Male and Female Visual Attention: What We Notice First

• Are the pectoral and abdominal muscles the primary areas of visual attention for women when evaluating male physiques?
• Conversely, why do men tend to focus first on the gluteal region and the waist-to-hip ratio when perceiving women for the first time?

These questions were central to The Erogenous Mirror: Intersubjective and Multisensory Maps of Sexual Arousal in Men and Women (2020). This study analyzed how men and women differ in their patterns of visual attention and erogenous focus.

Heat Maps and the Mutual Pleasure Index

Heat maps from this study illustrate the distribution of the Mutual Pleasure Index across both touch and visual modalities, analyzed separately for men and women. The color spectrum represents residuals from the correlations used to calculate the final mutual pleasure score:

• Positive residuals (red spectrum): indicate that respondents expressed a stronger preference for touching or visually attending to a given body area on the opposite sex than members of that sex reported enjoying attention on themselves.

• Harmful residuals (blue spectrum): show the opposite pattern.

• Near-zero residuals (white spectrum): reveal high agreement between what respondents prefer in a partner’s body and what individuals of that gender prefer for their own body—signifying a high mutual pleasure score.

This data-driven framework highlights how erogenous zones and visual attention differ between men and women.

Male Visual Focus: Glutes, Hips, and Evolutionary Biology

Contrary to the common assumption that men first notice a woman’s breasts—an idea reinforced by media portrayals and the popularity of breast augmentation—evidence suggests that the male gaze is initially drawn to the gluteal and hip region.

From an evolutionary psychology perspective, this attentional bias is deeply rooted in human biology, likely dating back to Homo erectus or earlier. The waist–hip area serves as a visual indicator of reproductive fitness. Fuller hips and gluteal fat deposits act as a reservoir of essential fatty acids critical for fetal and neonatal brain development, thereby increasing the likelihood of offspring survival.

This subconscious preference has been further amplified in modern times by cultural trends such as the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) and the Colombian Butt Lift, which surgically enhance the gluteal region to improve the waist-to-hip ratio.

The Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and Female Attractiveness

The significance of the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in female attractiveness has been widely studied. Singh and colleagues identified a WHR of approximately 0.7 as consistently rated most attractive across diverse populations, independent of overall body weight. This classic “hourglass shape,” with a narrow waist and wider hips, is strongly associated with fertility, reproductive health, and sexual desirability.

However, attractiveness is not universal; cultural preferences, body frame differences, and shifting beauty standards influence variations in what is considered most desirable worldwide.

Fat Transfer to the Glutes: Brazilian Butt Lift and Colombian Butt Lift

For women seeking to accentuate curves, liposuction combined with fat transfer has become a popular solution. The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) and the Colombian Butt Lift involve harvesting a patient’s fat and transferring it to the gluteal area to improve projection, volume, and proportion.

While these procedures successfully enhance the waist-to-hip ratio and create a more attractive silhouette, they do not replicate the biological function of naturally stored fat in the hips and glutes, which is linked to fertility and fetal brain development. In other words, surgically enhanced curves may improve first impressions and aesthetic appeal, but they do not inherently carry the same evolutionary reproductive benefits.

Visual Attention Patterns: “Looking” Versus “Touching”

Studies of visual attention mapping reveal distinct gender-based differences in what men and women notice first:

1. Women observing men typically focus first on the chest (pectoralis muscles), shoulders, arms, and upper back. This explains the cultural and aesthetic emphasis on male upper-body strength. For those less inclined to traditional workouts, EMSCULPT offers a non-invasive option. This technology uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy to induce supramaximal muscle contractions—far beyond what is possible during gym workouts—stimulating muscle growth in as little as 4–6 sessions.
2. Men observing women prioritize the gluteal region, closely followed by the breasts. Heat map data consistently highlight the abdomen and glutes as leading areas of male focus, reinforcing the link between the waist-to-hip ratio and perceived fertility. While hair also receives male attention, its importance often relates more to men’s perceptions of attractiveness than to women’s.

Key Conclusions

• Male Visual Attention to Females
  Men primarily focus on the waist-to-hip ratio, a powerful visual cue of fertility and reproductive health. For women wishing to enhance this feature, gluteal muscle development is essential since most gluteal volume is muscular. Targeted strength training, non-invasive EMSCULPT treatments, and carefully executed liposuction can all improve proportions. Additionally, the lumbosacral (low back) angle plays a role in both pregnancy support and creating a more attractive silhouette.

• Female Visual Attention to Males
  Women most often direct attention to the chest, shoulders, and upper back—areas linked to strength and vitality. Men can improve attractiveness through resistance training or with technologies like EMSCULPT, which enhances muscle growth and body definition efficiently.

• Shared Focus: The Abdomen
  Both genders consistently regard the abdomen as a secondary focal point. A lean, defined midsection conveys fitness, health, and sexual appeal. Alongside exercise, candidates may consider high-definition liposuction, which sculpts the abdominal muscles and creates a six-pack appearance without the need for general anesthesia. When combined with fat transfer procedures such as BBL or Colombian Butt Lift, patients can achieve a balanced, natural-looking body contour.

Reference

The Erogenous Mirror: Intersubjective and Multisensory Maps of Sexual Arousal in Men and Women

• Original Research Paper
• Open Access
• Published: June 12, 2020
• Volume 49, Pages 2919–2933