Premium
Secular changes in standards of bodily attractiveness in women: Tests of a reproductive model
Author(s) -
Barber Nigel
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199805)23:4<449::aid-eat14>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - attractiveness , reproduction , psychology , demography , developmental psychology , prosperity , physical attractiveness , social psychology , replication (statistics) , reproductive success , sociology , ecology , biology , economics , economic growth , population , virology , psychoanalysis
Objective Since success at work is favored by a more slender body build while reproduction is favored by curvaceousness, standards of women's bodily attractiveness should be predictable from economic and reproductive variables. Method: This hypothesis was tested in a replication and extension of a study by Silverstein, Perdue, Peterson, Vogel, and Fantini (1986) which looked at correlates of curvaceousness of Vogue models over time. Results: As economic prosperity increased, and as women's participation in the economy, and higher education, increased, curvaceousness of the standards declined. As the proportion of single women to men, both aged 20–24 years, increased, and as the birth rate declined, curvaceousness was reduced. Discussion: Results suggest that cultural standards of attractiveness are influenced by an evolved psychology of mate selection. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 23: 449–454, 1998.