Physical Attraction Measured Through a Body Figure Scale in an Age of Changing Body Ideals

Abstract

There is a substantial body of research that uses figure rating scales for personal body image assessment and satisfaction. The aim of this research was to determine the difference in attractiveness of physical body image by age of men and women. 460 participants who were representative of the population of a major Australian regional city were sampled using face-to-face interviews and a computer-based figure rating scales survey tool. Women were found likely to identify thin images of women as more attractive to men; and men were found likely to identify more muscular images of men as more attractive to women. These findings replicate similar studies and have implications for clinical treatments related to body image, eating disorders, and compulsive exercise.