Male fascination with muscles may have more to do with other men
than with women. Men were aware that massive muscles were no major
attraction to women. Only 27 percent agreed with the statement, "Men
pictured in body-building magazines are attractive to most women." In
fact, just 20 percent of women acknowledged finding body builders
attractive.
Hair loss was a real concern for male respondents. Men with full
heads of hair were a narrow majority (53 percent). Ironically, they were
the most worried about hair loss: 38 percent indicated they would be
"very upset" if they discovered they were rapidly losing hair. But
anticipation may be worse than reality, since only 23 percent of men with
thinning hair answered "very upset" on the same item. Older men also
expressed less concern.
Apparently balding is easier to watch than experience, as women
were relatively unconcerned about male hair loss. Of those whose partner
had a full head of hair, only 13 percent would be "very upset" and 24
percent "somewhat upset" at the prospect of his hair thinning. A mere 18
percent of women whose partners had already lost some hair acknowledged
being very or somewhat upset. Again, women may be adjusting their
preferences to the realities of their mate.
Fifty-two percent of men thought women would endorse the statement,
"I generally find bald men unattractive." Only 40 percent of women
agreed, and they tended to be younger and more attractive. On the other
hand, some women found bald men cute -- especially if their partner lacked
an intact scalp. A 24-year-old stated, "In the past I never thought bald
men were attractive. Only recently my opinion changed. My recent
boyfriend keeps his head shaved and he is just adorable."
Most men agreed that the best way to cope with encroaching baldness
was to "do nothing." Hair transplants came in a distant second, with head
shaving the third-favorite choice. Buying a hairpiece was dead last. Only
eight male participants admitted to wearing a toupee.
Graying hair was another matter. Over a third of the men approved
of using hair color to treat premature gray, and more were positive about
coloring for older men. Women's attitudes were similar to men's for
coloring premature gray but were more negative about coloring for the
aging male. As one woman wrote, "Gray hair on men is very sexy."
Our results reflected the current cultural preference for
clean-shaven faces. Sixty percent of male respondents were cleanshaven,
21 percent had a mustache only, 19 percent had a beard and mustache. Less
than 1 percent had a beard without a mustache.
Men guessed correctly that women would prefer clean-shaven men. Yet
while only 14 percent of women overall named "beard with mustache" as
their first choice, 55 percent of women whose partner had a beard ranked
it first. Once again, women may have brought their judgment in line with
their partner.
Most of the comments about facial hair were about beards, and the
positive ones were about neatly trimmed beards. Women tended to associate
poorly groomed or neglected beards with generalized slovenliness. The
goatee was singled out for derision.
Locker room lore suggests that male chest hair is sexy. But
moderate hair on arms, legs, and chest was the choice favored by a
plurality of women. There were no written comments on body hair,
suggesting few strong feelings.
Next to hygiene, male genitals elicited the most comments. Both
sexes thought men placed too much emphasis on organ size. Over 71 percent
of women agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "Men seem too
concerned with the size and shape of their genitals." Only 9 percent
disagreed. Many comments made it clear that sexual skill and sensitivity
overshadow the importance of size. As one woman wrote, "It's not what a
man has that matters so much as how he uses it."
Seventy-eight percent of male respondents reported being
circumcised. Preferences reflected these percentages; 42 percent of women
reported a strong preference for circumcised men, while only 7 percent
preferred uncircumcised men. However, better than half the women with
uncircumcised partners expressed some degree of preference for an
uncircumcised penis.
In general, women cared more about penis width, while men thought
length would matter more. Men underestimated by half the percentage of
women who did not care about length. Men also assumed that women's size
preference was a matter of appearance. In fact, the number one reason
women preferred a thicker penis was that it was "more satisfying during
intercourse." A wider penis can deliver extra stimulation to the
clitoris, while a longer penis reaches a part of the vagina that is
poorly innervated.
A few women stated that "ideal" size depended on the sexual
activity involved. Several pointed out that fellatio and anal sex were
more pleasurable with a smaller penis.
Women who rated themselves as more attractive were particularly
concerned with larger size. Of women describing themselves as "much more
attractive than average," 64 percent cared strongly or moderately about
penis width, and 54 percent cared about penis length. Women who rated
their own looks as average were about 20 percentage points lower.
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