Judgement Accuracy in Body Preferences Among African Americans

Perceptions of body size vary by gender and ethnicity. Women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than are men and Caucasian women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than are African American women. The purpose of this study was to examine if African American men and women accurately estimate the level of thinness preferred by the opposite gender. We predicted that African American women would correctly estimate the level of thinness found attractive by African American men, thereby providing support for the explanation that African American women are partially protected from experiencing similar levels of body dissatisfaction as Caucasian women do because they correctly estimate that African American men like larger women. Participants were 68 African American women and 34 African American men. The results supported our prediction, African American women accurately estimate the level of thinness preferred by African American men.