The surprising detail that makes a woman’s bottom more attractive revealed
THE race for the most amazing ass has really ramped up in recent years, with stars like Kim K and Nicki Minaj leading the booty brigade.
But now scientists finally reckon they've discovered what makes the ideal derrière. And it's not necessarily down to with size.
A team of European scientists has found that, contrary to popular belief, people are not drawn to the classic combo of a tiny waist and a big backside.
Instead, both men and women are most fixated on the butt crack, medically known as the intergluteal cleft.
They reached this conclusion by tracking volunteers' gaze as they viewed images of women’s backsides from various angles.
The data revealed not only which parts of the buttocks captured the most attention, but also how long they looked at each area.
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These findings come amid a surge in demand for bottom-enhancing procedures, like fillers and the risky liquid Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL.
Liquid BBLs have seen a major increase in demand in recent years, especially in the UK, where up to 11 per cent of the population reportedly received aesthetic treatments in 2023 alone.
For the study, scientists recruited 67 straight folk - of which about 60 per cent were women - and showed them images of seven different female bottoms from various angles.
A high-tech camera tracked where their eyes landed first.
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Both men and women focused in on the crack within a second and lingered there the longest, in some cases up to 0.9 seconds.
Meanwhile, the "thigh gap" - the space between the inner thighs -barely got a glance, with eyes darting away in less than 0.2 seconds.
Writing in the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the study authors suggested that our attention to the derriere might just be down to basic biology.
"Biologically, humans may be programmed to notice specific physical attributes that historically signified reproductive fitness," they wrote.
The researchers noted these findings contradicted past studies, which suggested men are most attracted to a small waist paired with a larger buttock, sported by the likes of Kylie Jenner.
"In numerous studies, this ratio has been highlighted as a key element of female attractiveness from a male perspective, primarily due to its potential associations with reproductive health," they wrote.
But in contrast, the study found these areas seemed to have no special significance.
"The consistent attention toward the intergluteal cleft across demographics could be of potential significance in the aesthetic perception of buttocks," they added.
They said the findings hold real-life implications for the future of plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine of the bottom.
"When assessing the buttocks, it is essential to adopt a holistic approach that emphasizes the importance of the intergluteal cleft and the lower sections," they wrote.
"A deeper dive into aesthetic preferences is pivotal for a holistic understanding of human perceptions of attractive buttocks," they concluded.
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The authors did note their study had several limitations, most obviously that length of gaze does not necessarily equate to how much someone likes something.
The study only included Caucasian and Asian participants, limiting its representation of global beauty standards.
Scientists crack the formula for the ‘perfect breasts’
SCIENTISTS reckon they've discovered what makes the ideal set of knockers.
Perfect boobs are round, full, "moderately sized" and evenly spaced with nipples relatively close together, a study found.
More than 1,000 men and women were shown photos of the chests of 25 patients, aged between 18 and 45, who had sought aesthetic or reconstructive surgery between 2009 and 2019.
They were asked to rate the attractiveness of each pair on a five-point scale.
They found that a projected contour - meaning a rounder and fuller shape - was associated with higher perceived attractiveness.
The five most appealing sets of boobs were round, had upper pole fullness (perkiness and prominent cleavage), and very little ptosis (sagging).
The breasts were also closer together, the distance between the nipples was narrower, and the space from the nipple to the fold under the boob was shorter.
And they were "moderate" in size, estimated to be about a C cup.
Stars reported to wear bras of that size include Jennifer Aniston, Blake Lively and Rita Ora.
Overall, by morphing the top five sets, the optimum boobs measured:
- Sternal notch to nipple - 8.3in (21.1cm)
- Nipple to nipple - 7.6in (19.2cm)
- Base width - 5.3in (13.4cm)
- Nipple to inframammary fold - 2.9in (7.4cm)
- Breast volume - 21in3 (343.7cm3)
The study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open in January, aimed to provide guidance for surgeons - not define universal beauty standards, the authors said.
"As reflected by the findings herein, perceptions and standards of beauty vary widely from individual to individual or across groups of various ages, cultural backgrounds, and gender or sexual identities," they added.