1. What is appealing? sex and racial differences in perceptions of the physical attractiveness of women
- Author
-
Sewell, Rachel
- Subjects
- Appealing; Appearance; Attraction; Attractiveness; Beauty; Beauty ideal; Female attractiveness; Female beauty; Female physical attractiveness; Ideal image; Physical appearance; Physical appearance of women; Physical attraction; Physical attractiveness; Physical characteristics; Racial differences; Sex differences, Sociology
- Abstract
In today's society a beauty ideal exists in America, which attempts to define female beauty as fitting into a certain mold. Certain characteristics have been deemed the most attractive when it comes to female physical attractiveness, and an ideal image of beauty has been presented by the media. This research focuses on whether or not everyone buys into that beauty ideal, and examines the impact that a person's sex and race has on the physical characteristics which that individual defines as the most appealing. Surveys were administered to 300 UCF students age 18-35. Participants were asked about ten different physical characteristics relating to women, and were asked to choose the characteristic among each group that they found the most physically attractive or beautiful. The study showed that both sex and racial differences do exist, and that there are variations in what different people consider beautiful. Not everyone has the same opinion on what is attractive in regards to the physical appearance of women.
- Published
- 2011