Fact-Checking the Leeds Hip Study: Do Wider Hips Truly Influence Sexual Behavior?
Public discussions routinely conflate two entirely different physical traits: skeletal pelvic width and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Evolutionary psychologist Devendra Singh established that a low WHR, roughly 0.70, characterized by a narrow waist paired with fuller hips, operates as a cross-cultural indicator of endocrine health, high estrogen production, and fertility.
That visual hourglass body shape stems primarily from gynoid fat distribution rather than bone width. Estrogen directs adipose tissue storage toward the gluteal and femoral regions, while testosterone deposits fat viscerally around the midsection. A woman can possess a wide skeletal pelvis with minimal subcutaneous fat, yielding a higher waist-to-hip ratio. Conversely, a woman with narrow skeletal hips can exhibit an hourglass silhouette if her fat distribution settles heavily on the thighs and buttocks.
Hendrie's team controlled for waist-to-hip ratio and concluded that WHR did not correlate with casual sexual activity. Only the physical inter-crestal bone measurement showed a statistical link. This distinction matters. Evolutionary psychology has focused extensively on WHR as a visual signal that attracts prospective mates. The Leeds study claimed something entirely different: that skeletal pelvic dimensions alter the woman's own behavioral drive, independent of how observers judge her silhouette.
