Study reveals unhealthy attraction to thin women (2024)

Composite bodies showing the average fat and muscle mass chosen as the most attractive for women (left) and men (right). Image courtesy of Dr Ian Stephen.

Study reveals unhealthy attraction to thin women (1)

New research from Macquarie University, published in the journal PLOS ONE, has found that both genders consider an unhealthily low body fat content for women as most attractive. Whereas the study found that both genders find men with a healthy level of body fat most attractive.

Using new techniques in a computer graphics program, participants in the study were asked to manipulate the apparent fat and muscle mass of real body photographs of Caucasian men and women aged 18 to 30, and indicate the shape that they thought looked the healthiest or the most attractive.

“In this study we found that both male and female participants chose significantly less fat mass to optimise the attractiveness of women’s bodies than to optimise the healthy appearance of women’s bodies,” explained lead author, Mary-Ellen Brierley from the Department of Psychology. “Whereas for men’s bodies, participants opted for a similar amount of muscle and fat mass to optimise attractiveness and healthy appearance,” she added.

According to previous health studies, the healthy body fat range for young Caucasian women is 21-33 per cent.

“Our participants optimised a healthy-looking body composition for women at around 19 per cent fat, and a most attractive-looking body type of just 16 per cent fat. However, there was no difference in the amount of muscle preferred for healthy-looking and attractive bodies. This suggests that while previous studies have found that smaller female body size generally corresponds to a greater perceived attractiveness, this observation is actually due to people’s preference for lower fat mass, rather than lower muscle mass or smaller body size in general,” explained research-group leader Dr Ian Stephen, also from the Department of Psychology.

Notably, the participants could have chosen even thinner bodies if they had wanted, but instead chose bodies just below the healthy range.

“Perceptions of face and body attractiveness are thought to reflect the health and fertility of the person, allowing us to identify healthy and fertile mates,” said Dr Stephen. “While this seems to be the case for men’s bodies, our study suggests that something else is also influencing the perceived attractiveness of women’s bodies. It could be that cultural ideas of the ‘thin ideal’ are driving down people’s perceptions of attractive body fat levels in women.”

Study reveals unhealthy attraction to thin women (2024)

FAQs

Study reveals unhealthy attraction to thin women? ›

New research from Macquarie University, published in the journal PLOS ONE, has found that both genders consider an unhealthily low body fat content for women as most attractive. Whereas the study found that both genders find men with a healthy level of body fat most attractive.

Why are we attracted to thin bodies? ›

Women generally relate the ideally thin body to positive life outcomes such as happiness, confidence, and romantic success, and consequently a majority of women value the thin ideal to some extent.

What BMI do guys find most attractive? ›

In well-nourished populations, it has been consistently found that the most preferred BMIs are around 18–20 (Crossley et al., 2012; Tovée & Cornelissen, 2001; Wang et al., 2015), which are far below the mean or modal values of typical young women in these populations (Lassek and Gaulin, 2016, Lassek and Gaulin, 2018b).

What weight is considered skinny for a girl? ›

The average woman's height is 5 feet, 4 inches. If you weigh 107 pounds or less at this height, you are considered underweight with a BMI of 18.4.

What body fat percentage is most attractive for a woman? ›

As far as female body fat percentage, 20-22% body fat will be an athletic look with visible lean muscle mass, a smaller waist size and minimal belly fat. Your abs muscle may be visible and you may be able to see muscle separation in some areas.

How skinny is too skinny for a woman? ›

To get a rough idea, if your BMI is less than 18.5, you're considered underweight.

Why do guys like thin waists? ›

In fact, science shows that men are highly attracted to women with good curves. Scottish researchers found that the slimmer a woman's waist, the more satisfied her partner and the less likely he is to suffer from erectile dysfunction. Is that the only reason? Wide hips are a sexually dimorphic trait.

What guys find most physically attractive? ›

Facial symmetry has been shown to be considered attractive in women, and men have been found to prefer full lips, high forehead, broad face, small chin, small nose, short and narrow jaw, high cheekbones, clear and smooth skin, and wide-set eyes.

What is the most attractive body weight for a man? ›

The average ideal male height and weight, according to respondents, was 6 feet tall and 168.3 pounds.

What is the most attractive body shape of a female? ›

Here comes one of the most desirable bodies for all women. The hourglass has a small defined waist with fuller bust and hip, and the shoulders, bust and hip have similar measurements. Since this is a very feminine body shape, this type of body slays all kinds of dresses.

How much does the average American woman weigh? ›

American women aged 20 years and above weigh an average of 170.8 pounds (lbs), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . While these numbers may be the average, they are not a measure of health.

What weight is considered petite? ›

Petite refers to stature not weight. Most people still think petite means skinny when in fact petite has nothing to do with weight. Petite is the term used in the fashion industry to describe a woman who is 5'3 tall or under. Petite women come in all shapes and sizes, whether they're a size 4 or 14.

What should a 60 year old woman weigh? ›

Average weights of U.S. women across the adult lifespan are: Ages 20-39: 167.6 pounds. Ages 40-59: 176.4 pounds. Ages 60 and up: 166.5 pounds.

What muscles do girls like most? ›

They found that women were most attracted to muscles that are harder to develop, primarily the abs and biceps. Interestingly, the muscles women found most attractive were, in this order: glutes, biceps, abs, pecs, shoulders, obliques, triceps, and quads.

How much do fitness models weigh? ›

Average: average doesn't mean much but you should weigh about 5 to 7 pounds for every inch over five foot plus 100 lbs. A 5'6″ average model should weigh 128 to 135 lbs. Plus size fit models should weigh about 7 to 9 lbs for every inch over five foot plus 100 lbs. A 5'8″ plus size fit model should weigh 155 to 170 lbs.

What body fat percentage makes your face look the best? ›

According to research, a body fat percentage in the range of 9 to 12% for males and 17 to 20% for females usually enhances facial attractiveness. The inherent bone framework affects how much angular and contoured your face appears. Some faces look much slimmer than others even having higher body fat.

Why are we attracted to small waists? ›

Why does a tiny waist have sex appeal? Many medical studies show that men find sex appeal with women who are not overweight, have a tiny waist, and larger hips. This was thought to be because it was an indication of health and fertility.

Is it more attractive to be skinny or fat? ›

The measure of body fat distribution, the WHR, was found to be the critical variable associated with attractiveness. Normal weight female figures with low WHR were judged to be most attractive and were assigned many desirable qualities.

Is skinny figure attractive? ›

There's no definitive answer to this question since beauty is subjective. Some people prefer skinny girls because they find them attractive, while others may prefer women with curves. Ultimately, it comes down to what you personally find attractive.

When did fat become unattractive? ›

Only in the latter half of the nineteenth century did being fat begin to be stigmatized for aesthetic reasons, and in the twentieth century, its association with increased mortality was recognized.

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