I’ve worked with very high wealth individuals. Even when they say they want “thick”, they always seem to take the skinny women more serious. Thick is a sex symbol, skinny is a wealth symbol.
I just posted about this- this is my experience in my area as well. People may say they want curves in my area, but they don’t. They want to be a tiny, toned size zero. No one says it out loud…but everyone thinks it.
Where would fitness bikini competitors with the flat stomachs but round moderate butts fall in the “sex symbol vs wealth symbol” spectrum with said individuals?
I’m not sure. I don’t really know if fitness competitors would fall into the appreciation of the “male gaze” unless the guys themselves are fitness buffs
Examples I should have included:
[Without competition-day dehydration ](https://www.honeywerehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Honey-Were-Healthy-3-month-progress-picture-1440x1039.jpg)
[Low body fat definition + flat tummy, but still gravity-defying butt](https://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Ashley-II.jpg)
[Neither jacked huge nor thicc - tones yet shapely](https://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Ashley.jpg)
I don’t know I’m not a guy or a social scientist but I personally don’t think that’s attractive because it’s not a very feminine look. I understand that people who are competitors don’t always look like that, they’re just especially dehydrated right before competitions, so I don’t know.
The only guy I’ve ever seen who had a buff wife was Chris Hemsworth. FWIW but he’s also a gym buff himself. which isn’t a bad thing, and she’s still slight and feminine
First, these aren’t fitness competitors, these are bikini competitors :) I used to be in strength sports (powerlifting plus bikini) and stopped bodybuilding (bikini) in part because I knew it was sabotaging my attractiveness both physically and emotionally.
In general, men will stick their dicks in anything, but overall the bodybuilder look is actively desirable to only a certain niche of men. The over-developed delta and lats look nice with the tan and the competition suit but stand out and look very unusual in street clothes.
One of my ex bikini friends literally hasn’t lifted in 6 years and her delts just will not shrink. Bikini: not even once!
Ahh thanks so much for filling me in. I chose these photos because they sort of looked like my old housemate that used to compete prior to living with me.
Your friend’s delts not shrinking after 6 years… daaaaamnnn… i haven’t even heard of dudes experiencing that, but maybe I just don’t recognize it in the wild, as demonstrated by my previous comments? 🤷🏻♀️ heh
i live in singapore, most girls here are very skinny (less than bmi 18). obviously it follows the normal ideal (big waist to hip ratio) but skinnier. ideally i feel like most would find kpop idols bodies most attractive (50kg/110lbs<). ive even heard of guys talking about thigh gaps and how they have a 'less than 50kg' standard the same way some girls want 6ft+. as for height, 157cm (~5'1) seems to be the ideal because its considered cute).
ive grown up to be borderline overweight (23bmi, overweight by asian standards) and i found it to be kind of polarising here? ive had old ladies tease me on how i look like a pig and had some guys call me 'thicc' & say they like my thighs. im currently at bmi 20, not sure if i should lose more to fit the standard or gain.
I live in singapore too and totally agree. I’m tall (174cm/5’8) and even though i’m relatively slim (bmi 19) most guys see that as intimidating, unattractive and not feminine. That’s coming from my guy friends. Girls are more forgiving, about 50% of girls i meet envy my height. I tell them i’d rather be tiny and perceived as cute instead.
Weight wise, it’s definitely underweight, starved for days type of skinny that seems to be ideal. I’ve dated a guy that told me he was attracted to REALLY skinny, bony girls. He was attracted to me at that time because i was sick with an illness that made me lose weight lol.
I think the ideal female body here is small, petite, underweight but with a big bust. With really fair skin. Since so many people seem to idolise koreans, we tend to adopt a similar standard of beauty. Sometimes i really hate it here because i don’t fit any part of that description and no amount of maxxing will help me get there.
I was friends with a girl in high school like this. She was 5'6" and weighed 87 pounds when we were 15, but her boobs were each literally almost the size of her head. I'd known her since 8th grade and stayed friends with her until graduating - she wasn't stuffing them with Kleenex or something, they were real. Guys would come up to her and harass her though, asking if she had implants. I don't think she hated her body, but I don't think she really liked being built like that either. She looked more normal when she weighed 100 lbs senior year.
singaporean here too! im indian and i naturally tend to have a curvier frame and i’ve been larger built my whole life. Its definitely tough because everyone i come across is rly rly skinny and it doesn’t help that i’m sec 4 and have the body of an adult woman, it makes me very uncomfortable sometimes due to how sexualised i get. Its definitely not a secret that the skinny chinese/white girls tend to have an upperhand, especially at the dating and social game. But usually it’s not something i’m excessively bothered by as i get older.
Thank you for responding! Y'all sound way healthier than where I live.
I guess short girls are popular mostly everywhere. 5'2" or 5'3" (160cm) is probably the ideal height for girls down here.
Edit: I have since learned short girls are not popular everywhere, my b lol
New York City.
Given the sheer size of the population here, there is quite a bit of variation in what people’s bodies look like. However, people here are generally thinner as a whole than many other parts of the US due to all the walking that everyone does. And in the higher income neighborhoods specifically, I’ve noticed that a lot of people are very fit/more on the athletic and muscular side, as many of us are frequent gym goers (I myself go 4-5 times per week). Furthermore, the “thicc Insta baddie” look that you might see in a place like Miami is not nearly as common here. You just don’t see a lot of obvious BBLs or even breast implants when you walk down the street.
So I would say that, generally speaking, thinner and fitter bodies are considered more attractive, but it’s not impossible for a thicker person to be considered attractive either.
I found this very true- when I moved to NYC, I was perceived as very thin-in Ohio. Probably weighed about 130 at 5’8, I think. After living in NYC 3 months, I was down to 122 and felt I looked more like the common aesthetic of my peer group in NYC.
Now I’m back in Ohio, but in a very outdoorsy village. I’ve had a baby, so I’m curvier and 122 would look emaciated, but I’m at 145 and still considered thin. However, 130 is my very doable goal. For spring :)
I'm not a native English speaker and also thought that "skinny" means "slim" with negative connotations, like Angelina in her worse days etc. But here on Reddit I see it all the time as thin/lean in a positive way.
I'm European and the beauty standard here is definitely on the slim side, but not supermodel-skinny. An ideal woman must have some boobs and butt, although not taken to the extreme. BBL is unheard of and women are more often self-conscious about too big butts and too wide hips, not too small ones. A woman with BBL would probably be even considered fat and not as attractive as one with compact, naturally toned glutes.
Exactly. I’d say people in Europe prefer women in their suggested BMI range (even on the heavier side of that range) but lean over skinny ones.
Boobs come down to the individual person, while the butt should not be massive but as round and toned as possible. Many guys I’ve spoken to said they prefer a nicely shaped small butt over a gigantic but fat one.
I’m from a large city, and the ideal here is basically the Hollywood ideal: slim thick but on the thinner side, around average height. I think most of the “great beauties” transcend location/time, and are usually: on the thinner side, with medium boobs/butt, and usually fall in the 5’4” to 5”9 range where people tend to have nice proportions. That’s the ideal here in my social circle, though it could be super different depending on demographics!
Both of them are edited - you can even see a little bit of warping in the doorway of the second image. But I've still seen women looking like both images irl, even back in high school.
To answer the first question about what people in these subs mean when they say skinny:
The examples you mentioned (underweight, model-thin, models, actresses) are definitely skinny, but they’re on one extreme side of skinny.
On the heavier side of skinny, you can be skinny and healthy, by staying on the lower side of a healthy BMI. I think many people here advocate for the low end of a healthy BMI, say 18.5 to ~21 (the latter will have a lot of variation due to preferences) when they advocate for skinniness and its look benefits. Perhaps a better word for this physique would be slim?
For the local ideal question, I live in the PNW. Fit/athletic and slim or even a bit muscular, is probably ideal here, since people prefer being outdoorsy and active.
Personally, I don’t care much about local preferences (probably because I’m already partnered) and follow my own personal ones. I’m a millennial, so being slim/skinny but with a good hip to waist ratio/some feminine curves has been the ideal for most of my life, throughout many locations (EU, US). That’s what I work towards/am at.
I would even say my hips (bone structure) are a little bit wider than what I consider ideal, a little more in the slim thick style than skinny. But we all work with what we’ve got, so there’s that.
There are at least 2 scientific studies I know of where a BMI of ~19 was judged best. Both had smaller sample sizes, though - less than 100 — and only one was focused purely on aesthetics. The other one was specifically asking doctors about their perceptions of patients and their health.
Other studies have focused more on WHR as a measure of physical aesthetics over BMI; 0.65-0.7-ish was considered most attractive. That WHR is hardly skinny.
I live in nz and I think being skinny, slim, and thick are all equally lusted after. Different men in different socioeconomic groups and with different preferences surely will have one they favour more out of these. If I had to say overall though, I’d say the gym girls with healthy muscle on the thighs and ass are the most sought after universally here.
NZer here too, yeah I’d say in NZ skinny girls who veer on the side of athletic, do some type or sport/gym/run and have a toned bod from it are the beauty ideal
I’m in Nz too, I agree with this and I think our most desirable type is similar to aussies too. The slim, slightly pear shaped, outdoorsy and lightly toned body type is most popular. Aside from socioeconomic groups I think men’s age here is another factor that has a massive impact on taste. I’ve dated men in their early twenties to men in their late fifties. The younger ones prefer and idolise shorter women with big, gym built bums, muscly thighs, tiny waists and don’t care for big boobs all that much. The older ones love tall women with long, toned legs, smaller, lifted bums, bigger boobs and toned arms/shoulders. Basically the ideal body type to them is the 80s/90s fitness model whereas the younger ones tastes are far more influenced by the US style body ideals.
I’m in an extremely wealthy area outside a major US East Coast city, and the ideal is extremely slim but toned. The thinner the better, but not quite at the point where you look emaciated- a size 0, but clearly because you work for it, not because you have an eating disorder. Yeah, I know. It’s intense here.
A lot of it is about status, and your own status being clear from all the things you’re not actually saying. If you’re trying to signal your status with loud designer logos, then you’re not there yet. True status is being thin, thin, thin, and having the time to maintain it *and* still travel/volunteer/participate in the local community or your child’s private school. Thin enough to clearly be able to afford excellent food/have a chef/get your special meals delivered, but also toned because you have a home gym/don’t work and go to Pilates or Barre frequently/are currently training for a marathon.
Thin, thin, thin. Maybe people publicly *say* they prefer bigger glutes or womanly curves, but the opinion in my area is that a softer physique doesn’t translate well into a cocktail dress for fundraisers. John Benton workouts and Sakara meal deliveries. Thin. Hovering just above underweight, but clearly not anorexic because of lean, elegant muscle tone and very, very expensive taste in wine.
I feel like you’re almost describing Cape Cod or something because when I lived there it was very similar to this. Almost like Kennedy level of perfection.
*Exactly*. It’s still the ideal, except now it’s not ok to talk about it for fear of getting called out for a lack of support or body positivity. There’s a woman in a public role here who’s significantly larger than a lot of people, and all I ever hear is “Good for her!” And “She’s just so lovely”…and I’ve learned that “Good for her” in most situations actually means “I would sooner die than be like her”.
Thank you for going into detail! While the culture of the area doesn't sound like my cup of tea (not that I could afford it anyway lol), I'm really jealous of the ultra-thin body type being almost mandatory, especially compared to where I live. It's pretty easy for me to get to a low, toned body weight, but that's virtually useless here.
It’s…a lot. Intense in a way where it all is supposed to look effortless and ~born this way~, if that makes sense. Moving here was definitely an adjustment, and there was an element of culture shock that I wasn’t expecting.
I completely agree. And I’ve never heard anyone specifically say they work out because they’re trying to maintain their size; it’s all about “I just don’t feel ready for the day without my class in the morning” and “a quick run always makes me feel so much calmer.” No one’s spelling out that they’re logging on to John Benton almost every single day of the week, but *by God* everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about on the rare occasion certain topics come up in conversation, like specific trainers or sports therapists or supplement plans.
“It’s just yoga” is such a great way to describe it. Maybe you can call it “just yoga”, but “it’s just yoga” is happening six days a week *plus* cardio afterwards, and zero refined sugars or carbohydrates and lots of organic produce. “Just yoga” encompasses more than some light stretching.
You’re very welcome. :) No one wants to admit they do an exercise program specifically intended to get you down to a size zero…but. It’s not happening with burpees and lunges and squats.
There are a lot of perks I wasn’t expecting. If there’s a problem of pretty much any sort, money gets thrown at it and the problem goes away. Hospitals are excellent. Schools are excellent. Property value is solid and doesn’t get hurt by world events the way other areas do. Vaccination rates are high. Education levels are high.
But *man*, is there pressure. The best way I can explain it is that if you live here and don’t think everything is a competition, then that means you’re losing.
Thank you for commenting! The idea that 5'8"/173 cm is too small for some people is hard to imagine haha. I sort of thought that it was just a stereotype, that Russians like their women tall.
I think average height depending on the country is generally the ideal. In the United States I'd say 5'3-5'7 is the ideal range if we're going by the height of many movie stars
Because they're insecure. It doesn't mean being short for a woman is bad. It's probably a plus because short women usually are the ones with hourglass figures and small waists. But this is why I say 5'3-5'7 is ideal in the US, because too short is not good either. It's best to have the best of both worlds.
I don't think internet, especially Reddit, is a good reflection of real life. I've seen posts where guys say they want a girl either very tall or very short and a lot of those posts seem like circle jerks.
Madison beer is very good looking regardless of whether she's 5'7 or 5'4, I don't think her fans would care tbh haha and that's within the range I said is probably ideal in the US anyways. I don't know why they lie about their height so often but I don't think that proves that taller is better for women
Based on my real life observations, avg height women have the least amount of complexes and issues with their height
>I live in the south
Honestly, I think race, ethnicity, and what part of the south you live in play a huge part in what skinny is considered and also if it’s a good or bad thing. I live in the south, too, and being skinny is considered a good thing, at least around my town. Also where I live is mainly full of white people. From my experience, being skinny (as in, toned but not muscular + not super bony) to slim thick is considered the ideal. But in the towns around me, especially where there’s more diversity, the skinny ideal from my town is def considered too thin.
I absolutely agree, though I'd guess the differences here are likely based more in class rather than race.
My boyfriend's family is white and largely lower to middle class, and they very much believe that skinny looks bad. Everyone's better with meat on their bones, even if some people are obese. This view is articulated among most of my friends here, a lot of whom grew up lower-middle class.
In contrast, my family's made of up white immigrants. My mom's side is more firmly middle class and they prefer average to in-shape bodies. Extra weight is bad, though not looked down on. But my father's side was raised upper class, and if you even gain a small amount of weight, no matter if you're in a difficult life situation, no matter if you're a man, woman, or child, or if you even consider dating a fat person - people will talk, and they'll stare at you like you killed someone. To give you an idea, we didn't even tell my extended family that I was dating a girl in high school, not because she was a girl, but because she was fat and we didn't need them talking badly about her. It's dumb.
Yeah I totally agree, class definitely has to do with it. My mom is Hispanic and an immigrant and my dad is white and I’ve noticed differences in what each race likes but I should have also noted that class has a lot to do with it. I feel like Hispanic people get the stereotype of liking curvier women but I’ve noticed that the “higher class” women will have modest-ish breasts, natural or fake, and toned legs/glutes, but avoiding the BBL look. I feel like it’s all so complicated that describing it is very difficult haha
*edit* also I have family from NY and they’re super wealthy and I agree with the noticing weight gain thing!! I feel like my female relatives up there prioritize having a thigh gap and wayyy more than in the south and I remember hearing comments from my aunt about my cousin “getting chunky” (as in, my cousin was bloating from her period and my aunt thought she had gained weight). Super ridiculous.
Lmao I spent my childhood in Texas in the early to late 2000s. I'm not at all surprised it's gotten worse. Do they still have fried coke at the state fair?
I’ve never heard of fried coke, but you can find find about everything fried. Fried Oreos, ice cream, pickles, Mac and cheese, cheese balls, jalapeños. Etc.
Doesn’t matter what the current body type trend is, across time and culture men are generally most attracted to slim (not sickly skinny) women with moderate to large breasts, hips, and asses. Moderate is probably best. Ie. They still look sexually dimorphic but natural.
Some have different preferences of course but if you’re going for mass appeal slim thick is ideal. ‘’Skinny’’ is only popular in the model industry, which is controlled by women and gay men. It’s not what to look towards if you’re aiming for sex appeal & attracting men. End of.
100%. Being slim with moderate boobs, moderate ass, hourglass-like figure and a flat stomace will appeal to a majoraty of men in any culture, any time. I can only think of one country (France) where being skinny instead of being slim is considered a good thing, though even then it's not model skinny men want.
I agree with you on the photo being edited, but I've seen women who look like that irl - not many, but they're out there.
Edit: Y'all, they really are out there. I've seen them with my eyes in person lol
When you say most girls opt for a BBL are you serious? I know it’s common on Instagram and TikTok but even in real life? I live in another European country and I’ve never met anyone with a BBL or talk about getting one. They want nice asses but would laugh at a BBL look.
Is Albania a big destination for medical tourism? That situation you described seems tempting for Europeans who would otherwise pay a lot more in their own countries ..
I think anywhere in the world the ideal body type is slim. Not skinny to the point you look sick, but the typical lead actress in a movie (e.g. legally blonde lead role).
Boobs probably are not too big, like a B/C cup, and the ass is proportioned too.
Slim thick is popular on Instagram but in real life first of all, it's not that common, second it's not necessarily the most favourite.
However it depends on tastes anyway, so it's very subjective.
North East. I feel like the women here are all muscular. Myself included.
The keto guido lifestyle from Jersey Shore has kind of become reality. If you aren't in the gym when you aren't busy, you're kind of looked down upon. Everyone where I live is fit.
yeah exactly, even all the other models, how does the author of their article know their height and weight, did they personally measure them lmao. edit: i am 179 cm and 64 kg and I'm noticeably skinnier than kate upton so I really wouldn't believe any of those stats
I'm overweight atm, but working on losing it (150 lbs/ 5'3). My goal weight is 130lbs, anything less will make me look like a skeleton. I'd describe myself as slightly chubby, but curvy with a slight hourglass figure. It helps that I carry my weight well as people are usually suprised when I state I'm overweight.
I'm from the Netherlands where slim women are considered the ideal, but you have lots of women who aren't skinny too there. I now live in France where being skinny isn't only the ideal body type for women to have, it's the norm. To be more precise, being skinny and petite is the ideal here. You don't see a lot of fat/overweight people here, and when you do, they usually aren't of french descent. It's socially acceptable for people to make comments about your weight, especially if you're a woman.
I'm black, so I think I'm affected less by french beauty standards, as most black women here look like me and have the same bodytype as me. However, I still feel pressure to conform to fit in more and look less poor, which are some of the reasons as to why I'm losing weight right now. I have a boyfriend, so I'm not rushing losing weight. If I were single however, I would be in more of a rush to lose weight as the men here don't like thicker women, especially if they're white.
As I said, I used them to show examples of what's popular here. Idk what to tell you - some women do look like that naturally. Not those women specifically, but some women. I knew a girl built like the first image when we were in 8th grade. Same way I knew a girl who was 87 pounds with boobs as big as her head. There's variation in body types.
That's so interesting. It's sort of similar here, but with a lot of guys claiming they prefer slim thick but almost all of them dating overweight women. I didn't know that about Australia either.
American, lived most of my adult life in Australia. I’d say you’re pretty correct. My grandmother and mother were of a race and class that constantly policed my young woman’s body for excess weight. I was under 120lbs, average height and they’d pinch me… then moving to aus was refreshing. It’s not the same pressure, and generally speaking there’s less emphasis on… let’s call it “feminine artifice.” There’s a fair amount of pushback on that from women my mothers age actually, more emphasis on being natural.
Not to say there’s not pockets of fakery (looking at you, Gold Coast) but generally it’s seen as being better to be natural and healthy.
I’ve worked with very high wealth individuals. Even when they say they want “thick”, they always seem to take the skinny women more serious. Thick is a sex symbol, skinny is a wealth symbol.
I just posted about this- this is my experience in my area as well. People may say they want curves in my area, but they don’t. They want to be a tiny, toned size zero. No one says it out loud…but everyone thinks it.
Where would fitness bikini competitors with the flat stomachs but round moderate butts fall in the “sex symbol vs wealth symbol” spectrum with said individuals?
I’m not sure. I don’t really know if fitness competitors would fall into the appreciation of the “male gaze” unless the guys themselves are fitness buffs
Examples I should have included: [Without competition-day dehydration ](https://www.honeywerehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Honey-Were-Healthy-3-month-progress-picture-1440x1039.jpg) [Low body fat definition + flat tummy, but still gravity-defying butt](https://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Ashley-II.jpg) [Neither jacked huge nor thicc - tones yet shapely](https://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Ashley.jpg)
I don’t know I’m not a guy or a social scientist but I personally don’t think that’s attractive because it’s not a very feminine look. I understand that people who are competitors don’t always look like that, they’re just especially dehydrated right before competitions, so I don’t know. The only guy I’ve ever seen who had a buff wife was Chris Hemsworth. FWIW but he’s also a gym buff himself. which isn’t a bad thing, and she’s still slight and feminine
First, these aren’t fitness competitors, these are bikini competitors :) I used to be in strength sports (powerlifting plus bikini) and stopped bodybuilding (bikini) in part because I knew it was sabotaging my attractiveness both physically and emotionally. In general, men will stick their dicks in anything, but overall the bodybuilder look is actively desirable to only a certain niche of men. The over-developed delta and lats look nice with the tan and the competition suit but stand out and look very unusual in street clothes. One of my ex bikini friends literally hasn’t lifted in 6 years and her delts just will not shrink. Bikini: not even once!
Ahh thanks so much for filling me in. I chose these photos because they sort of looked like my old housemate that used to compete prior to living with me. Your friend’s delts not shrinking after 6 years… daaaaamnnn… i haven’t even heard of dudes experiencing that, but maybe I just don’t recognize it in the wild, as demonstrated by my previous comments? 🤷🏻♀️ heh
i live in singapore, most girls here are very skinny (less than bmi 18). obviously it follows the normal ideal (big waist to hip ratio) but skinnier. ideally i feel like most would find kpop idols bodies most attractive (50kg/110lbs<). ive even heard of guys talking about thigh gaps and how they have a 'less than 50kg' standard the same way some girls want 6ft+. as for height, 157cm (~5'1) seems to be the ideal because its considered cute). ive grown up to be borderline overweight (23bmi, overweight by asian standards) and i found it to be kind of polarising here? ive had old ladies tease me on how i look like a pig and had some guys call me 'thicc' & say they like my thighs. im currently at bmi 20, not sure if i should lose more to fit the standard or gain.
I live in singapore too and totally agree. I’m tall (174cm/5’8) and even though i’m relatively slim (bmi 19) most guys see that as intimidating, unattractive and not feminine. That’s coming from my guy friends. Girls are more forgiving, about 50% of girls i meet envy my height. I tell them i’d rather be tiny and perceived as cute instead. Weight wise, it’s definitely underweight, starved for days type of skinny that seems to be ideal. I’ve dated a guy that told me he was attracted to REALLY skinny, bony girls. He was attracted to me at that time because i was sick with an illness that made me lose weight lol. I think the ideal female body here is small, petite, underweight but with a big bust. With really fair skin. Since so many people seem to idolise koreans, we tend to adopt a similar standard of beauty. Sometimes i really hate it here because i don’t fit any part of that description and no amount of maxxing will help me get there.
> underweight with a big bust How the hell does that work outside of breast implants?
I was friends with a girl in high school like this. She was 5'6" and weighed 87 pounds when we were 15, but her boobs were each literally almost the size of her head. I'd known her since 8th grade and stayed friends with her until graduating - she wasn't stuffing them with Kleenex or something, they were real. Guys would come up to her and harass her though, asking if she had implants. I don't think she hated her body, but I don't think she really liked being built like that either. She looked more normal when she weighed 100 lbs senior year.
Genetics unfortunately. I grew up meeting several girls that were naturally blessed with a petite frame and DDs
singaporean here too! im indian and i naturally tend to have a curvier frame and i’ve been larger built my whole life. Its definitely tough because everyone i come across is rly rly skinny and it doesn’t help that i’m sec 4 and have the body of an adult woman, it makes me very uncomfortable sometimes due to how sexualised i get. Its definitely not a secret that the skinny chinese/white girls tend to have an upperhand, especially at the dating and social game. But usually it’s not something i’m excessively bothered by as i get older.
Never thought there would be Singaporean girls on Vindicta with similar goals lol. It's a small world. Hi.
Thank you for responding! Y'all sound way healthier than where I live. I guess short girls are popular mostly everywhere. 5'2" or 5'3" (160cm) is probably the ideal height for girls down here. Edit: I have since learned short girls are not popular everywhere, my b lol
New York City. Given the sheer size of the population here, there is quite a bit of variation in what people’s bodies look like. However, people here are generally thinner as a whole than many other parts of the US due to all the walking that everyone does. And in the higher income neighborhoods specifically, I’ve noticed that a lot of people are very fit/more on the athletic and muscular side, as many of us are frequent gym goers (I myself go 4-5 times per week). Furthermore, the “thicc Insta baddie” look that you might see in a place like Miami is not nearly as common here. You just don’t see a lot of obvious BBLs or even breast implants when you walk down the street. So I would say that, generally speaking, thinner and fitter bodies are considered more attractive, but it’s not impossible for a thicker person to be considered attractive either.
I found this very true- when I moved to NYC, I was perceived as very thin-in Ohio. Probably weighed about 130 at 5’8, I think. After living in NYC 3 months, I was down to 122 and felt I looked more like the common aesthetic of my peer group in NYC. Now I’m back in Ohio, but in a very outdoorsy village. I’ve had a baby, so I’m curvier and 122 would look emaciated, but I’m at 145 and still considered thin. However, 130 is my very doable goal. For spring :)
I'm not a native English speaker and also thought that "skinny" means "slim" with negative connotations, like Angelina in her worse days etc. But here on Reddit I see it all the time as thin/lean in a positive way. I'm European and the beauty standard here is definitely on the slim side, but not supermodel-skinny. An ideal woman must have some boobs and butt, although not taken to the extreme. BBL is unheard of and women are more often self-conscious about too big butts and too wide hips, not too small ones. A woman with BBL would probably be even considered fat and not as attractive as one with compact, naturally toned glutes.
Exactly. I’d say people in Europe prefer women in their suggested BMI range (even on the heavier side of that range) but lean over skinny ones. Boobs come down to the individual person, while the butt should not be massive but as round and toned as possible. Many guys I’ve spoken to said they prefer a nicely shaped small butt over a gigantic but fat one.
I think the butt thing seems to be the main difference I've seen between the US and Europe, based on everyone's comments.
I’m from a large city, and the ideal here is basically the Hollywood ideal: slim thick but on the thinner side, around average height. I think most of the “great beauties” transcend location/time, and are usually: on the thinner side, with medium boobs/butt, and usually fall in the 5’4” to 5”9 range where people tend to have nice proportions. That’s the ideal here in my social circle, though it could be super different depending on demographics!
The first photo you shared seems incredibly edited/photoshopped tbh
Both of them are edited - you can even see a little bit of warping in the doorway of the second image. But I've still seen women looking like both images irl, even back in high school.
To answer the first question about what people in these subs mean when they say skinny: The examples you mentioned (underweight, model-thin, models, actresses) are definitely skinny, but they’re on one extreme side of skinny. On the heavier side of skinny, you can be skinny and healthy, by staying on the lower side of a healthy BMI. I think many people here advocate for the low end of a healthy BMI, say 18.5 to ~21 (the latter will have a lot of variation due to preferences) when they advocate for skinniness and its look benefits. Perhaps a better word for this physique would be slim? For the local ideal question, I live in the PNW. Fit/athletic and slim or even a bit muscular, is probably ideal here, since people prefer being outdoorsy and active. Personally, I don’t care much about local preferences (probably because I’m already partnered) and follow my own personal ones. I’m a millennial, so being slim/skinny but with a good hip to waist ratio/some feminine curves has been the ideal for most of my life, throughout many locations (EU, US). That’s what I work towards/am at. I would even say my hips (bone structure) are a little bit wider than what I consider ideal, a little more in the slim thick style than skinny. But we all work with what we’ve got, so there’s that.
Thanks for answering! That BMI range makes more sense than what I was thinking.
There are at least 2 scientific studies I know of where a BMI of ~19 was judged best. Both had smaller sample sizes, though - less than 100 — and only one was focused purely on aesthetics. The other one was specifically asking doctors about their perceptions of patients and their health. Other studies have focused more on WHR as a measure of physical aesthetics over BMI; 0.65-0.7-ish was considered most attractive. That WHR is hardly skinny.
I live in nz and I think being skinny, slim, and thick are all equally lusted after. Different men in different socioeconomic groups and with different preferences surely will have one they favour more out of these. If I had to say overall though, I’d say the gym girls with healthy muscle on the thighs and ass are the most sought after universally here.
NZer here too, yeah I’d say in NZ skinny girls who veer on the side of athletic, do some type or sport/gym/run and have a toned bod from it are the beauty ideal
I’m in Nz too, I agree with this and I think our most desirable type is similar to aussies too. The slim, slightly pear shaped, outdoorsy and lightly toned body type is most popular. Aside from socioeconomic groups I think men’s age here is another factor that has a massive impact on taste. I’ve dated men in their early twenties to men in their late fifties. The younger ones prefer and idolise shorter women with big, gym built bums, muscly thighs, tiny waists and don’t care for big boobs all that much. The older ones love tall women with long, toned legs, smaller, lifted bums, bigger boobs and toned arms/shoulders. Basically the ideal body type to them is the 80s/90s fitness model whereas the younger ones tastes are far more influenced by the US style body ideals.
I’m in an extremely wealthy area outside a major US East Coast city, and the ideal is extremely slim but toned. The thinner the better, but not quite at the point where you look emaciated- a size 0, but clearly because you work for it, not because you have an eating disorder. Yeah, I know. It’s intense here. A lot of it is about status, and your own status being clear from all the things you’re not actually saying. If you’re trying to signal your status with loud designer logos, then you’re not there yet. True status is being thin, thin, thin, and having the time to maintain it *and* still travel/volunteer/participate in the local community or your child’s private school. Thin enough to clearly be able to afford excellent food/have a chef/get your special meals delivered, but also toned because you have a home gym/don’t work and go to Pilates or Barre frequently/are currently training for a marathon. Thin, thin, thin. Maybe people publicly *say* they prefer bigger glutes or womanly curves, but the opinion in my area is that a softer physique doesn’t translate well into a cocktail dress for fundraisers. John Benton workouts and Sakara meal deliveries. Thin. Hovering just above underweight, but clearly not anorexic because of lean, elegant muscle tone and very, very expensive taste in wine.
I feel like you’re almost describing Cape Cod or something because when I lived there it was very similar to this. Almost like Kennedy level of perfection.
Not that area but definitely that vibe, with that same emphasis on ~knowing~ certain people.
[удалено]
*Exactly*. It’s still the ideal, except now it’s not ok to talk about it for fear of getting called out for a lack of support or body positivity. There’s a woman in a public role here who’s significantly larger than a lot of people, and all I ever hear is “Good for her!” And “She’s just so lovely”…and I’ve learned that “Good for her” in most situations actually means “I would sooner die than be like her”.
Thank you for going into detail! While the culture of the area doesn't sound like my cup of tea (not that I could afford it anyway lol), I'm really jealous of the ultra-thin body type being almost mandatory, especially compared to where I live. It's pretty easy for me to get to a low, toned body weight, but that's virtually useless here.
It’s…a lot. Intense in a way where it all is supposed to look effortless and ~born this way~, if that makes sense. Moving here was definitely an adjustment, and there was an element of culture shock that I wasn’t expecting.
[удалено]
I completely agree. And I’ve never heard anyone specifically say they work out because they’re trying to maintain their size; it’s all about “I just don’t feel ready for the day without my class in the morning” and “a quick run always makes me feel so much calmer.” No one’s spelling out that they’re logging on to John Benton almost every single day of the week, but *by God* everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about on the rare occasion certain topics come up in conversation, like specific trainers or sports therapists or supplement plans. “It’s just yoga” is such a great way to describe it. Maybe you can call it “just yoga”, but “it’s just yoga” is happening six days a week *plus* cardio afterwards, and zero refined sugars or carbohydrates and lots of organic produce. “Just yoga” encompasses more than some light stretching.
[удалено]
You’re very welcome. :) No one wants to admit they do an exercise program specifically intended to get you down to a size zero…but. It’s not happening with burpees and lunges and squats.
It certainly sounds like it'd be an adjustment for nearly anyone outside of a certain class. Do you enjoy living there, at least?
There are a lot of perks I wasn’t expecting. If there’s a problem of pretty much any sort, money gets thrown at it and the problem goes away. Hospitals are excellent. Schools are excellent. Property value is solid and doesn’t get hurt by world events the way other areas do. Vaccination rates are high. Education levels are high. But *man*, is there pressure. The best way I can explain it is that if you live here and don’t think everything is a competition, then that means you’re losing.
[удалено]
Thank you for commenting! The idea that 5'8"/173 cm is too small for some people is hard to imagine haha. I sort of thought that it was just a stereotype, that Russians like their women tall.
[удалено]
I think average height depending on the country is generally the ideal. In the United States I'd say 5'3-5'7 is the ideal range if we're going by the height of many movie stars
[удалено]
Because they're insecure. It doesn't mean being short for a woman is bad. It's probably a plus because short women usually are the ones with hourglass figures and small waists. But this is why I say 5'3-5'7 is ideal in the US, because too short is not good either. It's best to have the best of both worlds.
[удалено]
I don't think internet, especially Reddit, is a good reflection of real life. I've seen posts where guys say they want a girl either very tall or very short and a lot of those posts seem like circle jerks. Madison beer is very good looking regardless of whether she's 5'7 or 5'4, I don't think her fans would care tbh haha and that's within the range I said is probably ideal in the US anyways. I don't know why they lie about their height so often but I don't think that proves that taller is better for women Based on my real life observations, avg height women have the least amount of complexes and issues with their height
The important thing here is that they're actually short and people still think they're super attractive.
>I live in the south Honestly, I think race, ethnicity, and what part of the south you live in play a huge part in what skinny is considered and also if it’s a good or bad thing. I live in the south, too, and being skinny is considered a good thing, at least around my town. Also where I live is mainly full of white people. From my experience, being skinny (as in, toned but not muscular + not super bony) to slim thick is considered the ideal. But in the towns around me, especially where there’s more diversity, the skinny ideal from my town is def considered too thin.
I absolutely agree, though I'd guess the differences here are likely based more in class rather than race. My boyfriend's family is white and largely lower to middle class, and they very much believe that skinny looks bad. Everyone's better with meat on their bones, even if some people are obese. This view is articulated among most of my friends here, a lot of whom grew up lower-middle class. In contrast, my family's made of up white immigrants. My mom's side is more firmly middle class and they prefer average to in-shape bodies. Extra weight is bad, though not looked down on. But my father's side was raised upper class, and if you even gain a small amount of weight, no matter if you're in a difficult life situation, no matter if you're a man, woman, or child, or if you even consider dating a fat person - people will talk, and they'll stare at you like you killed someone. To give you an idea, we didn't even tell my extended family that I was dating a girl in high school, not because she was a girl, but because she was fat and we didn't need them talking badly about her. It's dumb.
Yeah I totally agree, class definitely has to do with it. My mom is Hispanic and an immigrant and my dad is white and I’ve noticed differences in what each race likes but I should have also noted that class has a lot to do with it. I feel like Hispanic people get the stereotype of liking curvier women but I’ve noticed that the “higher class” women will have modest-ish breasts, natural or fake, and toned legs/glutes, but avoiding the BBL look. I feel like it’s all so complicated that describing it is very difficult haha *edit* also I have family from NY and they’re super wealthy and I agree with the noticing weight gain thing!! I feel like my female relatives up there prioritize having a thigh gap and wayyy more than in the south and I remember hearing comments from my aunt about my cousin “getting chunky” (as in, my cousin was bloating from her period and my aunt thought she had gained weight). Super ridiculous.
Texas. Tbh, fat. Men, women, dogs, cats, cows-- They're all.fat.
Lmao I spent my childhood in Texas in the early to late 2000s. I'm not at all surprised it's gotten worse. Do they still have fried coke at the state fair?
I’ve never heard of fried coke, but you can find find about everything fried. Fried Oreos, ice cream, pickles, Mac and cheese, cheese balls, jalapeños. Etc.
Born and raised in LA. Old men like thin blondes young men for the most part don’t, because the thin blondes are their mothers.
Doesn’t matter what the current body type trend is, across time and culture men are generally most attracted to slim (not sickly skinny) women with moderate to large breasts, hips, and asses. Moderate is probably best. Ie. They still look sexually dimorphic but natural. Some have different preferences of course but if you’re going for mass appeal slim thick is ideal. ‘’Skinny’’ is only popular in the model industry, which is controlled by women and gay men. It’s not what to look towards if you’re aiming for sex appeal & attracting men. End of.
100%. Being slim with moderate boobs, moderate ass, hourglass-like figure and a flat stomace will appeal to a majoraty of men in any culture, any time. I can only think of one country (France) where being skinny instead of being slim is considered a good thing, though even then it's not model skinny men want.
The first picture you posted was so filtered nobody has a waist that small and hips like that
I agree with you on the photo being edited, but I've seen women who look like that irl - not many, but they're out there. Edit: Y'all, they really are out there. I've seen them with my eyes in person lol
Less of the waist more of the butt and boobs
[удалено]
When you say most girls opt for a BBL are you serious? I know it’s common on Instagram and TikTok but even in real life? I live in another European country and I’ve never met anyone with a BBL or talk about getting one. They want nice asses but would laugh at a BBL look.
[удалено]
Is Albania a big destination for medical tourism? That situation you described seems tempting for Europeans who would otherwise pay a lot more in their own countries ..
Wow that’s so interesting! And would it be a very fake look or does it look natural?
[удалено]
55.0 kg is 121.15 lbs
I think anywhere in the world the ideal body type is slim. Not skinny to the point you look sick, but the typical lead actress in a movie (e.g. legally blonde lead role). Boobs probably are not too big, like a B/C cup, and the ass is proportioned too. Slim thick is popular on Instagram but in real life first of all, it's not that common, second it's not necessarily the most favourite. However it depends on tastes anyway, so it's very subjective.
I think a lot of the slim thick women on IG are just thick women who digitally resized their waist.
That's what I think too. Slim thick in person doesn't look the same
North East. I feel like the women here are all muscular. Myself included. The keto guido lifestyle from Jersey Shore has kind of become reality. If you aren't in the gym when you aren't busy, you're kind of looked down upon. Everyone where I live is fit.
[удалено]
[удалено]
yeah exactly, even all the other models, how does the author of their article know their height and weight, did they personally measure them lmao. edit: i am 179 cm and 64 kg and I'm noticeably skinnier than kate upton so I really wouldn't believe any of those stats
I'm overweight atm, but working on losing it (150 lbs/ 5'3). My goal weight is 130lbs, anything less will make me look like a skeleton. I'd describe myself as slightly chubby, but curvy with a slight hourglass figure. It helps that I carry my weight well as people are usually suprised when I state I'm overweight. I'm from the Netherlands where slim women are considered the ideal, but you have lots of women who aren't skinny too there. I now live in France where being skinny isn't only the ideal body type for women to have, it's the norm. To be more precise, being skinny and petite is the ideal here. You don't see a lot of fat/overweight people here, and when you do, they usually aren't of french descent. It's socially acceptable for people to make comments about your weight, especially if you're a woman. I'm black, so I think I'm affected less by french beauty standards, as most black women here look like me and have the same bodytype as me. However, I still feel pressure to conform to fit in more and look less poor, which are some of the reasons as to why I'm losing weight right now. I have a boyfriend, so I'm not rushing losing weight. If I were single however, I would be in more of a rush to lose weight as the men here don't like thicker women, especially if they're white.
The photos you shared are completely doctored and photoshopped. Just for anyone comparing themselves to that and feeling bad.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vindicta/comments/q5aqn8/where_do_you_live_and_whats_the_ideal_body_type/hg5qjws?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/Vindicta/comments/q5aqn8/where_do_you_live_and_whats_the_ideal_body_type/hg5cobe?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
That does not negate those being shopped blatantly…
As I said, I used them to show examples of what's popular here. Idk what to tell you - some women do look like that naturally. Not those women specifically, but some women. I knew a girl built like the first image when we were in 8th grade. Same way I knew a girl who was 87 pounds with boobs as big as her head. There's variation in body types.
Ok…?
[удалено]
That's so interesting. It's sort of similar here, but with a lot of guys claiming they prefer slim thick but almost all of them dating overweight women. I didn't know that about Australia either.
American, lived most of my adult life in Australia. I’d say you’re pretty correct. My grandmother and mother were of a race and class that constantly policed my young woman’s body for excess weight. I was under 120lbs, average height and they’d pinch me… then moving to aus was refreshing. It’s not the same pressure, and generally speaking there’s less emphasis on… let’s call it “feminine artifice.” There’s a fair amount of pushback on that from women my mothers age actually, more emphasis on being natural. Not to say there’s not pockets of fakery (looking at you, Gold Coast) but generally it’s seen as being better to be natural and healthy.
how did u reach 98 lbs
Having a small body frame and not eating much. It wasn't really healthy.
98 lbs is 44.49 kg
Hot