If you've got a little bit of, er... padding on your hips, here's something you'd be glad to know for not having a perfect hourglass-shaped figure: women with a lower waist-hip ratio have been shown in studies to be smarter and have smarter offspring. It is believed that the fetus benefits from the polyunsaturated fatty acids (important for brain development) deposited on the mother's hip fats.

So yes, being a little plump is fine. Being obese, however, is not.