J. Demarest et E. Langer, PERCEPTION OF BODY SHAPE BY UNDERWEIGHT, AVERAGE, AND OVERWEIGHT MEN AND WOMEN, Perceptual and motor skills, 83(2), 1996, pp. 569-570
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.