Beyond Desirable in North America: an examination of actual and ideal body preferences, and body attractiveness preferences in a heterosexual sample of men and women from the USA

Abstract

AbstractA recent Australian study demonstrated that both men and women want to have less body fat and more muscularity than they perceived that they had, and that men and women’s body ideals are more extreme than the opposite sex finds most attractive. The present study aimed to provide more evidence for the discrepancy between self-reported actual and ideal body fat and muscularity. Further, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between ideal bodies, and the bodies reported to be most attractive by the opposite sex by examining a sample of heterosexual North American men and women. Using data from 362 participants recruited through Amazon’s MTurk, this study employed figural rating scales to assess participants' actual and ideal body fat and muscularity, as well as their perceptions of the most attractive body for the opposite sex. Results showed that men wanted to have less body fat and more muscularity, and women wanted to have less body fat than they perceived themselves to have. Additionally, results showed that men’s ideal body was in-line with women’s preferences. However, analogous to prior research in an Australian sample, women wanted to be thinner than what men found most attractive. These findings underscore the importance of addressing body dissatisfaction and promoting healthy body image ideals. Future interventions should focus on challenging societal beauty standards and promoting body acceptance, taking into account the influence of media and social factors on body image perceptions and preferences.