Abstract

The results show that a woman’s ratings of male attractiveness can be explained by simple physical characteristics, in particular the waist-chest ratio (WCR). However, unlike female physical attractiveness, it is shape that is important for male attractiveness and not size. Women prefer men whose torso has an “inverted triangle” shape (ie, a narrow waist and a broad chest and shoulders). This is a shape consistent with physical strength and muscle development in the upper body. The BMI of the body is comparatively unimportant. By contrast, for female attractiveness the BMI accounts for more than 74% of the variance and WCR does not even reach significance. This is unlikely to be the result of differences in the way males and females rate the attractiveness of images, because women rate female bodies in exactly the same way that men do, with BMI as the primary determinant of attractiveness.