As a female, I am constantly being told how I should look in order to be more beautiful and attractive to men. Beauty magazines and sales assistants at makeup counters will go on and on to say what colors, clothing, and makeup a woman should wear to look her best. For example, if a woman has brown eyes, it is suggested that she wear neutral eye shadow colors because this is what will make her look more attractive. Or if a woman has a pale skin tone, she should avoid wearing certain colors that could “wash her out.” We are told that men are going to be attracted to us based on a million different factors such as these however it is so much more simple than we make it out to be.
The first and foremost aspect of a person that we are naturally attracted to is their symmetry. Even though we may not be conscious of comparing the symmetry of a person’s face, we do it anyway. Good symmetry shows that a person is healthy and well suited for mating. Evolutionary biologist Randy Thornhill states that choosing a perfectly symmetrical partner and reproducing with them will increase the chances of your offspring being symmetrical and able to deal with perturbations. Thornhill’s research has found that both men and women found symmetrical members of the opposite sex as more attractive and healthier. His studies also found that men with more symmetry had more sexual partners than men with less symmetry.
The next thing that men are naturally attracted to is the size of a woman’s hips. Men find wider hips more attractive because once again, they signal fertility and good genes for mating. Psychologist Devendra Singh conducted a study of people’s waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and found that men were most attracted to women with a WHR of 0.7. Otherwise known as “the hourglasss shape”, this waist-to-hip ratio indicates a waist that is significantly smaller than the hips. An analysis that was done on the body figures of Playboy models and Miss America contestants showed that most of these women had a WHR of 0.7 or lower. In a 2004 study, Singh further concluded that men find a WHR between 0.67 and 1.18 in women extremely attractive.
Since these studies are all observational, it cannot be concluded that all men find women with higher symmetry and wider hips the most attractive. After all, there are countless men whose wives/girlfriends do not have perfectly symmetrical faces or an hourglass figure yet they are still infatuated with their physical beauty. The men that were participants in the studies may have all been monthly subscribers to Playboy magazines. Or they may have all had girlfriends with perfectly symmetrical features and Marilyn Monroe bodies. In conclusion, although studies suggest what men are naturally attracted to, it is uncertain whether ALL men are more attracted to wider hips and symmetry.
Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/7023-rules-attraction-game-love.html
