SIGNIFICANCE: Body shape (BS) dissatisfaction is especially prevalent in college aged women but the prevalence of BS dissatisfaction has not been well described in students attending an all women's institution. It is also unclear whether a being in good physical condition is associated with BS dissatisfaction and perception. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and physiological measures on BS perceptions among female college students (N = 153; mean age ± SD = 19.6 ± 1.8 years) attending an all women's institution in order to implement preventative educational programs. DESIGN: Descriptive variables (mean ± SD) included: Aerobic fitness (VO2max) estimated by the Queens College 3-minute step test (34.8 ± 4.9 ml/kg/min); physical activity (PA) measured by the Lipid Research Clinic questionnaire scored on an ordinal scale from 1 (very active) to 3 (inactive) (1.9 ± 0.9); percent body fat (%BF) determined from three skinfolds (24.9 ± 7.3 %); and SES determined by annual household income arranged ordinally from 1 (<$0,000) to 4 (> $100,000) (2.2 ± 0.7). Using a set of nine female figure silhouette drawings arranged ordinally from 1 (very thin) to 9 (very heavy), subjects were asked to choose the figure that approximated their current (4.2 ± 1.2), ideal (3.4 ± 0.7)and most attractive shape (ATT, 3.3 ± 0.5); and the shape that they believed men found the most attractive (MALE ATT, 3.1 ± 0.7). BS dissatisfaction was assessed by the difference between current and ideal shapes (0.9 ± 1.0). Means, standard deviations, correlations, multiple regression and repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests were performed using a SPSS program. RESULTS: Several significant relationships existed between BS perceptions and VO2max, PA and %BF. The results of the present investigation are highly supportive of research findings that show that female college students are dissatisfied with their BS and that they believe that men prefer a female BS that is thinner than their current shape. Overall, this data indicates that all of these relationships except for ATT and MALE ATT were confounded by %BF, as participants with a higher %BF chose larger current and ideal shapes and were more dissatisfied with their shape. In conclusion, as the participants in the present study have similar BS perceptions to their counterparts attending co-educational institutions, BS perception program strategies previously used in co-educational settings are appropriate for students attending all women's institutions.