Racial differences in body type preferences of men for women
✍ Scribed by Greenberg, Deborah R. ;LaPorte, David J.
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 238 KB
- Volume
- 19
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0276-3478
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Objective: Research indicates that African-American women have a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, a markedly lower prevalence of eating disorders, and greater satisfaction with their bodies than Euro-American women. One potential contributing explanation for this difference may be differential body type preferences between the men in the two communities. Method: Sixty-three African-American and 116 Euro-American men were asked to rank, in order of attractiveness, a series of silhouettes of women of varying sizes. Additionally, they answered questions concerning their current relationships. Results: Euro-Americans chose significantly thinner figures, and reported wishing their girlfriends would lose weight significantly more often than African-Americans. Discussion: These differential preferences may translate into greater pressure within the Euro-American community for women to be thin than in the African-American community; however, a small effect size suggests that factors other than race contribute to men's body type preferences. 0 7996 by lohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.