Nok said: "A thin female body, on the other hand, has (no offense) no biological reason to be attractive"
There _are_ advantages to being thin, especially in a society that has a means of storing food. A thin person is more mobile, uses up fewer resources and in some circumstances may be better able to take care of her children.
There are also advantages to being fat, especially in a society that experiences frequent food shortages. A fat person is less likely to starve to death. Fat women are much less likely to have low-birthweight babies.
So a genetic tendency to be fatter would be adaptive in some times and places, and maladaptive in others.
Since we all have ancestors from both kinds of backgrounds, we all have a mix of genetic tendencies to carry more or less weight. And we all have a mix of genetic tendencies to prefer fatter people or not. Since our own particular genetic mix will vary, even compared to siblings, we vary in our tendencies to be fatter or thinner, and we vary in our tendencies to prefer fatter or thinner partners.
Of course culture is a factor as well. For example, some societies have a tradition of eating a lot during times of food surplus so they'll survive the lean times. Some don't.
But I wouldn't dismiss genetics.
2 years
