36-24-36 'best' shape for females? Class 12 textbook body shames women

The offensive post that has sparked a row. Pic/Twitter

Twitterati slammed a Class 12 Physical Education textbook for a rather bizarre health lesson. Screenshots from the lesson in question have gone viral on social media.

According to a report by NDTV, the book titled, 'Health and Physical Education', written by Dr VK Sharma, has a chapter called, 'Physiology and Sports', in which it defines the 'best' shape for women.

The excerpt, which has received brickbats reads, "36-24-36 shape of females is considered the best. That is why in Miss World or Miss Universe competitions, such type of shape is also taken into consideration."

The book has become the target of severe criticism on Twitter, with many blasting it's apparent body shaming tone. (View the tweets below)

Even men weren't spared! "The V shape body in case of males is considered the best", said another excerpt from the same chapter.

CBSE has denied that the book was part of the Class 12 syllabus, saying that the board does not affiliate with private publishers.

This is not the first time that a textbook has attracted controversy for questionable content.

In February this year, a textbook for children as small as 8-9 years in New Delhi and some parts of noth India has a chapter, which asks students to put a kitten in an unventilated box and wait for it to die to demonstrate that living beings cannot live without air

HSC Sociology textbook prescribed by the Maharashtra board that claims parents of ugly and handicapped girls have to pay dowry to get them married sparked controversy the same month.

In January, a medical textbook passage painting Lesbians Gays Bisexuals Transgenders (LGBTs) in a negative light has shocked all. The offensive para in the book suggests that lesbianism is a 'perversion' and that only women who are 'mental degenerates or nymphomaniacs' indulge in it.