What the trendy 'dad bod' that girls are going crazy for really looks like

Girls might fantasize over devilishly handsome, diamond-cut bodies like Brad Pitt's in Troy, but what they really want is a man who's more "human, natural, and attractive," according to Clemson University sophomore Mackenzie Pearson, who introduced the world to what she calls the "dad bod" last March in her premiere article "Why Girls Love the Dad Bod."

The dad bod applies to any man - father or bachelor - with a physique that's a "nice balance between a beer gut and working out," Pearson writes.

While Pearson's description gives some idea of what she's referring to, Josh Barro of the New York Times and economics professor Justin Wolfers from the University of Michigan wanted a more definitive explanation.

That meant they had to take the term "dad bod" more literally:

They looked at men between the age of 18 and 45 whose weight and gut size (among other physical traits) are detailed in the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released last May - a survey taken every few years by the National Center for Health Statistics to examine the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the US.

Then they compared the weight and gut size of men with children (under the age of 18) and men without children. Sure enough, they found a clear-cut difference between the two groups.

They report their findings in The Upshot stating:

"On average, dads are 10 pounds heavier than non-dads; they're carrying nearly an extra two inches on their waist; and their bellies stick out an extra half-inch."

They also found that dads adopt more of a "dad bod" as their children age. Recent fathers with toddlers barely show any signs of the dad bod, Barro and Wolfers report, while fathers with older children and teens are the ones with the wider waistline.

Of course, these extra pounds might not necessarily be a direct consequence of fatherhood.

"After all, if the Internet is right that men with an extra layer of cushioning really are more attractive, perhaps they're more likely to reproduce," they write.