Even in the land of Khushboo a.k.a the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, thin is apparently in these days.

Besides the voluptuous yesteryear actress Khushboo (for whom devoted fans once built a temple), several prominent Tamil heroines like Jyothika, Ramya, Nagma, Sripriya  and Nayantara have been rather plump by Hollywood – and even Bollywood – standards.

But according to the hacks at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), plump is out of fashion these days in India.

Gone with the wind are the days of yore when plump, fleshy heroines were the stuff of every young man’s fantasies. A WSJ feature item takes note of this new phenomenon in the Friday edition of the paper: 

In the home of the country’s Tamil-language film industry, full-figured heroines used to be the hottest stars. Until a few years ago, actresses considered too chubby for the country’s mainstream Hindi-language Bollywood movies could find roles easily in this city. No more.

Well, that’s a bit of exaggeration considering that full figured Tamil actresses like Nayantara and Meera Jasmine still have the young uns – and, ahem, quite a few old ones too like yours truly – drooling.

Hooey, say the folks at the WSJ. They argue that for a new generation of young women in India, weight reduction, yoga, diet and thin are the new shibboleths.

In a country where full figures have long represented the ideal for feminine beauty, thin is increasingly in. An influx of glossy international fashion magazines and a growing number of opportunities for women in the work force are prompting a move toward fitted Western-style fashions and away from flowing national garb. Now, weight-loss clinics are proliferating in urban centers.

Well, count us out among the new fans of the thin, svelte Indian babes.

Not for us the Shreyas and Asins. We’ll stick with the Jyothikas and Nayantaras, thank you.