Summary: Research shows women almost universally prefer more muscular, leaner, stronger-looking men to less muscular, fatter, and weaker ones—to a point. In general, the “ideal” male physique to most women means having moderate (not massive) amounts of muscle in the upper and lower body and a low body fat percentage.
The stereotypically attractive female body shape is an hourglass figure, which includes wide hips, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders.
Summary: Research shows women almost universally prefer more muscular, leaner, stronger-looking men to less muscular, fatter, and weaker ones—to a point. In general, the “ideal” male physique to most women means having moderate (not massive) amounts of muscle in the upper and lower body and a low body fat percentage.
Women stated that their favorite part of the male physique was their chest at 24%. This was closely followed by hair 22% and arms at 19%. For the ab crowd, 13% prefer defined upper abs and 9% prefer the v-cut. Eyes, face, and legs came in at 3%, 2%, and 1%, respectively.
Women, on average, tend to be more attracted to men who have a relatively narrow waist, a V-shaped torso, and broad shoulders. Women also tend to be more attracted to men who are taller than they are, and display a high degree of facial symmetry, as well as relatively masculine facial dimorphism.
(27) found that the most frequently selected ideal body had a BMI of 19.79, closely followed by an underweight ideal of 18.26. Ahern et al. (28) found that a BMI of 20 was considered the most attractive, while Swami et al. (29), and MacNeill and Best (30), found that an underweight body was most frequently selected.
But what is it that makes a face pretty and attractive? Different facial cosmetic features can make a face pretty when they come together. Big, alert eyes, a small, proportional nose, perky cheeks, a well-defined jawline, or full lips usually grab people's attention and strike them as beautiful.
Symmetry: people whose faces are more symmetrical are generally considered more attractive. Averageness: faces that resemble others in the population tend to appear more attractive. Apparent health: people who look healthy, because of their skin and overall appearance are considered to have more attractive faces.
A similar study by Re and Rule (2016b) found that participants preferred facial adiposity levels associated with a BMI of 19.11 kg/m2 for female faces and 23.79 kg/m2 for male faces.
Muscles are indicators of health and fitness.
They found that overall, men and women think bigger muscles are more attractive than smaller ones.
Apologies to all men who do not look like they've been cut from marble – it turns out that women are most attracted to men who look strong, with muscular arms, and toned torsos, preferring these bodies to those that look slimmer and weaker. Shocking, huh?
Muscles are indicators of health and fitness.
They found that overall, men and women think bigger muscles are more attractive than smaller ones.
Their study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggests muscles in men are akin to elaborate tail feathers in male peacocks: They attract females looking for a virile mate. “Women are predisposed to prefer muscularity in men,” said study author David Frederick of UCLA.
New research out of UCLA confirms: Women are attracted to muscular guys. A series of six studies found that muscular guys are catnip to women looking for fun, and they have twice as many partners as average Joes and weaklings.
What exactly counts as being "skinny?" Some healthcare experts believe a BMI in the 15-18 range to be clinically underweight. This seems to fall pretty close to what many everyday people consider to be "skinny" with a BMI of 18 or lower frequently listed as the indicator of someone considered to be slim.
This was a lower BMI than the actual BMI of 39 of the 40 women. The ideal male body set by the men (BMI = 25.9, WHR = 0.87, WCR = 0.74) was very similar to the ideal partner set by the women (BMI = 24.5, WHR = 0.86, WCR = 0.77).
The first place men typically lose weight is the belly, while women tend to lose weight all over, but hold onto weight in their thighs and hips, Dr. Block explains.
Body language research has shown that keeping your torso, chest, and abdomen open to the world is the best way to show availability. Open body language is more attractive than any outfit, hairstyle, or dance move.