New study shows women’s body image is about what men like

Christina Hendricks is a famous full-figured celebrity. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

AFP
When told that men desire full-bodied, voluptuous figures, women felt better about their own weight, say researchers at Southern Methodist University.

“A woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer,” says lead author and social psychologist Andrea Meltzer of SMU.

Heterosexual women, says Meltzer, tend to believe that men prefer the dieted-down, ultra-thin bodies that dominate the media.

“Consequently, this study suggests that interventions that alter women’s perception regarding men’s desires for ideal female body sizes may be effective at improving women’s body image,” she says.

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