FROM ingesting potions to going under the knife, women have been known to do whatever it takes to get that size zero figure often portrayed as the ideal on magazine covers and in TV shows.

But there are a number of reasons you should love your curves, especially if they do not pose any threat to your health. While it might seem that the skinny chick seems to have everything going for her, more and more studies are showing that men love your curves more.

One study reported in the scientific journal Perception and carried out by the Scotland based St Andrews University, found that men considered curvy starlets like Jennifer Lopez and Scarlett Johansson more attractive than super skinny fashionistas like Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham.

The study involved men ages 18-26, who were asked to rate the attractiveness of 84 female students of the same age based on photographs. The young men felt those with 18.5 to 25 body mass index (BMI) were more attractive.

"This sends a strong message to all the girls out there who believe you have to be underweight to be attractive," said one of the researchers in the study, Professor of Psychology David Perrett.

According to male specialist Marlon Moore, Jamaican men usually exhibit different tastes based on their socio-economic backgrounds and personal preferences. However, he finds that local men "generally go for the big bottom, broad hips and small waist".

He pointed out that the general construct of the size zero stick thin woman which is often glamorised as being the most attractive in European countries does not necessarily apply here.

Jason Reid said like most of his colleagues, he tends to go for ladies with curves.

"You grow up in a culture which says that Coca-Cola bottle shape is sexy and so you just naturally look for that," said the accounting executive, who pointed out that men tended to see the girl with large breasts and buttocks and a small waist as the most ideal.

Horace Williams, part time lecturer in the Department of Cultural Studies at the University of West Indies, Mona campus, also found that a lot of men tended to display a preference for big bodied women. He believes part of this attraction is also based on the fact that some men are of the view that the size of a woman's hips can determine her level of fertility.

"The perception of the pelvic area is that when you have a certain type of appearance it suggests a woman being far more fertile," he said, while adding that this also goes for taller females.

But despite suggestions that men love plus-sized ladies, 36-year-old Anne-Marie Stewart said most of the guys she comes across take issue with her figure.

"I feel bad because sometimes you will see a guy that you like and because you are fat, they don't pay you any mind," said the self-proclaimed "fluffy diva" who weighs a little over 200 pounds.

"I started going to the gym to lose weight and even when you are there, the guys tend to flirt with the skinnier girls and overlook you," she said.

Moore said there are those men who prefer their women looking toned, but for the most part, the general preference is that she has to have some meat on her bones.