Semi-renowned armchair relationship expert Sir Mix-a-Lot once said, “So Cosmo says you’re fat, well I ain’t down with that! ‘Cause your waist is small and your curves are kickin’ …To the beanpole dames in the magazines: You ain’t it, Miss Thing!” What Mr. Mix-a-Lot so melodically points out is that women’s attractiveness does not rely on thinness, but rather the kickin’ nature of her curves. In fact, for women there’s a universal formula — the waist-to-hip ratio — that contributes to how attractive males find females’ bodies.1
We’ll avoid asking you to do any unnecessary math, but let’s play with some numbers. Assume that a woman like Scarlett Johansson has “34–23–35” proportions. First, if you can manage to do it, ignore her bust size (i.e., the first measurement). The next two numbers refer to her waist size and hip size, respectively. The optimal waist-to-hip ratio appears to be about .70, or when the waist’s width is about 70% of the hips’ width (think of your typical hourglass figure). I’ll pause for a moment while you take some quick measurements of the picture of Modern Family‘s Sophia Vergara that accompanies this article (or you can trust us; the science elves at SofR have done the measurements). Interested in calculating your own waist-to-hip ratio? Click here.
Women with a waist-to-hip ratio near .70 have a curvy figure. As ratios climb higher toward .80 and .90 curves become less apparent. For example, men generally have waist-to-hip ratios close to .90. The interesting part about the waist-to-hip ratio is that it works for different-sized bodies. Someone like Beyoncé is heavier than Mila Kunis, Adriana Lima, Jessica Alba, or Megan Fox, but they all conform to the magical .70. You will also find this same ratio cross-culturally; although the average overall female body size may vary considerably, men find the same ratio attractive around the world. Researchers have actually studied this phenomenon by analyzing the waist-to-hip ratio of Playboy centerfolds and Miss America winners (gotta love science!).2 Their results strongly demonstrated the consistency in preference for this ratio dating back to the 1920s. Whereas they found that overall body size of these beauties decreased over time, the waist-to-hip ratio remained remarkably consistent. In other words, although the centerfolds ranged from Marilyn Monroe (who would be relatively heavy-set by Playboy’s current standards) to Twiggy (the Kate Moss or Keira Knightley of the 1970s, minus the drug scandals), they all had similar waist-to-hip proportions.
A more recent study wanted to see how important waist-to-hip ratio was to men by tracking guys’ eye movements. Essentially, the researchers wanted to know where men look when checking out a woman.3 To do this, researchers showed men naked images of women in upright poses from the front or back. Importantly, the women represented a range of waist-to-hip ratios. Regardless of pose, the results indicated that men rated women with a .7 waist-to-hip ratio as most attractive. Results also indicated that men paid most attention to women’s midriff and buttocks when the image depicted the woman from the back. When depicted from the front, men focused more on the breasts and then shifted attention to the midriff. Thus, the eye-gaze results demonstrate the important of waist-to-hip ratio, especially when viewing a woman from behind.
It’s clear that men prefer a certain ratio, with some other research suggesting some reasons why. In particular, waist-to-hip ratio relates to sexual behavior: females with more desirable ratios have a greater number of sexual partners, have intercourse at an earlier age, and are more likely to have sex outside of their primary relationship (translation: they cheat).4 So why is a .70 ratio so appealing in women? As evolutionary psychologists explain, the .70 waist-to-hip ratio suggests that a woman is more fertile and better suited for bearing children5 (or what your grandmother might have called “good child bearing hips”).
An important take home message from this research is that women’s attractiveness isn’t as much about body weight, as it is about how they carry their weight. Thus, women should not try to become more attractive through starvation or excessive exercise. Or as Sir Mix-a-Lot says, “You can do side bends or sit-ups, but please don’t lose that .7 waist-to-hip ratio.”
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1Singh, D., Dixson, B. J., Jessop, T. S., Morgan, B. B., & Dixson, A. F. (2010). Cross-cultural consensus for waist–hip ratio and women’s attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31 (3), 176–81. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2009.09.001
2Singh, D. (1993). Adaptive significance of female physical attractiveness: Role of waist-to-hip ratio. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(2), 293–307. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.2.293
3Dixson, B. J., Grimshaw, G. M., Linklater, W. L., & Dixson, A. F. (2010). Watching the hourglass: Eye tracking reveals men’s appreciation of the female form. Human Nature, 21(4), 355-370. doi:10.1007/s12110-010-9100-6
4Hughes, S. M., & Gallup, G. R. Gallup (2003). Sex differences in morphological predictors of sexual behavior: Shoulder to hip and waist to hip ratios. Evolution and Human Behavior, 24 (3), 173–78. doi:10.1016/S1090-5138(02)00149-6
5Singh, D., & Singh, D. (2011). Shape and significance of feminine beauty: An evolutionary perspective. Sex Roles, 64(9-10), 723-731. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-9938-z
Dr. Gary Lewandowski – Science of Relationships articles | Website
Dr. Lewandowski’s research explores the self’s role in romantic relationships focusing on attraction, relationship initiation, love, infidelity, relationship maintenance, and break-up. Recognized as one of the Princeton Review’s Top 300 Professors, he has also authored dozens of publications for both academic and non-academic audiences.
image source: blogs.courant.com
Me says
Well I guess there will be a lot of sad men out there since only 28% of women fall into the hourglass (8%) and pear (20%) categories with nearly 50% being banana shaped and the remaining apples. This is based on skeletal structure and hormones which women have no influence over – she cannot change it through exercises or avoiding certain exercises, she has not earned it. Given this I'm struggling to find how this article would be helpful to almost 70% of the female population? Other than reminding them how they fall short yet again…
'An important take home message from this research is that'…men might have to just GET OVER IT and value some other attributes. Please stop writing pseudo psych junk articles which categorize women thereby contributing to further body shaming of females. My grandmother said just because someone has an opinion doesn't mean it's manners to share it – this could be said about this article.
From 0.7 woman (oh, and I've not cheated in my over 23 years of marriage and had 1 partner – that challenges the theories doesn't it?).
Janet says
How many women in the healthy BMI range (19.5-24.5 according to the Australian Heart Foundation and life insurance compay statistics ie women with BMI less than 19.5 die sooner) have a waist measurement of 23 inches?
John says
Janet,
No, that doesn't change anything. Your banana apple comment is utter nonsense. There is no skeletal structure that prevents having a slim waist or firm, rounded butt, unless you know of women with extra bones or deformities that I'm unaware of. Seriously. Barring medical conditions that cause excess weight gain (aka, a very small percentage) or water retention to a significant degree, EVERY woman can get in good shape and have an attractive waist/hip ratio. Perhaps your body stores fat like that apple you spoke of. Does that mean you need to eat too much or not exercise properly? Nope.
You are clearly one of the many women who have been completely mislead by those cashing in on women in the fitness industry. Learn how to eat properly and exercise effectively, and nearly any woman can be in great shape. If they want to be.
Those who aren't, don't want to be.
P.S. Try looking into things like HIIT, Complexes, avoiding cardio for weight loss, the Jen Keck interview on youtube (which is very enlightening in many ways), and weight training. No, it won't make you bulky, yes it will get you fit and give you a good figure.
Jane says
If you are not born with bodyshape of a hourglass or pear you cant have one with exercise! And before someone is gonna throw any nasty names here; I have a hourglass body..
Huda says
Yes, you can have a a hip-to-waist ratio around .70 with exercise. You have to do intense weight training to gain muscle on your buttocks area.
Sophie says
Ever considered that there are healthy people out there with low HTW ratio who may NOT have big hips? I'm 5'6 & yet not even included in the circulating chart. That's ridiculous considering that I am thin, granted, but not skinny. I.E., I have a thin skeleton but muscle on top of it as well as well, a little bit of fat too. This is because the standards in America have been distorted by decades of unhealthy gain of weight that hasn't happened in say, Europe or Asia to the same degree. In 1960, my HTW ratio of 6.5 (34-22-34) would have been considered ideal. Now, some people are so judgemental as to be ruder than they would dare being with an overweight person. I eat 3,000+ calories per day & love to eat (i had 7 filet mignons on july 4th), yet I have to listen to idiots assuming I don't eat enough when I go shopping for clothes. The judgment of weight, shape, fat amount etc…should be ignored unless dangerous to health. Too much thinking about it otherwise is a trap! The way a woman walks & behaves can attract men regardless of measurements. Too bad the men were showed drawings in this research… It ignored a lot of things. Men don't chose partners based on drawings or even photos, & if they do online, it's usually the face that's displayed!
Mike says
If anything, why not let the take away be that men actually want real women and not the stick figures we see on the runway?
Clivy says
Well I only have a waist to hip ratio of 0.75. But then again, I am only 14 years old, so my body is still developing, not to forget that I curviest body out of my friends. Who knows, I will most likely end up with the same body type as me mom (who people always claim to say she is gorgeous). Either way I am only here because of my curiosity and boredom.
P.s. You do know that both your hip size matters on your skeletal strutted, right John? And that not all people with banana shaped bodies are fat, right? My friends all happen to have banana shaped bodies, and they all have very slender bodies and narrow hips. Either way, you cannot change the size of your hips, whether you like it or not. The size of your hips depend on your skeletal structure.
Not being rude, just pointing out a flaw in your argument. To have an hourglass or pear shaped body type, you must have wide set hips.
little hips! says
Yeah but what about those of us who skeletally have very small hips? In order for me to have the 'ideal' curvy ratio I would have to have a 23" waist – that ain't gonna happen. My hips are genetically narrow, my rib cage is pretty wide – this is my skeleton, you can clearly see the bones – my bmi is 19.5 and my body scan showed low body fat. Dieting isn't gonna help and I already exercise/have physical job.
Guess I just have to accept my inverted triangle body with low waist/hip definition and accept myself as I am, my husband thinks I'm gorgeous which is all I care about frankly.
Beata says
Its even worse , it mean no matter how much you will lose i will never be attractive