We’re all guilty of it: we spend hours at the gym, we spend tons of money on makeup, clothes, and hair products – all to make ourselves more attractive to the male species. But are our efforts for naught? Are we wasting our time and/or money striving for a beauty ideal that real-world men don’t actually care for?
The simple (yet highly unsatisfying answer) is that “it depends on the guy”. In some respects, this may be true – but that is a difficult answer to work with. Should you tailor your beauty routine to attract the maximum number of male suitors? Should you go out of your way to find out what your ideal man is attracted to, and cater your appearance to his whims? Or should you just do what makes you happy, grooming-wise, and hope that the man who’s meant for you finds that attractive?
In a perfect world, you shouldn’t have to bend over backwards in order to make yourself appealing for any man. Being confident and happy with yourself should be more than enough to attract any decent guy. But beyond that, there are certain universal characteristics which will make you stand out in a crowd. And we’ll tell you all about them here in this article.
Men are Attracted to a Certain Waist-to-Hip Ratio
According to evolutionary psychology, human beings choose their mates based on who will help them produce the healthiest, most attractive offspring. Producing strong, healthy babies ensures that said babies will be more successful reproductively, thereby ensuring that the genetic lineage lives on for several generations to come.
One of the strongest visual indicators of female health and fertility is the “Waist-to-Hip Ratio” (or WHR for short). To calculate your own WHR, measure your waist at its smallest point, and measure your hips at their widest. Then divide your waist (in inches) by your hip measurement. The closer you get to 0.7, the more attractive you will be to the opposite sex.
There are a number of reasons why an optimal WHR is considered universally attractive. It indicates that your body is resilient against many common diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. It also indicates that you have an abundance of DHA-rich body fat which, during pregnancy, nourishes your baby and promotes fetal brain development. For most males, the appeal of a 0.7 WHR is so hard-wired into their brains that even blind men can recognize it by touch (and still find it more attractive).
Men Are Attracted to a Certain Smell
This entire section could be summed up by saying “go google the phrase ‘sweaty T-shirt experiment'”. But to save you some time, we’ll sum up the findings of that study here. To make a long story short, human beings have the subconscious ability to sniff out their mate’s immune system. And if a person who is immune to diseases A, B, and C goes on a date with another person who is immune to diseases D, E, and F, then – BOOM! – attraction is much more likely to happen.
Why? Well, like we talked about previously, it has to do with what your hypothetical children will inherit from you. Any babies born from the union of the aforementioned couple have the potential to be immune to diseases A-F, which will make them healthier, more resilient, and more likely to reproduce and pass their genes on to the next generation. Children produced from two people with similar immune systems, however, are more likely to be sickly and feeble. So if your immune system smells too much like the object of your affection, he is much less likely to find you attractive.
Men Are Attracted to “The Natural Look”
Whenever you start a new relationship, how long do you usually wait before you let your beau see you without makeup? And when your new man finally sees you in all your natural beauty, how often do you hear him exclaim “Wow, you look so much better without makeup!”?
As infuriating as that sentiment might be, it reflects an undeniable trend: most men prefer their women to rock a “natural” look. But this doesn’t mean you have to give up on improving your appearance entirely. Try investing in beauty products which don’t leave a makeup-esque footprint on your face, yet still leave you looking youthful and beautiful. For example: an antioxidant cream like Aquallure, or an eyelash enhancement product like Marvelash. Either product will effortlessly enhance your natural beauty, whether you’re eliminating wrinkles or growing thick, voluminous lashes. But neither product will leave you looking like you’re trying too hard. And that is probably one of the sexiest things men are attracted to, generally speaking.