Do women REALLY like a dad bod? We analyzed research on the type of male physique that is most desirable for women
Thick biceps, sculpted abs and hulking shoulders – these used to be the physical attributes women desired in men.
But in recent years the scale has tipped in favor of the common man, with multiple studies and reports showing that the ‘dad bod’ is becoming more and more of a turn-on.
DailyMail.com analyzed several peer-reviewed studies looking at the ideal male body type (according to women) to see if the trend holds up to scientific research.
The research suggested that while women prefer a more realistic physique to the Hollywood hero look, they still want to see a bit of definition.
There is some debate about what a “dad body” is, although it is usually treated with love, but is relatively slim – and not too skinny or toned.
Studies suggest that women really prefer muscular frames like those of David Beckham and Zac Efron
The above shows male bodies listed on a scale of musculature from very few muscles, at 10, to a lot, at 90. The results showed that women preferred men with average musculature.
The above shows men through shifts in their waistline. The survey found that among college women surveyed, there was a preference for more athletic men
There are many theories about why women prefer different physiques, but it is thought that women associate large muscles with strength, health and protection.
A Yale professor has claimed that some women choose men with dad bods because the physique indicates that the man would be a good father.
They were less enthusiastic about curvier physiques. Pictured above is Gerard Butler in Malibu in 2021
The papers – involving hundreds of women – gave a somewhat mixed picture, but two things were certain: women don’t like too much muscle or too much fat.
The sweet spot seems to be somewhere in the middle.
Take, for example, a 2012 study published by researchers at the University of Washington.
It recruited 842 undergraduate, university-educated women and showed them artistic impressions of 18 male bodies to determine desired fat and muscle levels.
Women were shown sketches of nine bodies that varied in terms of muscularity – from virtually no muscle (10) to heavily muscled (90).
They were then shown nine bodies with different levels of fat, of which 10 were skinny and 90 were the fattest.
Overall, women were the most likely to say that a thinner man (with a score of 40 out of 90) was the most attractive.
But they preferred a man with a bit more muscle – they achieved an average score of 50 out of 90.
Notably, however, this man did not have a six-pack or bulging biceps, indicating that a more normal, average appearance was desired.
Women in Italy were asked to indicate which male body type they found most attractive by varying body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI). They found the man at the top and middle the most attractive
The researchers noted in their conclusion: “Men exaggerate the level of muscularity that women actually find most attractive.”
Another study published in 2022 and conducted in Italy came to a similar conclusion: the 378 women surveyed also said they preferred a man with some muscle mass and an average build.
They were asked to rank three bodies based on body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) – a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
Women were shown body types with a BMI of 18 – which is considered underweight – 24 – which is at the top of the ‘normal weight’ range – and 30 – which is considered obese. They chose the middle physique.
The ideal body fat percentage was 17 percent, which is much lower than the less than 10 percent that Hollywood action stars have when they shoot their movies.
Some bodybuilders only achieve four percent for competitions.
Further research has supported the conclusion that women prefer a man with an average build and some musculature.
The above is an example of the ideal body that women have built in a British study
In a study from Britain, forty women in their late teens and early twenties were given access to image-generating software and asked to design their ideal partner.
The software allowed women to vary all aspects of the male body – including waist, legs and arms – to build their ideal partner.
The results showed that women chose men with muscular legs and a V-shaped taper with broad shoulders.
In their conclusion, the researchers from the University of Newcastle noted: ‘The characteristics important to the masculine ideal are a slightly heavier, more muscular body with a specific V-shaped upper body.’
More studies on this topic are needed, as well as meta-analyses that bring together the results of a number of different articles.
Additionally, limitations of the study include that it only looked at the opinions of women in their early 20s – rather than older individuals.
The studies did not take into account other factors that could influence attractiveness, such as height and perceived age.
The ideal appearance of the male body has changed significantly over time – with one artist suggesting that in the 1870s women preferred curvier male bodies, and in the 1880s they were more interested in a muscular body.
Several studies over the years have shown that women prefer a ‘dad body’.
They include a release from Planet Fitness, published in 2021, which found that 70 percent of women thought the dad bod was the best after surveying about a thousand women.
Other surveys from websites like Dating.com have also suggested that the father still came out on top.
But these studies have not been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal, meaning their results have not been examined by scientists.
Dr. Richard Bribiescas, an anthropologist at Yale University, suggested in 2016 that women preferred a “father body.”
He said at the time: ‘Macho makes you sick.
‘The Hollywood image of the boastful, dashing man who dispatches bad guys and carries the day conjures up a perception of indestructibility.
‘Although men are on average larger and physically stronger than women, men have significant weakness.
“We have a harder time fighting infections and diseases than women, and… men simply don’t take care of themselves.”
This has a “significant negative impact” on the rate at which men age, he added.
In his book How Men Age, he put forward a theory called the ‘Pudgy Dad Hypothesis’ – suggesting that a dad body may actually be healthier because the higher fat content lowers testosterone levels, making it more likely that a man can survive and have a stronger have an immune system.