Love for Dad Bods is on the Rise

The love for dad bods is on the rise! According to a study conducted by Planet Fitness, more and more women are saying they find dad bods attractive and more men with dad bods are saying they feel good about their bodies.

To start off, what is a dad bod?

According to Urban Dictionary, a dad bod “is a male body type that is best described as “softly round.” It’s built upon the theory that once a man has found a mate and fathered a child, he doesn’t need to worry about maintaining a sculpted physique.”

So, how did Planet Fitness determine this? Over the past three years, Planet Fitness has conducted a survey to see how preferences about people’s body types (among other things) have changed each year.

So what have they found?

Compared to last year, more people report:

• that dad bods are attractive (65 percent vs. 57 percent)
• That a dad bod is sexy (61 percent vs. 51 percent)
• more are even saying a dad bod is the new six-pack (51 percent vs. 41 percent)

But this goes beyond just people reporting they are sexier, more men who have dad bods are reporting feeling better with their body. The report states that this could potentially because of a cultural shift towards body positivity, but some scientific work would need to be done to confirm this.

Compared to last year, more men with dad bods are reporting that:

• They are happier with their dad bod (79 percent vs. 64 percent)
• That having a dad bod has improved their lives (72 percent vs. 62 percent)

And then, just in general many men report their dad bod has helped them in general is nearly half.

• Men who say their “dad bod” has improved their life this year claim their body type has helped them accept themselves (48 percent).
• Men who say their dad bod has made them less concerned with their appearance (47 percent).

Now this is not a peer-reviewed study, meaning it is not published in a scientific journal and has not been through vetting to prove that the study is. But maybe, given the results we may soon have a science of dad bods.

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