of the 12 male and 12 female silhouettes and the measurements of the participants' weight, height, along with waist and height circumferences, the authors found that as the boys and girls grew older, taller and heavier, they tended to prefer muscular males and thin females. Even more significantly, by comparing the six-year-old respondents and the adult respondents, it was found that the six-year old group's preferences for the body shapes of male and figures did not differ significantly from one another, while their adult counterparts clearly displayed preferences for larger well-built maler and smaller, thinner females than the six-year-old group. The authors conclude that preferences for specific body shapes are not inborn or acquire in early infancy. Rather, they are likely to be attributed to social influences
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