The female brain distorts body image and a majority of women see themselves as two-thirds larger than they actually are.
Researchers at University College London have sought to understand the phenomenon to better explain eating disorders such as anorexia.
In a hall of mirrors, participants were asked to describe their hand they saw in the mirror. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports a majority said their hand was two-thirds larger than it was and one-third shorter than the actual measurement.
This perception of the hand suggests that this also occurs in other parts of the body too. This distortion is much greater among women who are more sensitive to their appearance.
However, body image is often worse if a woman was bigger in the past. The weight loss has not computed in their head, especially if they lost a lot of weight quickly.