Courtesy of Oshlin Vartanian
And this question isn't just about men liking curvy women. Studies have shown that the brain becomes more active when looking at curvy things, inspiring emotion, and sensing safety. You can read the whole article here, but here are two awesome quotes that sum up a lot of what it said.
"So curved design uses our brains to tug at our hearts. Some of us cry outside great buildings as a result. Some of us reach for another brand of dental floss. Some of us, beyond all rational judgment, type in Comic Sans font. "Our preference for curves can not be explained entirely in terms of a 'cold' cognitive assessment of the qualities of curved objects," Vartanian tells Co.Design. "Curvature appears to affect our feelings, which in turn could drive our preference.""
Which for women, can explain somewhat why our culture is obsessed with the likes of Kate Upton, Christina Hendricks, and Scarlett Johansson. But I thought this other quote was interesting too.
""In other words," says Vartanian, "we prefer curves because they signal lack of threat, i.e. safety."
So does this mean women who aren't as curvy -- or have "straight" or "edgy" features are seen as more threatening? It's an interesting thing to think about, just like what color you wear can determine your approachability. It also makes you wonder about the design choices of lounges, clubs, and even other social venues.
Just something cool to look at. What do you think? Are curvy people more attractive by preference or science?