Do Men Really Only Like Thin Girls?

What kind of female figure meets the expectations of men? The answer might be "not fat to the eye, but with some meat to the touch!" Research shows that most men do not find overly thin women more attractive. Instead, they prefer women with a bit of full figured (body fat around 30%), with an hourglass figure—less fat around the waist and more around the hips and thighs (and preferably with natural large breasts). This means these women have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and a smaller waist-to-hip ratio. But what do these two characteristics communicate?



**Full Figured for the Next Generation**



For men who see women as lifelong partners and mothers, they naturally care more about passing on genes and having healthy children. Evolution has led men to associate an slightly higher BMI and a smaller waist-to-hip ratio in women with the ability to have healthier offspring.



Pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing are energy-intensive processes. Fat, as an efficient energy storage material, is crucial. Compared to other female mammals, human females have a higher body fat percentage. This is linked to human brain size. Fat is a major component of the human brain, so women need sufficient fat reserves to support the development of their children's brains. Thus, the extra body fat and larger brain capacity are not just a coincidence.



Among the fats in the human body, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an unsaturated fatty acid, is essential for building the cerebral cortex and vital for infant intelligence. The human body cannot synthesize DHA on its own, so it must be obtained through diet. Women store DHA in their buttocks and thighs to nourish their babies' brains during pregnancy. Given the importance of brain development for offspring, it makes sense that men have evolved to prefer women with higher BMI and lower waist-to-hip ratios.



**Economic Influences on Preferences**



Evolutionary factors give most men a common preference for female body types, but this preference is not fixed and can be influenced by various factors.



According to psychologists at Coastal Carolina University, men's preferences for female body types change with the socio-economic environment. A study comparing the body types of Playboy's annual Playmates from 1960 to 2000 with socio-economic conditions found that in tougher economic times, Playmates had larger waists, heights, weights, BMIs, and waist-to-hip ratios. This aligns with the Environmental Security Hypothesis: in difficult times, men prefer mature, tall, strong women with lower body fat and less pronounced curves.



In harsh survival conditions, the focus shifts from the health of offspring to basic survival and resource acquisition. The priority becomes having children rather than focusing on their quality.



**Impact of Industrialization on Preferences**



Industrialization also affects men's preferences for female body types (and women's preferences for their own body types). Psychologists at Westminster University found that in less industrialized rural areas, men prefer women with slightly higher BMIs, as fuller figures symbolize fertility and wealth.



As societies industrialize, cultural distances shrink, and the media's promotion of a slender ideal spreads rapidly. Meanwhile, the rise in obesity and its associated problems have intensified the stigma around being overweight. In short, the media's emphasis on thinness and the public's aversion to obesity may lead men in industrialized societies to prefer women with slightly lower BMIs or slimmer figures.



Unlike Pettijohn, Swami believes that only BMI influences preferences for female body types, and the waist-to-hip ratio merely indicates gender and pregnancy.



Race is another factor that cannot be overlooked. Different races, adapted to specific environments, have evolved optimal BMI ranges for survival and reproduction.



In conclusion, while maintaining a healthy weight is important, women should strive for a balanced and reasonable range. There is no need to extreme dieting to achieve an overly thin figure.