Body Image and Body Type Preferences in St. Kitts, Caribbean: A Cross- Cultural Comparison with U.S. Samples Regarding Attitudes Towards Muscularity, Body Fat, and Breast Size

Authors

Peter B. Gray, University of Nevada - Las Vegas
David Frederick, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

We investigated body image in St. Kitts, a Caribbean island where tourism, international media, and relatively high levels of body fat are common. Participants were men and women recruited from St. Kitts (n = 39) and, for comparison, U.S. samples from universities (n = 618) and the Internet (n = 438). Participants were shown computer generated images varying in apparent body fat level and muscularity or breast size and they indicated their body type preferences and attitudes. Overall, there were only modest differences in body type preferences between St. Kitts and the Internet sample, with the St. Kitts participants being somewhat more likely to value heavier women. Notably, however, men and women from St. Kitts were more likely to idealize smaller breasts than participants in the U.S. samples. Attitudes regarding muscularity were generally similar across samples. This study provides one of the few investigations of body preferences in the Caribbean.

Comments

This article was originally published in Evolutionary Psychology, volume 10, issue 3, in 2011.

Recommended Citation

Gray, Peter B., and David A. Frederick. (2011). "Body image and body type preferences in St. Kitts, Caribbean: a cross-cultural comparison with US samples regarding attitudes towards muscularity, body fat, and breast size." Evolutionary Psychology 10(3), 631-655.

Copyright

The authors