# How genetic do you think fat admiration is?



## davidburton (Sep 4, 2011)

Even though dating a fat person doesn't necessarily make you an FA, do you have any relatives dating bbw's/ bhm's? 

I have 8 cousins, and two of them could definitely be FA's. Personally I think every trait comes back to genetics, so I'm thinking it runs in the family.


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## Fat Brian (Sep 4, 2011)

I'm the only one, male or female, in my family who has ever dated or married a fat person. My dad is a boob man and will look at any size woman if there a big boobs involved, but his actual partners are always thinner. I can't justify a genetic causality from my history but maybe I'm the exception.


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## imfree (Sep 4, 2011)

My Adult Kiddo Son is not totally FA, but he likes fat girls. I've always wondered how much of it is environment and if there really is a genetic component to FA-ism.


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## kioewen (Sep 4, 2011)

davidburton said:


> Even though dating a fat person doesn't necessarily make you an FA, do you have any relatives dating bbw's/ bhm's?
> 
> I have 8 cousins, and two of them could definitely be FA's. Personally I think every trait comes back to genetics, so I'm thinking it runs in the family.



I think attraction to full-figured women is almost entirely genetic.

I think it runs in the family the way other traits run in the family -- irregularly. Some families will have many red-haired family members, while other families will have just one red-haired family member turn up in many generations. Same thing this with attraction: in some families it will be prevalent, in others rare. But in each case, it is genetic.

What is less genetic is the degree to which people will be open about it or hide it. That will depend on the culture in which they live, how social experiences shape them, etc.


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## Jon Blaze (Sep 4, 2011)

Curves are admired a lot in my family, but there's only one other person in my family that is attracted to big women: My brother, and he likes thin women more.


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## musicman (Sep 4, 2011)

kioewen said:


> I think attraction to full-figured women is almost entirely genetic.
> 
> I think it runs in the family the way other traits run in the family -- irregularly. Some families will have many red-haired family members, while other families will have just one red-haired family member turn up in many generations. Same thing this with attraction: in some families it will be prevalent, in others rare. But in each case, it is genetic.
> 
> What is less genetic is the degree to which people will be open about it or hide it. That will depend on the culture in which they live, how social experiences shape them, etc.




I also think it may be genetic, to the same extent that being fat is genetic. It may be like the peacock's tail, but with the sexes reversed. Both the male peacock and the female peahen carry the genes that give the male a large tail, and they also both carry the genes that make the female desire a male with a large tail for a mate. Without the female's preference, the males would never have evolved their large tails.

In the same way, the genes that make a woman predisposed to being fat and the genes that make a man desire a fat woman may be transmitted together in people. Obviously, the peacock genes have become so dominant that they define the entire species, while the fat/FA genes are not dominant in people, and will probably never be, because human attraction is much more complicated, but I believe the same genetic mechanism could be involved in fat admiration.


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## The Orange Mage (Sep 4, 2011)

I lean towards it being not genetic. In my specific case I think it's a very very low-level psychological response. I'm a male, and I like females. I'm skinny, and I like fat girls. It's a simple thing of wanting what I'm not...I think. :huh:


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## disconnectedsmile (Sep 5, 2011)

i don't think it's genetic as in it's handed down to you, but i think it's genetic as in it's something you're born with (doesn't always happen, but it does happen)


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## CarlaSixx (Sep 5, 2011)

I think it's genetic to some degree. Both my mother and father like big people, my father liking them bigger than my mother does. My grandfather on my fathers side like my grandmother cuz she was bigger than others, my uncle had married a bigger woman, my aunt has dated big guys... So I'm inclined to believe it is genetic. But as I said, only to a certain degree.


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## SlightlyMorbid (Sep 5, 2011)

I'm not sure if it is genetic. My parents hate the fact that ron is fat (though they know better than give him or me shit about it) and my whole family is thin (except for my cousin) so I have to say that it doesn't run in my family.


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## Jon Blaze (Sep 5, 2011)

Fail. I didn't really answer the question. lol

I think it's nature and nurture for most people. What is a stronger I feel is a matter of person. I mean, if a large percentage of your family is attracted to large people then the former might make sense. If not, then who knows?


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## Azrael (Sep 5, 2011)

I'd say it is more something you are born with not something that is passed down in the family. Very few people in my family are fat and/or married fat people so I don't see it as genetic.

I'd probably put it on par with some fetishes. I mean, is s guy a masochist because his parents were masochists? Does a guy have a foot fetish because his grandfather had a foot fetish? I wouldn't say so.

I also wouldn't say it's something which is "nurtured" into you either. I mean, when you remember always gravitating towards fat people (that is, by choice not by force) and even mild concepts of feederism before you even knew about it or were sexual it doesn't seem like it's a nurture thing.


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## bmann0413 (Sep 6, 2011)

Oh, it's totally not genetic in my family. In fact, I think I'm the only one who likes fat women. Hm.


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## BlueBurning (Sep 6, 2011)

Based on current and past partners of family members I'm pretty sure I am the only FA in the family.


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## WickedWaggy (Sep 6, 2011)

BlueBurning said:


> Based on current and past partners of family members I'm pretty sure I am the only FA in the family.



Sounds familiar. Everybody in my family is tiny, and dates tiny. I don't know where I get it from. Milkman I guess.


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## mithrandirjn (Sep 6, 2011)

It's something that likely varies from case to case.

For many people, it's "genetic" insofar as any kind of attraction might be construed as genetic. I think for most people who enjoy people who are bigger to some degree it's something you just wake up to as you grow and develop sexually. I don't really think I chose to be majorly attracted to a bubble butt/round thighs on a woman, but, well, here I am.

That said, I suppose there's something to the idea of some people gaining it through what they pick up from their environment growing up. When I was a child, one of my grandmothers and two of my aunts were very big, as were a number of my male relatives (some have lost weight since), so could some of it be that fat was simply more acceptable in my family? I spent a good chunk of my life being pretty chubby until the past couple of years where I've dropped around 50 pounds, I don't know where that plays in. It's not like most of the big people in my family resembled shapes that I currently find appealing, so I don't know.

Bottom line: I think it works like most other sexual preferences, but perhaps some of it can be a learned preference based on either early environments, or on life experiences as one grows older.


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## GunnerFA (Sep 6, 2011)

I wouldn't say it's genetic but in saying that I'm not surprised if fat admiration runs in some families. That to me is more of an influence based preference than a genetic one.

I can say with almost absolute certainty that I am the only FA in my family.


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## elroycohen (Sep 7, 2011)

It's an interesting thought, but seeing as how I'm the only one in my family whose preference is for larger women, it's does not run in my family at all.



davidburton said:


> Even though dating a fat person doesn't necessarily make you an FA, do you have any relatives dating bbw's/ bhm's?
> 
> I have 8 cousins, and two of them could definitely be FA's. Personally I think every trait comes back to genetics, so I'm thinking it runs in the family.


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## Radman1110 (Sep 8, 2011)

Yes, I believe it is possible since my grandfather on my mom's side liked my grandma with extra padding. I guess I need to obtain DNA from several FA's including myself and some controls and do DNA analysis and gene chip experiments to identify differences in genes. If we can identify possible genes we can figure out biological mechanisms. This data would be contraversal but nevertheless would be interesting.


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## Melian (Sep 8, 2011)

Radman1110 said:


> Yes, I believe it is possible since my grandfather on my mom's side liked my grandma with extra padding. I guess I need to obtain DNA from several FA's including myself and some controls and do DNA analysis and gene chip experiments to identify differences in genes. If we can identify possible genes we can figure out biological mechanisms. This data would be contraversal but nevertheless would be interesting.



This would be expensive, and I doubt anyone would fund it. The search for a "FA gene" would probably be as productive as the search for the "gay gene."

Current research tends to support a prenatal cascade of endocrine signals as being responsible for sexual preference-setting, so maybe the same would apply in this case.

Here's a recent Nature article that investigates the involvement of the serotonergic system with sexual preference (in mice, though....may not apply to humans, but is interesting nonetheless):

Nature. 2011 Apr 7;472(7341):95-9. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
Molecular regulation of sexual preference revealed by genetic studies of 5-HT in the brains of male mice.
Liu Y, Jiang Y, Si Y, Kim JY, Chen ZF, Rao Y.
SourceNational Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China.


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## joemurphy (Sep 8, 2011)

kioewen said:


> I think attraction to full-figured women is almost entirely genetic.



Not necessarily. Some of us were lucky enough to be born attracted to full-figured women, to others it is an acquired taste like fine wine.


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## Tad (Sep 8, 2011)

First of all, Im not arguing with anything Melian saidpretty sure shes more educated around genetics than the rest of us combined. (and could lap us a couple of times when it comes to epigenetics)

Secondly, I doubt that there ends up being a specific pre-natal preference for fat people, even after that endocrine cascade (I just had to use that phrase!). My best guess, judging by what many FA have said over the years and my own experiences, is that certain tendencies get set, but how they play out will be influenced by the environment. After all, FA come in a lot of different varieties, so no single explanation could account for all of us. 

Just to speculate about an example (not saying this is the way it is, just trying to illustrate how I could imagine things working). Say some boys get born with sexuality that makes them feel good about being a protector in a physical sense, that what resonates for them are couples where the woman is much less physically capable than the man. That could play out in a lot of ways, but combined with some other preferences and exposure to different people and attitudes early in life, some might prefer very petite women, while others might prefer very fat women. I could imagine that there are a lot of preference variables: how much do you like people like yourself as opposed to different, like your family versus different, comfort versus challenge, and plenty more.

Now, could some genes make certain preferences more likely outcomes from that endocrine cascade than others? I could buy that, and given that families often share certain environmental factors, that may make family members more likely to share certain sexuality traits, but I doubt it would ever be a strong predictor.


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## Fat Brian (Sep 8, 2011)

I've always thought more along the lines of Melians and Tads points. There most likely isn't an "FA gene", it seems far more likely that hormone exposure during pregnancy produces changes in the fetal brain that drive ones adult sexuality.


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## Tina (Sep 8, 2011)

I don't think it's genetic at all; I think it has to do with socialization, in part, anyway.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Sep 8, 2011)

Tina said:


> I don't think it's genetic at all; I think it has to do with socialization, in part, anyway.



I suspect it is for many -- perhaps most -- people. But since both my parents practiced fatphobia as if it were a religion, I can only ascribe my FA-ness to divine revelation. :happy:


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## Webmaster (Sep 8, 2011)

Tina said:


> I don't think it's genetic at all; I think it has to do with socialization, in part, anyway.



I don't think there is a definite answer. In my case, I was an FA as far back as I can remember, way before puberty. And there simply weren't any fat people in Switzerland, so it didn't seem genetic nor social. Maybe just one of those mysteries of nature, in which case there'd be some reason.

My explanation has always been that since the weight distribution of the population is on a bell curve, it's only logical that size preference is also on a bell curve.


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## bigmac (Sep 9, 2011)

I found big girls fascinating from a very early age (i.e. about 3rd grade). So I'm inclined to think that there is a genetic basis. Also, two of my three maternal uncles married large women (although my brothers like small women).


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## Melian (Sep 9, 2011)

Webmaster said:


> I don't think there is a definite answer. In my case, I was an FA as far back as I can remember, way before puberty. And there simply weren't any fat people in Switzerland, so it didn't seem genetic nor social. Maybe just one of those mysteries of nature, in which case there'd be some reason.
> 
> My explanation has always been that since the weight distribution of the population is on a bell curve, it's only logical that size preference is also on a bell curve.



Preferences, in general, will probably remain a mystery for a while longer, since brain function is still remarkably misunderstood, mostly relating to localization/formation of thought. One thing to consider is that genetic can have less direct meanings than simply referring to some gene that causes some behaviour  for complex traits, this is almost never the explanation.

There are literally thousands of ways that an attraction could be based in genetics, from the obvious (some particular pheromone is secreted more as fat percentage increases, and FAs represent the population with an active receptor for it), to the obscure (FAs have evolved some crossed neural connection between the sensory fibres that respond to crushing sensations and the ventral tegmental area of the brain, so when weight is applied to them they experience a dopamine surge that non-FAs would not receive). It all depends on how creative you want to get 

Here is a novel concept for you, and it touches on what I was saying earlier (and what Tad said, especially that certain tendencies get set, but how they play out will be influenced by the environment.). Hormones do not induce mutation, however, they have the ability to change the physical marks on the DNA and associated structural proteins, thus, changing the expression of genes (turning them on or off). It used to be thought that all of these marks were wiped clean and reset in the zygote, but recent work has revealed that some of these changes persist, meaning that changes acquired in the PARENTS lifetime (or even earlier) can potentially affect the regulation of the offsprings genome.

Ok, that was pretty abstract, but what Im saying is that perhaps, as Tad said, there are tendencies that arise from various genetic combinations, and perhaps these tendencies evolve and specify within a lifetime.so perhaps regulatory markings from one or both parents can even combine to shape the preference of a child, without the environment actually acting on the child, ie. it is genetic, but not related to a gene.

Honestly, I think most human behaviour is rooted in genetics and shaped by environment, as we all have a sort of innate sense of what makes us feel good, which is linked to neural reward pathways. We spend much of our lives trying to activate these pathways and get to the payoff.


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## LeoGibson (Sep 9, 2011)

I don't know about genetics. I'm not really smart enough to understand what that truly encompasses and not just a simplified layman's idea of what "genetics" are as far as why I like something or act a certain way.

I will say that I grew up in a BBW dominated environment. Most all of the women in my life during my formative years were BBW's. From my mother, to my Grandmother on my mom's side and an aunt and a sister as well. They were all on the smaller end of the BBW ideal. My guess would be starting at around a size 14-16 and up from there. (I'm terrible at women's sizes by just looking or memory, so those are guesses)

Now I don't know if that is why I have the attractions I do or not, but it would seem to as now as an adult, that is my number one preference. I like BBW's on the smaller end of the spectrum. That is what fires me off first and quickest. However that being said, I am attracted to most all women. All I require is a bit of intelligence in a partner so that we will always have plenty to talk about and a personality that is not too shitty or hateful. Oh yeah, and a vagina. That is deal breaker for sure, she *must* have a vagina. Other than that I'm good, I don't require much more. I just love women and you can be a mon petitite or a SSBBW and I will be attracted to you as long as you meet those criteria. I just love women.Period.:bow:

Maybe what I'm saying is that I have some canine genes mixed in there somewhere.


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## MrRabbit (Sep 11, 2011)

I am the only FA in my family. I don't think it is genetic, but I do think it is somehow imprinted during very early childhood.


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## krystalltuerme (Sep 11, 2011)

Here's why I think it's an early childhood thing:
I am, without a doubt, the only FA in my family. My mother, at 54 years old, is a size 2 and weighs 110 pounds. My dad likes that very much. Both are very fatphobic. At first glance, I didn't grow up in an environment that exposed me to fat or fat people at all.

HOWEVER,
When I was very little, my mom was in a very bad car accident and was in and out of the hospital for six to eight months. During that time, I was taken care of mostly by a babysitter who over time became a family friend. We'll call her Carla. She was a young BBW when I was little, and, over time, has moved most decidedly into SSBBW territory. I was very attached to Carla when I was little, and she has remained a good friend of the family. 

I think Carla made me an FA. My younger brothers provide further evidence of this, since Carla wasn't taking care of them at the same age that she took care of me (they weren't around yet). As my brothers have grown up, they have proven themselves to be attracted to petite, blonde women such as my mother, while I have proven to be attracted to fat women with much darker hair (like Carla).

I have always had a strained relationship with my mother, while my little brothers get along with her well. My very unscientific conclusion says that I imprinted on Carla, and grew up to be attracted to her, while my brothers imprinted on my mom and grew up to become attracted to people like her.

A good friend of mine is half Filipino. His dad is a Philippine immigrant, but his mom is tall, skinny, blonde, and very much a "right-brained" person (read: creative and scatterbrained). Guess what? He goes for the creative, scatterbrained, outspoken blondes.

Another friend's mother is African-American, while his dad is white. He looks white. But he goes for the African-American girls because that's what his mom is.

Tl;dr: In many cases, guys are attracted to girls that look like Mom. Freud would have a field day.


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## LordQuas (Sep 17, 2011)

I think it is somewhat influenced by genetics but not as much as something like temperament


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## StickMan (Sep 24, 2011)

I figure it's got as much to do with genetics as anything else to do with sexuality.

I don't know how many FAs there are in my extended family; most of them are pretty in shape, although at least one of my uncles pretty much has to be. He's about my size (which is to say, very skinny) and married to this gorgeous 350-lb scandinavian woman.


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## jakub (Sep 24, 2011)

I see no other explanation in my case - 99% genetics from hunger times.


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