Gender Difference in Preference and Prejudice for Female Body Shapes

Abstract: Research shows that overweight individuals face prejudice, but there is no research whether that a specific body type faces more or less prejudice. In the four main female body shapes- Apple, Banana, Pear, and Hourglass, fat is distributed differently. The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences in preference, idealization, and prejudice patterns for female body types amongst undergraduates. Participants were presented with four body shapes and asked to give 1) their preference, 2) their prediction of the opposite sex’s preference, and 3) their ideal body type. Then the participants selected four adjectives to attribute to each body shape from a preselected pool of negative and positive adjectives. Results from this study supported previous research on hip-to-waist ratio and body type negative and positive attribute association