The Desperate Housewives Physique: Sculpted is the New Skinny

The super-toned A-list elite of Wysteria Lane (Eva Longoria-Parker, Terri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Nicollette Sheridan and Marcia Cross) may not be spring chickens with ages ranging from 34 (Longoria-Parker) to 46 (Cross) but their gym bunny status remains unrivalled by most women half their ages.

Since the show launched in 2004 its sultry glamour and sophisticated humour have secured it as a modern classic, more escapist, tantalising and sexy than its rival Sex and the City. Carrie Bradshaw’s luxe and eccentric NY wardrobe may be deliciously drool-worthy but is a disappointingly unobtainable fantasy for most women. The Desperate Housewives synthesis of scattered ultra-glam fashion moments with the consistency of five stunning ‘sculpted is the new skinny’ physiques pioneers a motivational element by proving that women can be beautiful and sexy at any age.

The actresses, like their characters, appeal because of their differences, each promoting alternate approaches to obtaining a faultlessly crafted physique – strong, sexy and far from the emaciated models widely emulated by young girls today. Each women represents an inspirational pick 'n' mix recipe towards obtaining her own version of super-toned perfection, whilst as a collective the women pioneer the 'sculpted is the new skinny' trend set (fingers crossed) to sweep the nation this season...

Terri Hatcher: The ‘Sex Kitten’ Physique

Hatcher’s weight is a constant stimulus for media attention since she battled with anorexia as a young woman. Yet during her years on Desperate Housewives she consistently portrays a public image of self-assured body confidence and sex appeal, not starvation. Since settling at a healthier and impeccably toned size 6 figure which she attributes to her love of fitness and high-protein, low-fat healthy eating, she has promoted the importance of celebrating femininity and fitness. She became the face and body of the Fall 07 Badgeley Mischka collection, her slender elegance perfectly complimenting the brand’s signature style: 'simple, streamlined and thoroughly elegant.'

Hatcher established herself as an inspirational fitness model in 2009 when she completed the Nautica Triatholon comprising of a 1 mile swim, a 9 mile cycle and a 4 mile sprint to finish. By combining her dedication to fitness with her celebrity status she raised an incredible $16,840 for the LA Children’s Hospital. Regular yoga and pilates training shape her lean figure, and she expresses her body-confidence and sexuality through pole-dancing, which she describes as essential in “turning yourself on and feeling good about yourself”. She is also rumoured to swear by the natural herbal appetite suppressant Hoodia.

Marcia Cross: The ‘Yummy Mummy’ Physique

Far from mirroring Bree’s uptight insistence on corseted immaculacy, size 8 mother-of-two Marcia portrays a consistently comfortable, confident and relaxed public image and is frequently pictured off-duty smiling for the camera in jeans and sweatshirts. She adopts a similarly laid back attitude to exercise, listing hill-walking and yoga amongst her favourite ways to relax. Shunning the exhausting and glamorous Hollywood life of excess in favour of a healthier family lifestyle is her self-confessed secret of successful healthy living.

Felicity Huffman: The ‘Fitness Junkie’ Physique

Huffman is perhaps the most enviable of the five women, since her love of fitness and sport is a natural inclination pursued from childhood – tennis, cycling and running are amongst her favourite activities. Trend-wise, the idea of finding an activity you can become passionate about whilst losing weight and increasing self-confidence is a super-sensible one to follow, and Huffman lists the social perks of sport and the energizing effects of time spent outdoors as further perks of her active lifefstyle. It is even reported that she has been encouraged to increase her calorie intake simply so that she can pursue her physical activities with enough energy, proving that the anti-diet ‘Fitness Junkie’ approach really does allow you to have your cake and eat it…

Nicollette Sheridan: The ‘Treat Yourself’ Physique

Movie Star Nicollette has always been famed for her phenomenally sexy figure, which seems only to have improved as she has matured. She confesses that American-style fast food is her weakness, and happily indulges whenever she likes. Her treats are balanced by a pick ‘n’ mix selection of exercise: gym, running, horse riding and (reportedly) naked housework all ensure that her stunning figure is maintained. The anti-diet approach to body image has taken an alarming back-seat in the media during recent years, amidst the size zero debate, celebrity endorsed diet plans and cosmetic surgery weight-loss makeover shows. Role models like Sheridan who refuse to deny themselves a treat now and again offer a refreshing and sensible alternative – and at a healthy and curvaceous size 8 and still a covergirl for Maxim, Sheridan is living reassurance that a little bit of what you fancy won’t do you any harm.

Eva Longoria-Parker: The ‘Have-It-All’ Physique

The ultimate ‘I want what she’s got’ award goes to Eva Longoria Parker, whose tiny 5”2 frame boasts a miniscule waistline and curves in all the right places, despite the Latin beauty claiming she can eat whatever she likes (she co-owns and co-creates the menus for Hollywood Mexican restaurant ‘Besu’).

Her attitude to exercise, like food, is healthy and she takes pride in looking after herself by working out in short, high-intensity bursts with her personal trainer – her routines include kickboxing and weight-training. The secret of her success, it seems, is the thrill of adrenaline mixed with the pleasure of food, an encouraging and attainable model for women of all ages to emulate. Plus, Longoria-Parker gains extra points for agreeing to gain weight and crop her L’Oreal-endorsed hair in order to portray a more realistic model of her Desperate Housewives character as she struggles after the birth of her twins. All credit to her for attempting the transformation to mere mortal, though it hardly diminished her natural beauty.

The lesson to be learnt is that there is nothing ‘Desperate’ about the Desperate Housewives Physique. Despite whispered rumours of competitive dieting on set and heavy (though sporadic) media criticism and accolade, the combination of diet and exercise endorsed by the women of Wysteria Lane is ultimately about a balance of enjoyment. The idea of energizing rather than exhausting and fulfilling rather than famishing is certainly a far more probable recipe for success than the elusive, media-crafted Desperate Housewives diet.

By expanding exercise regimes to include challenges such as weight-training and high-intensity energizing activities like kickboxing, increasing dietary intakes of protein and limiting indulgent treats to once or twice a week, the sculpted physique is far from unobtainable, and the process can be enjoyed as a confidence-boosting challenge rather than a chore. Gabrielle’s couture wardrobe, Bree’s immaculate coiffure and Edie’s enviable love-interests may have to remain a fragment of our imaginations, however…

“I have this amazing high for adrenaline. It agrees with me. Your body is a vehicle and you have to take care of that vehicle” - Eva Longoria-Parker.