Honestly, I’ve just about given up understanding the preferences of the opposite sex. Scratch that - I’ve given up on that a long time ago. I’ve just about given up trying to understand people generally speaking. I don’t even have a proper handle on my own thinking, truth be told. I guess all I can say is that some days I like everybody & some days I don’t like anyone.

Most straight men, IMO, do not think men are attractive. Noot being scared of someone calling you ‘gay’, but because ‘man’ - the entity itself - is a hairy, burly, farting, belching, scratching & musky thing. On the other hand, girls are truly soft, delicate, sugar, spice and everything nice. Oh, yeah, and boobs, too.

You’d be hard pressed to get a guy to say that more than a handful of men are ‘good looking’. And I mean judging the entire planet. And Brad Pitt is a given, so that one doesn’t even count….although, he’s ‘pretty’, not good lookin’. Years back, the man that men would like to be and women would like to be with was someone like Elvis or a young (very) Brando. Nowadays, men would rather choose an athlete (Tiger, A-Rod) or someone rich (Gates).

Pretty boys are out.

Well, I think my husband is *very* handsome, and that we are equally attractive, but HE completely disagrees; I can’t even get him to acknowledge that he is “good looking,” nevermind gorgeous.

I wonder what the results of the survey would have been if they’d asked the women to rate their spouse’s looks. And compared that to the men’s ratings of themselves.

Maybe people who are more humble about their appearance - note: I said “humble” not “self-deprecating” or “secretly resentful of” - might be better marriage partners overall.

Personally, I think it all revolves around the wallet; the better your monetary prospects are, the more attractive you are to her.

Damn Ricky. I am ugly and my wife makes more than I do. But she is stickin’ around for some reason. I could assume it was for the sake of the kids but they are gone. I could assume it is because I fix her breakfast every morning but she could get that at Hardee’s.

I don’t know man. I guess I will just count my blessings and keep my fingers crossed.

How that squares with the concept that women prefer men with six-pack abs and buns of steel is a conundrum that I cannot figure out since that is almost an impossibility as the human male ages. Personally, I think it all revolves around the wallet; the better your monetary prospects are, the more attractive you are to her. Yes, they really do want us to take care of them, no matter what you hear on teevee.

I work with a lot of divorced people (I guess with marriages failing at a rate of 50%, that’s common) and I can tell you that the attractive females aren’t looking for dates with hunky guys who are ripped to the max but who are making $10/hour. They don’t even register on their interest scale. Managers, businessmen, guys who can afford a few things….that’s who they inquire about.

Of course, in the long run, it doesn’t matter. They’re still going to bitch incessantly no matter who they end up with.