Weight and health: what women are really attracted to in men

A muscular and macho figure has long been associated with the ideal man that women look up to when choosing a partner. However, new research raises the question of how important looks are compared to weight and skin color.

Researchers from the University of Pretoria in South Africa conducted a study in which they found that a man's weight has a stronger impact on attractiveness than a muscular figure. The strong jaw and squinted eyes traditionally associated with "macho" men are signs of high testosterone levels, but research shows that women still take a man's weight into account in their preferences.

Being fat or obese, according to scientists, indicates health and immune problems. To test this theory, 70 men were photographed in their underwear and fat, testosterone and immune response levels were measured in each. The results showed that women of childbearing age rated fatness, as a measure of obesity, as less attractive.

Testosterone levels were found to be more closely related to weight than to "macho" appearance traits. The study also found that skin tone, as a sign of health, may be more attractive to women than traditional "macho" facial features. Researchers plan to continue the study by testing the results in different populations and using alternative measures of immunity.