The purpose of this study was to determine how exercise affects the perception of attractiveness in heterosexual college-age women, whether or not women have a dysmorphed perception of themselves, and if women can accurately determine what men want for a body shape in their partner. This study consisted of two surveys, one for the males and one for the females. The female survey asked the subjects to describe their exercise habits and guess their measurements and weight. It also asked them to pick a figure that represented their body shape, what they would like to look like, and what they think men want. Their body measurements were then taken to see if their guesses were accurate. The male survey asked the men to choose the figure that they found most attractive. The results showed a moderate negative correlation between exercise and perception (r=-.32 and a p value of .066), and a difference between the females estimated and actual hip measurements (p=.0002). This suggests that women think their hips are bigger than they actually are. Lastly, there was a significant difference (p=.0013) between what males find attractive and what women thought men would find attractive. Only the third hypothesis suggested by the researcher was fully supported. The other two were not supported. These results show that women believe that men want a partner that is 38.2% thinner than what men actually find attractive. This suggests that men prefer a woman with a slightly larger figure than women expected them to.
