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Ideal body image for the opposite sex and its association with body mass index

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2021

María Eugenia Ibáñez-Zamacona Open the ORCID record for María Eugenia Ibáñez-Zamacona [Opens in a new window] ,
Alaitz Poveda  and
Esther Rebato
María Eugenia Ibáñez-Zamacona*
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
Alaitz Poveda
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sweden
Esther Rebato
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Email: mariaeugenia.ibanez@ehu.eus
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Abstract

This research studied the preferences reported by women and men about their Ideal Body Image for the Opposite Sex (IBIOS), and its association with body mass index (BMI). It also analysed the preferences of each sex for a woman’s ideal body image (W-IBI) and a man’s ideal body image (M-IBI). A total of 450 participants aged 18–70 years with different weights were studied. Their IBIOS was assessed using standard figural stimuli. The sample was divided in four groups by sex and age (<45 years; ≥45 years). Sex and age differences in IBIOS, as well as sex differences in the preferences for a woman’s ideal body image (W-IBI) and a man’s ideal body image (M-IBI), were tested using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The association between IBIOS and BMI was analysed using Spearman’s correlation. In all groups, the most chosen silhouette as IBIOS was number 4. In the under-45 years group, women chose bigger silhouettes for the opposite sex than men did (p<0.05). In this age group women chose as ideal smaller silhouettes for the female body than men did (p<0.01). In addition, women and men in the younger age group and with normal weight chose smaller silhouettes, while those who were overweight or obese selected larger silhouettes (p<0.001). Age was found to be a relevant factor in IBIOS preferences, and in the association between IBIOS and nutritional status as measured by BMI, which was only observed to be significant in the younger age group.

Keywords

Body imageSexNutritional status
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , January 2023 , pp. 190 - 198
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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