Abstract: Thin and muscular have been characterized as ideals for women and men, respectively. Little research has investigated whether men and women have accurate perceptions of opposite‐sex preferences of thinness and muscularity. Further, no study has explored whether opposite‐sex perceptions of thinness and muscularity preferences differ for short‐term and long‐term relationships. The present study set out to address these questions. We used interactive 3D human models to represent bodies varying in size (body mass index/BMI weight scaled by height) and body composition. University‐aged (18–31) White European heterosexual men and women were asked to choose their own and ideal body shape, the ideal body shape for a short‐ and a long‐term partner, and the body shape they thought the opposite‐sex would most like for short‐ and long‐term partners. Women overestimated the thinness that men prefer in a partner and men overestimated the heaviness and muscularity that women prefer in a partner. These misperceptions were more exaggerated for short‐term relationships than for long‐term relationships. The results illustrate the importance of investigating misperceptions of opposite‐sex preferences and raise the possibility that correcting misperceptions might have utility in reducing body dissatisfaction or eating disorders.
Caveats
It is worth noting that although the BMI and Fat% of the own ideal and preferred partner bodies are within the healthy range, the values may not truly represent realistic human figures. The body models used in the current study were generated through a mobile app. The extent to which the models accurately reflect the body weight and muscularity of real human bodies remains unclear. Compared with previous findings (Stephen & Perera, 2014; Tovée, Reinhardt, Emery, & Cornelissen, 1998), the ideal female body figure found in the current study is heavier in terms of BMI. For example, the associated BMI of the attractive female bodies or faces found in previous studies was as low as 17 (Stephen & Perera, 2014), and the highest was around 20 (Tovée et al. , 1998). The BMI of women’s ideal body figure in the present study is around 21 and this figure is even higher for men’s preference, which is around 22. Clearly, the ideal female body size is higher in the current study than in previous studies. By the same token, the ideal male body size might also be higher compared to previous work. The discrepancy of the most attractive BMI between the current and previous studies might be due to the different stimuli used. The 3D human body models used in the current study might appear thinner than 2D human body’s photographs used in previous studies given the same BMI. In fact, one previous study has found that BMI of the most desirable 3D male faces is higher than that of the 2D male faces (Lei et al. , 2018). Future study comparing the accuracy of perception of weight from 2D and 3D images might provide more understanding.
Previously, studies examining preferences of body size mainly used line drawings or photographs of different individuals; few used controlled interactive photographs or model images. Even though some studies used real individual body images, body composition was not taken into consideration. Future studies exploring the body weight and shape that are attractive in men and women should use realistic photographs of human bodies and control for other body parameters that influence physical attractiveness like waist to hip ratio. Nonetheless, even though the absolute values of BMI and Fat% of the preferred male and female bodies may not truly represent the most attractive figures of men and women in real life, the aim of the present study was to compare preferences between the two sexes. Thus, the accuracy of the representations of human body models should not affect the misperceptions of opposite‐sex preferences found here.
In addition, the current study used body fat percentage rather than muscle mass as the measurement of muscularity (Holzleitner & Perrett, 2016; Sturman, Stephen, Mond, Stevenson, & Brooks, 2017). We note that a low body fat percentage does not necessarily equate to a high muscularity, particularly when BMI is low (e.g. <20). Nevertheless, the results suggest that men’s underestimation of the body fat percentage women desire accompanies the overestimation of heaviness (BMI ~ 27) that men believe women prefer. Hence, it is appropriate to conclude that men overestimate muscularity that women prefer. We hope that future studies will be able to use of muscle mass to measure preferences for male muscularity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using models of human bodies with various levels of BMI and Fat%, the current study revealed that misperceptions of opposite‐sex preferences exist in young men and women. In particular, women tend to overestimate the thinness of female bodies that men prefer, and men tend to overestimate the muscularity of male bodies that women prefer. Moreover, these misperceptions are more exaggerated for short‐term relationships. Women mistakenly believe that men would like thinner women for short‐term than for long‐term relationships, while men misperceive that women would like more muscular men for short‐term than for long‐term relationships. Future research on body image should evaluate the influence that misperceptions of opposite‐sex preference have on body dissatisfaction and other body image related psychological problems.
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