PERCEPTION OF BODY SHAPE BY UNDERWEIGHT, AVERAGE, AND OVERWEIGHT MEN AND WOMEN

Using figure drawings, perception of body shape was evaluated by under weight, average, and overweight men and women. Body-shape dissatisfact ion was greatest for 60 overweight women, and about the same in 151 av erage weight women as it was for 102 overweight men. Average weight me n (n=107) and underweight women (n=31) were fairly satisfied with thei r current shapes. Both men and women had distorted views of the shape the opposite sex found most attractive. Women guessed that men would p refer a thinner shape than they actually did, and men guessed that wom en would prefer a larger shape than they actually did. The distortion was larger for men as their own size increased but not for women.