Women's Ideal Man Is Less Muscular than Men Think

July 20, 2000
Release No. 00-35

Kimberly Cordero
202/682-6394
[email protected]

Women's Ideal Man is Less Muscular than Men Think

Washington, DC -- College-aged men surveyed in the United States, Austria and France said they want -- and believe women would prefer -- a body with at least 27 more pounds of muscle than what they possess. But, in a related pilot study, Austrian females actually preferred an ordinary, less muscular male physique. Women in the U.S. and France were not formally surveyed; however, anecdotal feedback from the two countries suggests the results would be similar, said the authors of the study published in the August 2000 American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP).

The researchers, from Harvard Medical School (Boston, U.S.), University of Innsbruck (Innsbruck, Austria) and the Salpetriere Hospital (Paris, France), suggest that Western males' pursuit of rippling abs and bulging biceps is due, in part, to media portrayals of lean and muscular male physiques. They note that Hollywood's most "masculine" stars in past decades, such as James Dean and John Wayne, were not as muscular as today's male action stars. Boys' action figure toys, such as GI Joe, have grown progressively leaner and more muscular over the past 40 years, they write.

"Our anecdotal experience has suggested that men actually want to look bigger to other men. If you tell them that women don't like them that big, that still won't deter them. It has a lot to do with media images. If, during your entire life, you're fed a diet of media images that big, muscular bodies are what an ideal man should have, you believe that is what you're supposed to look like," said lead author Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., who also co-authored the first controlled study of muscle dysmorphia, also published in the August 2000 AJP.

The study warns that as body ideal moves steadily away from body reality, some vulnerable men may be more likely to develop muscle dysmorphia, anabolic steroid abuse or dependence, or other psychiatric disorders.

["Body Image Perception Among Men in Three Countries," by Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., et. al., p. 1297, American Journal of Psychiatry]

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