Perceived norms for thinness and muscularity among college students: What do men and women really want?

BackgroundPerceived norms are related to health-related attitudes and behaviors, including body image. The current study examined body dissatisfaction and perceived norms for thinness and muscularity among male and female college students.MethodParticipants included 842 undergraduate students (64.5% female) who completed an online survey assessing body image and other health-related attitudes and behaviors. A series of independent sample and paired sample t tests were conducted to document sex differences in body dissatisfaction and misperceptions of thinness and muscularity norms.ResultsBased on pictorial ratings, both males and females reported discrepancies between their ideal and actual figures. Females perceived other females as significantly thinner and less muscular than the actual norms. Males perceived other males as significantly heavier than their own figures, but the difference between men's self-reported muscularity and perceived norm was not significant. Both males and females misperceived opposite-sex attractiveness norms for thinness and muscularity.DiscussionResults suggest the importance of evaluating same-sex and opposite-sex perceived norms of thinness and muscularity in the etiology of body dissatisfaction, and this research informs social norms interventions targeting misperceptions of body image norms among both males and females.

Research highlights
► Results suggest misperceptions of body image norms in male and female college students.
► Females’ ideal figures were thinner and less muscular than their current figures.
► Males’ ideal figures were more muscular than their current figures.
► Females exaggerated the degree of thinness males found most attractive in females.
► Males exaggerated the degree of muscularity females found most attractive in males.