Men’s Oppressive Beliefs Predict Their Breast Size Preferences in Women
- 15 February 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Vol. 42 (7), 1199-1207
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0081-5
Abstract
Previous studies of men’s breast size preferences have yielded equivocal findings, with studies variously indicating a preference for small, medium, or large breasts. Here, we examined the impact of men’s oppressive beliefs in shaping their female breast size ideals. British White men from the community in London, England (N = 361) viewed figures of women that rotated in 360° and varied in breast size along five levels. They then rated the figure that they found most physically attractive and also completed measures assessing their sexist attitudes and tendency to objectify women. Results showed that medium breasts were rated most frequent as attractive (32.7 %), followed by large (24.4 %) and very large (19.1 %) breasts. Further analyses showed that men’s preferences for larger female breasts were significantly associated with a greater tendency to be benevolently sexist, to objectify women, and to be hostile towards women. These results were discussed in relation to feminist theories, which postulate that beauty ideals and practices in contemporary societies serve to maintain the domination of one sex over the other.Keywords
This publication has 57 references indexed in Scilit:
- Female Breast Size Attractiveness for Men as a Function of Sociosexual Orientation (Restricted vs. Unrestricted)Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2011
- British men’s hair color preferences: An assessment of courtship solicitation and stimulus ratingsScandinavian Journal of Psychology, 2011
- Social learning and human mate preferences: a potential mechanism for generating and maintaining between-population diversity in attractionPhilosophical Transactions B, 2011
- Men’s Preferences for Women’s Breast Morphology in New Zealand, Samoa, and Papua New GuineaArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2010
- Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size of WomenArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2009
- Five-factor personality correlates of perceptions of women’s body sizesPersonality and Individual Differences, 2008
- Determinants and Consequences of Female Attractiveness and Sexiness: Realistic Tests with Restaurant WaitressesArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2008
- Conditional mate preferences: Factors influencing preferences for heightPersonality and Individual Differences, 2008
- The influence of men’s sexual strategies on perceptions of women’s bodily attractiveness, health and fertilityPersonality and Individual Differences, 2008
- U.S. trends in feminine beauty and overadaptationThe Journal of Sex Research, 1986