Women today prefer lean, toned male physiques over the so-called "dad bod" that once signaled approachability, a new survey has found.
According to the New York Post on Thursday, adult entertainment platform SoloFun surveyed 2,000 adults, asking them to select the most attractive body type from images representing different body fat percentages. Female respondents favored athletic, sculpted physiques similar to those of actors Paul Mescal and Jacob Elordi. Male respondents gave higher scores to curvier figures resembling singer Beyoncé rather than extremely thin bodies.
For male body types, a body fat percentage of 15% ranked as the most attractive. The figure represents a natural and healthy state rather than an excessively muscular one. A body fat percentage of 20% came in second, followed by 25% in third place, while 35% was rated the least attractive. The result indicates that the "dad bod," favored by 75% of singles in a 2024 survey by dating app Dating.com, is gradually losing ground in the dating market.
The standards for female body types were different. Male respondents said they preferred curvier figures with body fat percentages in the 30% range over the extremely thin physiques that fill social media. A body fat percentage of 25% ranked second, while extremely obese figures at 45% received the lowest ratings.
Experts attributed women's attraction to toned male physiques to an instinctive recognition of signals related to protection and health.
They also noted that the same body fat percentage means different physical conditions for men and women. For men, a body fat percentage of 15% indicates an athletic, toned physique, but the same ratio in women corresponds to an extremely thin state that can lead to health problems such as hormonal imbalances.
Conversely, a 30% body fat percentage in women may appear healthy and full-figured, but the same figure in men is classified as overweight.
