Do Men Not Care About Waist-to-Hip Ratio Anymore?

[Anonymous]

When you look at evolutionary biology studies, such as Singh (1993) and many subsequent (google 'studies WHR'), they tell us that the most attractive thing about a woman's body is the difference between her waist and hip size. That is, a low waist-to-hip ratio, i.e. a small waist relative to hip size (I say relative because it's about proportion, not actual size).

A low WHR gives the in-and-out shape that is stereotypically associated with a woman's body, as opposed to the straight up and down look of a man's figure. For example, this actress in the 70s:

Or, Rachel Bilson:

This is as opposed to a straight body shape, where there is no defined waist, i.e. the waist does not curve inwards, and then the hips flare out. For example, Cameron Diaz below, and Kate Upton. Although the latter has very large breasts, she still has a very straight body.

The point I'm trying to make with this post is this: it seems, in today's world at least, men don't care about the actual shape of the woman's body, they don't care about the waist-to-hip curve, the waist to hip ratio that the studies say men all find attractive. It seems that most men care about large breast size, as long as the woman is slim, or relatively slim, depending on his tastes. There are lots of celebrities, porn stars and men's magazine models who have a straight body, but just very large breasts (whether real or fake.....)

So, what do you think? Do guys these days not actually care about the shape of a body, the WHR? I would be interested to know your opinions...

[MrOracle]

When you say "men", you are suggesting MOST men, but one SI cover does not begin to suggest that MOST men find a "straight"/"ruler"/"square" body shame more attractive than an hourglass shape. Hourglass shapes continue to represent the majority of women in media.

Rather, it's that, more recently, people have grown to accept that there are many attractive women who don't (and can never) have an hourglass shape, due to their build/bone structure, but that they can still be attractive enough to be in the media. That doesn't mean we're EXCLUDING hourglass shapes, but rather we're INCLUDING other shapes (sometimes).

It also recognizes that other cultures value things that white western culture hasn't always valued traditionally. You might have noticed that BIG ASSES have been all the rage in the media for the last decade or so, with JLo, Kim K, and others being all over the media. This is a result of black/hip-hop culture having a strong influence on the media over the last decade or so, and is inevitably going to lead to non-traditional examples of female shapes being popular (amongst all of the hourglass shapes) in the media sometimes.

It doesn't mean that all men have suddenly lost their instinctual attraction towards hourglass shapes - it just means the media, due to demand from the populous, has been a bit more open-minded lately.

[myTake Owner]

Having a big bottom is part of the hourglass shape, although it is true that very large asses (like Beyonce, Kim K is fake) have become fashionable. This is still a kind of hourglass shape though. It seems to me that in the past 20 years or so, the only focus (or the main focus, rather) in the media, at least for white men, is just thin + huge boobs, regardless of body shape. .

[cinderelli]

They still do.. most guys just like Kate Upton's boobs... she has a bad body shape in my opinion.. if you crop her face.. (she's very pretty tho) and her boobs.. then no one would find the lower body attractive.. skinny or thick.. a slight curve always seems nice...

[Silver119]

The most shocking thing about this is I just discovered Kate Upton actually has a waist! ... and hips!

[cinderelli]

@Silver119 LOL😂😂😂😂 you learn something be everyday

[Laura_Marx]

I think it's a mistake to assume that female models and actresses are successful because men are attracted to them. I understand it seems more that way with pornography and mens magazines, but I'm not really convinced. What makes someone prominent in men's magazines? Are men really more likely to buy a titty mag just because it has Kate Upton on it? I'm not convinced, I think the factors behind industry success are more complicated

As for the studies, I've always thought they were probably very stupid. How rigorous can a 'who do you want to fuck the most' "study" really be? What was their methodology? Who was paying for that? I have a feeling its bogus.

I've never heard someone say, "well what I really care about is her hip to waist ratio", lmfao. If you want a nice wide-angle view, look at what women are selling porn - not just pornstars but women in the industry as a whole. Every single kind of woman can be successful in porn. Less so in film and modelling, which no one jerks it to.

I think desire is often fluid and resist rigorous study.

[Vivaldi]

Big boobs are a turn on.

[Laura_Marx]

yes, comrade

[Waffles731]

"Who was paying for that? I have a feeling its bogus." That's my question and it better not be my tax dollars,

[Laura_Marx]

LMAAAOOOOOO

[0112358]

@Vivaldi And yet the average porn starlet has 34B breasts.

[greg83]

@0112358 Seriously? I know that Tori Black is slim and is only about 32B

[Smmyskittles]

More like, they want a woman who's fit/inshape , confident, and compatible with them.

Of course, most will take a fit woman who's got a great waist to hip ratio.

** BUT, let's be real. HOW MANY of those women do you see? Without injections, surgery, implants, etc? Verrry few.

[pr3ttybr0wn]

i feel like as long as the woman isn't fat and has a gut she's good to go. I've seen so many women with athletic figures with straight waists being thought of as sexy.

tbh the first girls body is weird af. I don't know is it her bikini or what but she's oddly built

[Azara]

large his make birth easier. waists dont get smaller with puberty. hip bone spreads and become bigger than the waist. which can itself be big. there is nothing beneficial about a small waist. and a person can have no shape and still be big waisted.

[vishna]

Some guys DO see that Kate Upton has less than ideal curves. (I've seen a few guys on here point it out) BUT, she has bangin boob, a pretty face, and she poses half naked :3 So, how can they really complain? The average guy ain't gonna do much complaining.

[Medieve]

Kate upton has a hot body but she isn't pretty, she is ugly imho.

[greg83]

@Medieve Yeah I don't think she's pretty either, I think her boobs are what makes her hot to some guys

[Medieve]

@greg83 Her boobs and her curves. She would be the perfect woman if she had a prettier face and a better butt.

[greg83]

@Medieve Her boobs are her only curve, she has no hips and no butt. For me a perfect woman doesn't need huge boobs

[xxmamichulaxx]

@greg83 but they need a huge butt?

[greg83]

@xxmamichulaxx Not huge, but not flat... Just round and normal sized

[Wade888]

I do not view women that way.

[Wade888]

Okay, explain this. I find Michelle here very physically attractive, but it is not about her breast size or hip to waist ratio. I am attracted to her top-down, and I am also attracted to her personality.

www.facebook.com/photo.php

I also don't talk to her the way other fools on her page talk to her. I may be a fool for finding her attractive, I don't know, but she actually has a secret love language that she displays in some of her photos, which I pick up on, and the other guys are idiots who don't get it, and they wouldn't get it even if I explained it to them.

Don't be afraid to be a woman!

www.facebook.com/photo.php

Best photo on her page, and she doesn't even know it. A simple frontal photo. No hidden eye tricks and angle tricks, sexy as they may be at times. This is her best photo on the page.

www.facebook.com/photo.php

Be a real woman and have fun. I 'm not that concerned with your hip to waist ratio.

[Shorty1991]

Yes that 70's model is slim with defined curves and she is pear shaped and Rachel Bilson has slight curves making her a kind of mini hourglass shape. I wouldn't say that men don't care about waist to hip ratio's, they think curves are sexy. . . given that they are slim and curvy or toned and curvy. Sadly most men mistaken certain female celebrities as curvy because the press label them curvy. When they are in fact straight up and down like rulers with big bums and boobs, like kate upton. A lot of people don't seem to understand that curvy is a shape. Not a size.

[Shorty1991]

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This is what most men think the ideal woman is.

[vidaloca]

This article makes me so happy. Straighter-figured/athletic girls have been psychologically proven to have higher sex drives, too :) Little perk

[BuchitaBuchys]

That's the only thing I have going for me lol
But unfortunately I do agree, big/nice boobs are more important (something I have against me) than WHR.

[AriadneSky]

i think the whole popularization of clothing that emphasizes hips and boobs mutually exclusively - i e halter tops and hip huggers or below hip hugging jeans or cut offs skirts oversized cut out shirts with skin tight jeans where you can't tell whats under there on top except by parts no shape - as apposed to hip waste ratio emphasizing clothing - i e dresses with an hour glass shape shirts that dont expose stomach but conform to curves, waist jeans that flare out at feet- is numbing people to the whole whole hour glass thing. the way people dress is like to maximize each particular piece of body so looking at it as a whole is dwindling. for now. i dont think it will last bc in my opinion its unbecoming. there's no flow its all bam bam bam.

[LittleSally]

Where is Cameron Diaz here?
O. o

[HookingSwan]

my exact thoughts lol

[YourFutureEx]

I don't find Kate Upton attractive or body like this.

[madhatters4]

they definitely care about it. well at least some do. our (american's) preferences in women has certainly changed over time but now more than ever the curvy body type is in vogue. i mean look at the late 50s-80s (as seen on tv, print ads, movies, etc) the preferred body type was far more slender and less curvy

[EllieLexis513]

I don't think anyone cares. You're attracted to what you're attracted to, end of conversation.

[greg83]

Yes but who Western people are attracted too is very influenced by the media and society. At no point in history previously, and in no primitive tribes anywhere in the world, is there a preference for very thin, hip-less women with very large breasts.

[Tanuron]

I dont care no, I care about personality.

[MissMickey]

I actually think Cameron Diaz is really hot haha.
I see what you mean about the ratio though, made me get up and check myself in the mirror aha

[JuicyBrain]

I don't try to intellectualize it. I just go with my guts. In this case, Kate is the winner. But I just love her. I love that she is a little thicker, I love her face and from what I have heard of her, she seems to be a nice person (which is actually important to me). Rachel Bilson here can't be the winner here because the picture was taken at a moment where she was relaxed and unaware she was being photographed. Kate obviously knew about it. So she is at a disadvantage. She looks like a nice gal.
Cameron Diaz is just not my type. I can see she conforms to standards of beauty, she just does nothing for me. She is invisible in your take by the way. I think you forgot to include her.

I think that WHR can make a difference, but since it's not the only thing factoring in, other things can compensate. Must be why I find Kate Upton so attractive.

[NJ_Casanova]

I do;-) I don't some girl that looks like she never hit puberty. There was a TLC/Discovery show that proved that men Unconsciously DO.

[greg83]

Ah really, what's that show?

[NJ_Casanova]

@greg83 Actually just doing a Google search I think I found it. It's called "Science of sex appeal" on the Discovery channel. It shows how they way men/women walk differently affects our attraction, how Girls view a guys shoulder to waist ratio similarly to a guys view of hip/waist. Also the ratio for hip to waist was found to be 70% (waist 70% of the hips). It's very interset what they found and the way they proved it.

[SwoopingHawk]

I'll put it this way: Hip hip, HOORAY! You work out the rest.

[lyannamormont]

even if they care, because of my bone structure, I can't have this really curvy look. I dont have love handles or something, which makes my waist at hip level, so they look straight. My problem is my ass and bones over there are at the same level with my waist. I have to put on tons of weight to get my hips larger, and i am not willing to do that.
And I did not have a problem my partners not loving my body. in fact one of them bought me couple jackets and was like i like how your waist and hips look in this jacket. so i dont care guys really care. but who knows.

[myTake Owner]

I'm not saying that all women who don't look 'curvy' look bad, that's not at all what the point of this post was :D I'm sure you do look great