Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Martin Tovee
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Body mass index (BMI) and body shape as measured by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) have been reported to be the major cues to women's bodily attractiveness. The relative importance of each of these cues was examined cross-culturally in two distinct countries, Greece and Britain. Fifty Britons, 25 British-Greeks, and 25 participants in Greece were asked to rate a set of images of real women with known BMI and WHR. The results showed that, regardless of the cultural setting, BMI is the primary determinant of women's physical attractiveness, whereas WHR emerged as a significant predictor for the Greek groups but not the British group. This finding is discussed in terms of the different gender roles occupied by Britons and Greeks. The discussion critically evaluates evolutionary psychological and sociocultural explanations of preferences for body weight. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
Author(s): Swami V, Antonakopoulos N, Tovée MJ, Furnham A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Sex Roles
Year: 2006
Volume: 54
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 201-211
Print publication date: 01/02/2006
ISSN (print): 0360-0025
ISSN (electronic): 1573-2762
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9338-3
DOI: 10.1007/s11199-006-9338-3
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
