bags you weren't even born in 1951

Me mam n dad told me

bags is still thin now. It's all the hack..... No! Won't say it!

When we got married in 1970 and bought our first house in north Manchester (the quasi-semi)the women over the road used to scrub their front step at least once a week.
Needless to say the thought never crossed my mind

1970 ... in London- no scrubbing in Carnaby Street or Picadilly, or Hackney Emporium- for me it was The Who, Jimi Hendrix and more at the Isle of Wight- and yes, I looked like Julie Christie - oh yeah.

Think I've got my surveys mixed up; may have been 2001 not 2015...1951 figure is correct though as they both referred back to the same survey.Then women smoked an average of 3 cigarettes and now they smoke 13; that's worrying.

Gosh, the Hackney Emporium ( women's sex shop!!)
Not confusing it with the Hackney Empire? Or are you admitting to a shady past? Still, if you looked like Julie Christie . . . . . .

13 cigarettes a year? That's not many...

A day....my mum used to send me to the corner shop to buy 3 Woodbines in the 1950's.

I like the word sturdy. Becoming a sturdy old woman appeals.

Lots of good words beginning with 's' as well as 'sturdy' how about 'stocky' or 'solid' or perhaps 'substantial' ?

'Strong' is also appealing.