Bodily Attractiveness as a Window to Women’s Fertility and Reproductive Value

Abstract

The primary focus of the current chapter is the argument that bodily components of attractiveness convey certain information about a woman's reproductive profile that cannot be gleaned as easily from facial components of attractiveness. We begin this chapter by integrating evidence that various bodily traits predict a woman's health, hormonal profile, and reproductive status with empirical findings that demonstrate systematic preferences for optimal levels within those traits. We then consider the plasticity of attractiveness judgments across cultures and time periods. In this part, we present new evidence challenging the popular belief that Baroque ideals of attractiveness (e.g., high BMI) are vastly different from modern ideals. We conclude with evidence showing that men preferentially attend to women's bodies in short-term mating contexts (e.g., one-night stand). These results are discussed in light of the hypothesis that fertility cues may be better gleaned from a woman's body than her face. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)