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The Body Beautiful

Evolutionary and Sociocultural Perspectives

  • Book
  • © 2007

Overview

Editors:
  1. Viren Swami

    1. University of Liverpool, UK

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  2. Adrian Furnham

    1. University College London, UK

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
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  2. Introduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Mutual and Partaken Bliss: Introducing the Science of Bodily Beauty

      • Adrian Furnham, Viren Swami
      Pages 3-12

  3. Methodological Critiques

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 13-13
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    2. Waist-to-Hip Ratios and Female Attractiveness: Comparing Apples, Oranges, and Pears

      • Donald H. McBurney, Sybil A. Streeter
      Pages 15-28

    3. The Volume-Height Index as a Body Attractiveness Index

      • Jintu Fan
      Pages 29-45

    4. Methodological Issues in Studies of Female Attractiveness

      • Melissa Bateson, Piers L. Cornelissen, Martin J. Tovée
      Pages 46-62

  4. Attractiveness Research Across Cultures

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63
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    2. An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Preferences for Female Body Shape

      • Isabel Scott, Gillian R. Bentley, Martin J. Tovée, Farid Uddin Ahamed, Kesson Magid
      Pages 65-87

    3. Masculinity, Culture, and the Paradox of the Lek

      • Douglas W. Yu, Stephen R. Proulx, Glenn H. Shepard
      Pages 88-107

    4. Healthy Body Equals Beautiful Body? Changing Perceptions of Health and Attractiveness with Shifting Socioeconomic Status

      • Martin J. Tovée, Adrian Furnham, Viren Swami
      Pages 108-128

  6. Theory Development: Sociocultural Perspectives

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 207-207
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    2. The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness

      • Tom Hildebrandt, Janet D. Latner
      Pages 209-235

    3. Feminism and Body Image

      • Linda Smolak, Sarah K. Murnen
      Pages 236-258

    4. The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women: A Sociocultural Perspective

      • Rachel M. Calogero, Michael Boroughs, J. Kevin Thompson
      Pages 259-298

  7. Back Matter

    Pages 299-316
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Keywords

About this book

In this volume, contributors from a range of perspectives - evolutionary psychology to anthropology, sociology to cognitive and motivational psychology - explore questions of what our attractiveness preferences are and why we find certain others physically attractive, offering a fresh perspective to understanding the perception of attractiveness.

Editors and Affiliations

  • University of Liverpool, UK

    Viren Swami

  • University College London, UK

    Adrian Furnham

About the editors

FARID UDDIN AHAMED Professor and Chair at the Department of Anthropology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh MELISSA BATESON Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, UK GILLIAN R BENTLEY Professor of Anthropology, Durham University, UK MICHAEL BOROUGHS Faculty Researcher at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, USA RACHEL M CAGOLERO currently completing her Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK DOROTHY EINON Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University College London, UK JINTU FAN Professor of Textiles and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong JEFF GALAK Marketing doctoral candidate at New York University's Stern School of Business, USA TOM HILDEBRANDT Assistant Professor of Psychiatry of the Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA KERRI L JOHNSON Social Psychologist in the Department of Psychology, New York University, USA JANET D LATNER Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA KESSON MAGID Ph.D candidate at the Department of Anthroplogy, University College London, UK DONALD H MCBURNEY Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA SARAH K MURNEN Professor of Psychology, and Women and Gender Studies at Kenyon College LEIF D NELSON Assistant Professor of Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University, USA TERRY F PETTIJOHN II Associate Professor of Psychology, Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA STEPHEN R PROULX Theoretical evolutionary biologist at Iowa State University, USA ISABEL SCOTT Ph.D candidate in evolutionary psychology at Bristol University, UK GLENN H SHEPARD Medical anthropologist, University of East Anglia, UK LINDA SMOLAK Samuel B Cummings Jr. Professor of Psychology and Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, USA SYBIL A STREETER Graduate student in the Department of Psychology , University of Pittsburgh, USA LOUIS G TASSINARY Professor of Architecture and an adjunct Professor of Psychology, as well as Associate Dean for Research and Director of Graduate Studies, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, USA J KEVIN THMPSON Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, USA MARTIN J TOVEE Reader in visual cognition at the Psychology Department, Newcastle University, UK DOUGLAS W YU Behavioural and spatial ecologist, University of East Anglia, UK

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Body Beautiful

  • Book Subtitle: Evolutionary and Sociocultural Perspectives

  • Editors: Viren Swami, Adrian Furnham

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230596887

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies Collection, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-230-52186-5Published: 30 November 2007

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-35664-5Published: 30 November 2007

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-230-59688-7Published: 30 November 2007

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVII, 316

  • Number of Illustrations: 11 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Medical Sociology, Gender Studies, Sexual Behavior, Community and Environmental Psychology

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