Of course, each man has his own “type.” But the research shared in the Discovery Channel program, “The Science of Sex Appeal” gives us some generalizations.
In the program, a cross section of men rated the sex appeal of various computer-generated women’s silhouettes. (They didn’t alter the bust size so that had minimal influence on their choices.) The shape that was deemed the most appealing by the majority of men had a waist to hip ratio of .7. The ratio of a 24″ waist to 36″ hips is .66. The smaller the ratio the better, meaning the more pronounced the difference. It’s not surprising that the Barbie doll’s ratio is 5.4. Ll’l Kim is the best example of a famous woman with a pronounced ratio, at least by my estimation. Then perhaps Beyonce.
We would then assume that small-waisted, large-hipped women would be the rage, at least among the general male population, however this is clearly the ideal for some specialized groups. But they are not what is shown in the media as alluring for the masses. Supermodels have trimmer hips than this ratio.
Why do men find this shape so appealing? Evolutionary biologists believe is has to do with men being attracted to women with large enough hips to easily give birth, thus more likely to have his offspring survive. If her hips are too small, there’s a higher chance something could go wrong during childbirth.
The good news for midlife dating women is many of us now hove broader hips than when we were younger. So if your waist is relatively smaller, you should be in high demand!
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