Question

how can a body be attractive.

Answer 1

The whole topic of "physical attractiveness" is actually pretty deep.
That means that there are a lot of things to consider.

There are lots of people who will tell you that physical attractiveness is a matter of personal preference.

Other people might tell you that the standard for what is attractive varies, across different cultures.

And then there are some people who will tell you that certain human traits are generally attractive, no matter where you go, or whose opinion you ask.

And all of those people would be right.

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I think that it would be easiest for us to talk about human traits that are considered universally attractive.

The idea is no matter where you go, or who you talk to,
there are certain traits in humans that would be considered attractive.

These universal definitions of physical attractiveness are shaped by evolution.

What that means is that over a long, long period of time, there are certain people who were more likely to find a partner, and have children, all based on just the way that they looked, on the outside.

And the people who could not find a sexual partner were unable to reproduce, and pass on their genes.
As a result, the people who looked like them, and thought like them, faded out of existence.

Thousands of years ago, there was no such thing as "dating."
Humans chose sexual partners, largely based on how they looked on the outside.
And they had good reasons, for how they chose partners.

To start off, people with clear, unblemished skin, and vibrant hair were considered attractive.
They have always been considered attractive. And they still are.

The reason for this is because smooth, even skin and luscious hair are signs of good health, good nutrition, and an absence of disease.

Also, people with symmetrical faces and bodies were considered attractive. They have always been considered attractive, and they still are.

The reason for this is because physical symmetry generally means that the person doesn't have any obvious genetic disorders.

If you were looking for a sexual partner, wouldn't you logically want to mate with someone with no genetic disorders? So that your children wouldn't inherit any of the same disorders?

Men with well defined muscle tone were, and still are, considered attractive.
Stronger men were more able to hunt for food, and protect their family from predators, back during a time when those things mattered.

Obesity was a turn-off.
(It generally still is. But some people might actually like human doughnuts, these days. You never know.)

Women with full breasts and wider hips were considered attractive.
This was because full breasts and wider hips meant that the woman was more able to give birth to healthy children, and nourish them with her breast milk.

You see here, a long time ago, when people chose sexual partners, they were often thinking about their own safety and wellbeing, as well as the safety and wellbeing of their future children.
And people who had physical traits that made them look healthy and strong were considered attractive.

And those attractive people were more likely to find sexual partners,
so that they could make children, and pass on their genes.

The children became like their parents, because they got their genes from their parents.
And so, the children shared many of the same general opinions as their parents, about what was physically attractive.

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That's basically "how a body can be attractive."

Again, today, we don't have to worry about husbands protecting their families from predators, because there really aren't many predators anymore.

And we don't have to worry about wives being able to produce and nourish healthy children, because we have better medical care. And you can buy baby formula at Shop Rite.

THOSE are the reasons for why physical attractiveness tends to be much of a personal preference, today.

But there are still a few things that everybody generally considers attractive.
We've talked about these things.

And the reason for THAT is because it's in our genetics. Those ideas are a part of our brains, and our minds.