Large breasts, tight buns, long flowing golden locks: it’s fairly well-known what men are supposed to find attractive in women.
In fact, lately, there’s been quite a debate over what a man thinks is hot versus what a girl thinks is hot, and I’m here to clear up a few of the falsities surrounding this controversy.
It’s often thought that while men tend to favor the curvaceous bodies of celebrities like Blake Lively and Megan Fox, women tend to emulate the quirky style of Anne Hathaway or Zooey Deschanel.
It’s an age-old question: Who do you dress for? Do you dress to please yourself, your friends or, more likely, the opposite sex?
Surely you’ve heard the terms before: “girl hot” versus “guy hot.” Classy versus sexy. Although you cannot exactly put these images into words, you could point out examples of them on a busy sidewalk.
Women, it seems, are always well aware of who they’re dressing for. It’s as simple as asking yourself if you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing. Answer: Yes? Then, you’re girl hot. No? You’re guy hot.
I’m not quite sure why more women don’t dress for themselves anymore, but I do know the answer probably lies somewhere in between self-confidence and the desire to be accepted.
Often, women feel the need not just to impress but also to belong and fit in with their peers. They see their friends getting all dolled-up, and they feel an inherent need to follow suit, even if it goes against their own gut feeling.
This feeling, however, does not discriminate between the sexes. Men, too, face the same dilemmas that women do, albeit in a slightly different manner.
No, they don’t have to suffer through high heels and hair straighteners, but one episode of Jersey Shore and you realize that men too suffer through quite a lot for the sake of “lookin’ good.”
They spend several hours each week sculpting their bodies into near-godlike proportions, throw down handfuls of cash on fancy cars and sometimes even wear shirts that are tighter than the woman’s that they are trying to impress.
I can tell you that as a woman, I personally find this sort of quintessential hot guy prototype to be less than ideal. My own dream guy more closely resembles Joseph Gordon-Levitt than Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and I think few women would disagree.
I prefer classical good looks and a quirky sense of humor to a perfect set of washboard abs or perfectly gelled hair. My tastes vary greatly from that which is expected of me, and I would hamper a guess that perhaps many men’s tastes for women do as well.
I once knew a girl who could wear sweatpants every day, throw her hair in a messy ponytail, wear not a hint of makeup and the men still, literally, fell at her feet.
For her, the ability to just be herself — her funny, charming self — was enough to keep the men coming back time and time again. She didn’t have to dress provocatively or act like someone she wasn’t because she knew the secret: confidence is more attractive than even the tightest skirt you own.
So, my message of the week is this: Dress for yourself and the rest will follow suit.
There is no standard of beauty amongst the sexes nor are there any definite rules for how to attract the perfect companion. Tastes and preferences are as different as the people who hold them; one man’s distaste is another’s dream.
Learn to dress to impress — for yourself that is — and only then will you find the man, or woman, of your dreams. If you aim for comfort, confidence will follow suit.
Rachel Sayers is a freshman studying journalism and a columnist for The Post. Who’s the perfect guy for you? Email her at rs289910@ohiou.edu.
