Physical attraction measured by use of a body figure scale in an age of changing body ideals: An age discriminated sample from an Australian city.

There is a substantial body of research that uses figure rating scales for personal body image assessment and satisfaction where typically women self-identify as heavier than what they wish to be, and men self-identify as less muscular than what they wish to be. The aim of this research was to determine the difference in attractiveness of physical body image by age of men and women using figure rating scales. It was hypothesised that younger age groups are more likely to identify more muscular figures as more attractive. Although the results of this study did not support the hypothesis, women were found to identify thinner images of women as more attractive to men; and men were found to identify more muscular images of men as more attractive to women. These findings have implications for clinical treatments related to body image and eating disorders.