What women really want – the 'perfect' male body revealed

THIS is what the ideal guy looks like (apparently).

BEAUTY: A new study has shed light on what the ultimate man would look like

There’s lots of pressure on women to achieve the “perfect” body – but men also want to match up to what’s considered beautiful.

So a new study revealed what women really want in a lover by creating a 3D image of the ideal male body type.

The Today Show asked graphic designer Nickolay Lamm to create 3D rendered images of the most desirable male physique based on findings from previous research.

Then the artist created a picture of the average male body to stand next to the “dream” man.

IDEAL TO REAL: The perfect male body compared to the average Joe

FANTASY VS. REALITY

The image on the left shows the ideal male's body shape according to women. It seems that ladies want a guy to have broad shoulders, a defined chest and bulging biceps.

The hunky guy has a small waist, visible abs and a shapely bum while ladies said he should have a BMI of 24.5 – which is towards the top of the healthy range.

FANTASY VS REALITY: The dream guy's body isn't too dissimilar

On the right is the average man’s body which isn’t too different to the ideal.

The normal lad appeared to be less athletic, with a wider waist and less muscular arms.

Experts reckon that we base our bodily preferences on what appears to look healthy and fertile.

But some believe that culture, in particular the media, has more influence on us than genes or evolution.

Nickolay said: "Even though we are aware of ideal bodies, it's not like we reject people if they don't have perfect bodies.

”We decide our life partners on many factors (personality, character, etc).

"Whether or not someone is an ideal body type is not that important at the end of the day."

Meanwhile the designer, from Pittsburgh, US, previously showed us how male body ideals have changed over the past 150 years.