Despite the long-held belief that guys prefer rail-thin model types, new research shows that plenty of men get hot and heavy for gals with a little meat on their bones.
A common New Year’s resolution is to achieve a “perfect body.” Before the pandemic, it was normal to see the gym flooded in January with people who, by February, would drop their exercise regimen instead of the extra pounds they’d gained.
But while everyone desires perfection in themselves, are they actually attracted to “ideal” body types in real life?
While the diversity of women’s bodies is growing in the media, it is still very common to see rail-thin women in film and on television, in magazines and on runways. This bombardment of “thin is in” messaging has caused some women to overestimate how much men actually prefer fashion-model types, according to a study recently published in Sex Roles.
The research involved two studies. In the first one, 548 American college students were asked to rate the body size and attractiveness of 13 models from women’s fashion magazines. They were then asked to rate what they thought members of the opposite sex would say about those same models. The second study had a similar task and involved 2,707 men and women.
Overall, “results were consistent with previous studies suggesting that men do not find the ultra-thin body ideal for women as attractive as women believe men do,” the research abstract stated.
