Perceptions of Female Abdominal Muscle Definition: A Crowdsourced Analysis of Contour Preferences

­Abstract Background An athletic depiction of the female physique has risen in popularity recently, mirrored by a surge in techniques such as high-definition liposuction to achieve increased abdominal definition. Nonetheless, the perceived ideal degree of female abdominal etching remains unreported. Objectives The objective of this study was to discern a diverse population’s preferences for varying degrees of female abdominal etching and to understand demographic trends. Methods A photo-realistic rendering of a female trunk displayed three levels of abdominal etching: basic, moderate, and extreme contour. Participants rated each image individually on a 7-point Likert scale and ranked the three images side-by-side from least to most attractive on Amazon Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcing platform. Results Nine hundred seventy-six responses were analyzed. Basic contour received the highest attractiveness median [IQR] score of 6.0 [2.0], moderate contour at 5 [2.0], and extreme contour at 4 [4.0] (p < 0.001). Compared to extreme contour, respondents had 4.33 times the odds of rating basic contour a 7.0 (p < 0.001). Compared to extreme contour, respondents had 14.6 times the odds of ranking basic contour as the most attractive (p < 0.001). Compared to moderate contour, respondents had 39.2 times the odds of ranking extreme contour least attractive (p < 0.001). Overall, 73% found basic contour most attractive, 11% found moderate contour most attractive, and 16% found extreme contour most attractive (p < 0.001). Conclusions Respondents across demographics viewed less contoured female abdomens as more attractive than highly contoured abdomens.