Salisu et al. J Biomed & App Sci FUD (2025) 4:1
Keywords: Asymmetry, Attractiveness, Feet size, Mating preferences, Sex differences
2025-10-01 DOI: Salisu et al. JOBASFUD_2024_3_2_031
Background: The age-old adage ‘beautiful feet, beautiful soul’ may hold more truth than we think, as research suggests, foot size and shape can influence perceptions of attractiveness and overall physical appeal. This study was designed to assess sex differences and effect of ethnicity on perceived attractiveness ratings of feet size stimuli amongst students of some tertiary institutions within northwestern Nigeria. Methods: Participants consisting of 1487, male (726) and females (761) were randomly selected with age frequency of 20-29 years. Questionnaire consisting stimuli, showing male and female figures with different foot sizes; from head-to-toe and arranged, from smallest to largest foot size, as Images 1 to 5, the baseline image being Image 3. Feet only stimuli which is randomly arranged was used to understand whether participant preferences depend on whole body stimuli or feet only. The participant rated the stimuli on a scale of 1, most attractive to 5, least attractive respectively. The feet of the participants were also measured using tape rule to the nearest 0.1cm, following the standard protocol. Ethical approval obtained from Ahmadu Bello University Ethics Committee. The anthropometric variables for both male and female was sexually dimorphic with p<0.001 considering p value of <0.05 for statistical significance. Results: Sexual dimorphism were observed in anthropometric parameters of feet size with males having higher mean value, with left feet bigger than the right feet in both sexes. Sex differences were also observed in the most attractive female feet size with male preferring medium and small size by female participants. Across culture, the size of physically attractive man and woman shoe without stimuli, the most attractive male and female feet size with head to toe stimuli and the most and least attractive women feet only stimuli was the medium size. Conclusion: The present study reveal that females generally have smaller feet than males, and both genders prefer smaller feet for females, with females showing a stronger preference for this trait.