Women Check Out Other Women

There's a study out today that's getting a lot of attention. Men look more at women's bodies than at their faces, as reported in USA Today. But I thought the more interesting part of the study was the part that found other women do the SAME THING. We men are castigated as pigs or chauvinists; the lead author is quoted in the article concerning women being "objectified" without noting that women are apparently participants in that, too.

It has long been assumed that men focus on breasts, waist, and hips to discover evolutionary cues regarding fertility, but women wouldn't have that reason. The lead author of the study, Sarah Gervais, is mentioned in the USA Today piece as suggesting women are checking out the competition. They did not test the subjects with male bodies.