This dissertation examines whether there is a difference in preference for thinness and physical attractiveness between women who have maintained relatively stable body morphology and those who have changed body morphology among the population of women who are attracted to women. The first section is a brief overview of the conceptual background and methodology of the study. The second serves as an in-depth exploration of the literature that has informed the current perspective and helped in the formation of the research question. The third section specifically describes the methodology used in this study. The fourth details the findings and the fifth and final section revisits the major themes of the previous four.

Within the study of physical attraction, there have been many methods by which researchers have quantified beauty. The greatest predictor of overall attractiveness is body morphology: including height, weight, proportions, and distribution of fat. Individuals tend to seek partners of similar backgrounds and whose value is comparable in terms of appearance, intelligence, social status, and other facets of desirability. This strategy of mate selection increases the likelihood both partners will be mutually satisfied and the couple will remain intact. Accurately assessing one's own desirability as a mate in comparison to others and vying for mates of value that are similar are key components to this strategy's success. This involves intrasexual competition with others of the same sex who are perceived as potential rivals as well as intra-couple competition by continually re-evaluating one's value in comparison to one's mate to ensure equilibrium.

For women attracted to women, the targets of intra-sexual competition and intra-couple competition may be the same individuals. Lesbians have developed a unique set of beauty standards that may differ from the stringent expectations of thinness in mainstream culture, including a greater acceptance of a variety of body morphologies. There are, however, differences within the population of women who are attracted to women in terms of preference for thinness and physical attractiveness in partners. While body dissatisfaction and internalization of thinness expectations have not been shown to correlate with having high preference for thinness and attractiveness in lesbians, this study seeks to examine another variable as possible explanation: changes in body morphology.