Dr. Greenberg et Dj. Laporte, RACIAL-DIFFERENCES IN BODY TYPE PREFERENCES OF MEN FOR WOMEN, The International journal of eating disorders, 19(3), 1996, pp. 275-278
Objective: Research indicates that African-American women have a signi
ficantly higher prevalence of obesity, a markedly lower prevalence of
eating disorders, and greater satisfaction with their bodies than Euro
-American women. One potential contributing explanation for this diffe
rence may be differential body type preferences between the men in the
two communities. Method: Sixty-three African-American and 116 Euro-Am
erican men were asked to rank, in order of attractiveness, a series of
silhouettes of women of varying sizes. Additionally, they answered qu
estions concerning their current relationships. Results: Euro-American
s chose significantly thinner figures, and reported wishing their girl
friends would lose weight significantly more often than African-Americ
ans. Discussion: These differential preferences may translate into gre
ater pressure within the Euro-American community for women to be thin
than in the African-American community; however, a small effect size s
uggests that factors other than race contribute to men's body type pre
ferences. (C) 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.