The evolutionary biologists postulate that the primary reason for our living is evolution - that is to reproduce and pass on genes onto the next generation. They then reproduce and pass their genes on and thereby continuing the evolution.  To give our next generation the optimal survival time to reproduce, humans must be wired to select the healthiest mate.  According to biologists, since the beauty is the best proxy for human health, the beauty and thus the body image is connected to evolutionary biology. 

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Matt Ridley, in his book "The Red Queen", explains this succinctly. Matt writes, "Prettiness is an indication of youth and health, which are indications of fertility. Why does [a] man care about fertility in his mate? Because if he did not, his genes would be eclipsed by those of men who did."

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But, if the beauty and therefore body image serves an evolutionary purpose, what confirmation is there?  According to a 2007 study published in the journal Evolution & Human Behavior, women with the hourglass figure may give birth to more intelligent children, and intelligence is a key part of our survival strategy. Such argument provides the role of beauty and body image in evolutionary biology.

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Interestingly, the analysis of the shape and structure of human faces can also tell us a lot about beauty and its role in human evolution. The New York Times in 2008 reported in a survey that there is surprising agreement about what makes a face attractive. Symmetry is at the core of the beauty and that there is little dissent among people of different cultures, ethnicities, races, ages and gender. 

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Research has also shown that an attractive face may also be an indicator of good health, specifically a strong immune system.

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Thus there seems to be overwhelming connection of beauty, an our body image to evolutionary biology. 

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The advertisers may be just leveraging this connection to sell their products to us, instead of playing with our self-respect and so.

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