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For decades, the classic "hourglass" figure was considered the ultimate standard of beauty, but a new scientific study claims that we have been paying attention to entirely the wrong proportions for centuries.

According to a research paper published in the journal Japanese Psychological Research, the key role in the perception of female attractiveness is played not by the waist-to-hip ratio, but by the waist-to-bust ratio.

Experiment with Computer Silhouettes

Researchers from Wayo Women’s University surveyed 398 Japanese men aged 20 to 59. Participants were asked to evaluate various computer models of female silhouettes, in which body proportions varied while all other characteristics remained unchanged.

The results were unexpected:

• Women with a lower waist-to-bust ratio (meaning a relatively large bust compared to the waist) consistently received the highest attractiveness scores.

• At the same time, changes in the waist-to-hip ratio had virtually no effect on the participants' preferences.

• Silhouettes with a waist-to-bust ratio of 0.6 to 0.7 were rated as the most attractive. Celebrities such as Sydney Sweeney, Sabrina Carpenter, and Katy Perry fit this body type.

According to the scientists, a larger bust is historically registered at a subconscious level as a sexual signal indicating reproductive health and fertility.

Errors of the Past and Media Influence

The new findings challenge decades of research claiming that men judge female beauty primarily by the hips. The study's authors believe that past work may have overestimated the significance of hips because women with ample busts often visually appear to have narrower waists.

However, the scientists make an important caveat: ideal proportions with a 0.6 ratio are extremely rare in real life.

"It is quite possible that standards of attractiveness are skewed due to the constant exposure to biased images in the media," notes lead study author Tomohiro Suzuki. "Ideal beauty is largely shaped by cultural context rather than being a universal rule for the entire world."

Additionally, the study was conducted exclusively with Japanese respondents and within a standard weight range, meaning that results might differ in other cultures or with different height-weight parameters.

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