Throughout the history of human societies, the images of beauty and physical attractiveness of human faces and bodies have been pervasive in art, sculpture, poetry, and songs in the diversity of their forms. Some of them were erotic and sexually explicit, while others were not.

These days, beautiful faces and bodies are everywhere around us in pop culture, thanks to books, magazines, movies, television, and commercials. Certain cultural standards of physical beauty have been pretty well established in Western societies and have propagated into many other countries.

“What Is Sexy Is Beautiful“

The word “sexy” seems to have taken the place of the “old-fashioned” word “beautiful” in the vocabulary of modernized cultures. On many occasions, people think that looking “sexy” actually means “looking beautiful.” The cultural sublimation of beautiful and attractive to “sexy” is quite evident, especially among the younger generation of men and women. Oh, well…

The ideas of beauty and physical attractiveness have been persistent in art, sculpture, poetry, and songs throughout centuries of human civilizations. In recent times, books, magazines, movies, television, and commercials have flooded us with beautiful images everywhere.

For ethnocentric Westerners and their followers, it may sometimes look like these cultural standards of “what is sexually attractive” are universal and omnipresent. North American and European researchers have extensively studied the optimal proportions of bodily and facial beauty that men and women perceive as sexy and beautiful.

What kind of body is sexually attractive?

Scientists discovered three key body shape parameters that are sexually appealing across cultures. These body qualities are waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), height or sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS), and leg-to-body ratio (LBR). Researchers think that people find some women and men more attractive than others because of how their bodies look. And this perception is natural and cross-culturally universal.

The Waist-To-Hip Ratio and Body Mass Index

The low waist-to-hip ratio of the body is one of the well-known body qualities of female attractiveness. These attributes of the female body seem to be cross-culturally similar. Researchers found evidence that people perceive these body qualities as attractive in the United States, several European countries, the African countries of Guinea Bissau and Cameroon, and in the countries of Southeast Asia and Oceania, such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (e.g., Dixson et al., 2007; Dixson, Sagata et al., 2010; Furnham, Tan, & McManus, 1997; Rozmus-Wrzesinska & Pawlowski, 2005; Singh, 1993; Singh, 2004; Singh & Luis, 1995; see, for review, Sorokowski et al., 2012).

However, anthropological studies in subsistence-based hunter-gatherer societies, such as the Hadza tribe from Tanzania in Africa, the Shiwiar people of Ecuador, and the Matsiguenka people of Peru in South America, perceive female bodies with higher body mass and a high waist-to-hip ratio as more sexually attractive (e.g., Cassidy, 1991; Marlowe & Wetsman, 2001; Sugiyama, 2004; Wetsman & Marlowe, 1999; Yu & Shepard, 1998; see, for review, Sorokowski et al., 2012). 

Body Height and Sexual Dimorphism in Stature

As for height or sexual dimorphism in stature, the well-known “male-taller norm” seems culturally ubiquitous in many Western societies. Women tend to prefer men who are somewhat taller than themselves as potential sexual and mating partners. On the other hand, men prefer women who are slightly shorter than themselves. However, in mating preferences, body height is important in relative rather than absolute measures. Men and women prefer partners taller or shorter than themselves. Men and women tend to adjust their preferences for sexual dimorphism in stature based on what their own physical height is.

However, as we can see on the streets of American and European cities, not all men and women follow this Western “male-taller norm.” Some people appear to prefer relationships in which the woman is slightly taller than the man.

In some other societies, the cultural norms also differ from the “male-taller norm.” For example, in the Hadza culture of Tanzania and the Himba people of northern Namibia in Africa, and in the Yali culture of Papua, people have different preferences. Among the Hadza people, the wives are usually taller than the husbands, while among the Himba people, men and women prefer mating partners of the same height as themselves. Among the Yali tribe, people in their perception follow the “male-taller norm.” However, it is far weaker than in Western cultures (Sear & Marlowe, 2009; Sorokowski et al., 2012; another new Sorokowski et al., 2012).

The Leg-To-Body Ratio

As for the leg-to-body ratio, it is commonly known by many Westerners that women and men with long legs look more attractive than those with short legs. Many people perceive a relatively high leg-to-body ratio in women’s and men’s bodies as attractive. Yet, this ratio is not supposed to be extremely high. Both men and women who have legs that are too long or too short are seen as less attractive.

Societies vary in the cultural norms of what leg-to-body ratio is viewed as sexually attractive. According to studies, European, Canadian, and African people tend to perceive bodies with a high leg-to-body ratio as attractive. On the other hand, Latin American people perceive bodies with a low leg-to-body ratio as more attractive. In other societies, the cultural “norms” were variable, different for men and women, and often inconsistent enough for any definite conclusions.

In some countries, expectations of an attractive leg-to-body ratio differ for women and men. On the one hand, women are perceived as more attractive with a relatively high leg-to-body ratio. On the other hand, men with a low leg-to-body ratio are seen as more attractive (e.g., Swami, Einon, & Furnham, 2007).

Takeaway Message

It should be noted that the results of many studies on the body’s sexual attractiveness are inconsistent and sometimes controversial. So, it is hard to believe that there are some universally attractive body characteristics. I believe what is considered “normative” in terms of preferences varies depending on ecological and cultural factors.

Another major drawback of many studies is that researchers investigate the attractiveness of figures and bodies outside of relationships. The findings show what people generally like and what they don’t. They don’t study who they love and who they don’t in the context of relationships. Who the person is makes a difference.

The saying “what is beautiful is good” is right. But it is also right that “what is good is beautiful.” We shall keep in mind that “beauty is only skin-deep.” A good personality often overshadows the body’s appearance.

Of course, a man or woman loves their loved one because he or she is beautiful. But not only for that. The wisdom is that the loved one looks beautiful to them because they love him or her. Our love makes them beautiful.