A cross-cultural study on the role of weight and waist-to-hip ratio on female attractiveness

The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally test Singhʹs (1993) hypothesis of the effect of weight and waist-to-hip ratio on judgements of female attractiveness, using stimulus figures developed by Tassinary and Hansen (1998). A total of 308 subjects, half male, half female, were recruited from Greece, Uganda and the United Kingdom. Their task was to rate eight line drawings varying in weight (light and heavy) and waist-to-hip ratio WHR (0.5, 0.7 with small waist and hip size, 0.7 with large waist and hip size, and 0.9). The stimulus figures were rated on attractiveness, healthiness, fertility, youthfulness, and willingness to engage in short-term and long-term relationships, on a seven-point Likert scale. The results showed an overall preference for the 0.7 WHR and the light weight category, as predicted. However, cross-cultural differences showed Ugandans had a preference for the 0.5 WHR and the heavy weight category. The prediction that small waist and hip size would be preferred over large waist and hip size was also confirmed. In accordance with predictions, attractiveness was found to be significantly correlated with all the attributes tested.