Are good looks a necessary but not sufficient condition for physical attraction in women?

TW_CountryMusic · 2016-11-21T23:56:42+00:00

Yes, this is 100% correct.

Looks are necessary for attraction but that doesn't mean they're all that's necessary. A woman can find a man perfectly good-looking and still not desire him sexually.

Think of it like one ingredient in a recipe. You're not going to make good bread without yeast, but you still need flour, milk and eggs too. The yeast is integral, but it's not the whole picture.

aznphenix · 2016-11-21T23:52:59+00:00

They matter and they aren't everything. They have diminishing returns. But looking good will probably never hurt your chances, unless you intimidate the woman.

shoup88 · 2016-11-22T00:15:20+00:00

Absolutely. Looks can get your foot in the door, and are an integral part of attraction, but they're not everything. Charm, the way he moves, the way his voice sounds, whether or not you feel safe around him, chemistry - these can all make or break attraction when mixed with good looks.

nemporisso · 2016-11-22T01:26:03+00:00

Depends on your definition of "attraction". Ever see a $10 bill fluttering down the sidewalk but then you reach to pick it up and it's just an old scrap of paper? It still caught your eye, but close inspection made you turn the other way. In women, generally speaking, "close inspection" is the first impression of the dude's personality.

damaskrose · 2016-11-22T15:13:44+00:00

Yes, I would say it's necessary but not sufficient. Except for me it's not even "good looks" so much as "average looks". For me looks aren't really a scale, they're "yes" or "no" and as long as a guy is above the minimum threshold, other factors become more important.

[deleted] · 2016-11-22T03:23:16+00:00

"Looks" matter because we're visual creatures.

However, what we consider good looks differs. I have a friend who loves hairy men. I dislike hair. I think big noses are cute, not everyone does. I like men a little chubby and rounded while the person that turned you down likes muscular tennis players.

There's no accounting for taste, and you won't necessarily always be attracted to what you believe is attractive.

shogunofsarcasm · 2016-11-22T00:55:04+00:00

This is pretty true. I am sure there are some exceptions but for most women the looks draw their attention and the personality seals the deal. Without a good personality I don't care how "hot" a guy is, he won't be attractive to me

BiggerDthanYou · 2016-11-22T00:00:54+00:00

There are guys I think are super amazing looking that I would never have sex with. Conversely, today I asked a guy out for coffee he's not amazing looking handsome but there's just "something" sexy about him.

Merger-Arbitrage · 2016-11-22T02:45:37+00:00

Looks are plenty enough for attraction for women in regard to sex. You do not need to be anything else, except be pleasant.

In regard to a relationship, different women want very different things. Most women are not after tennis players.

As I mentioned in another post today, I have a lot of friends who are married to blue collar workers (builders, bricklayers, electricians). The women are almost all college/uni educated. These are great guys and solid family men (the couples who have kids).

I'm assuming that the looks of these men were not sufficient - they also have warm, engaging personalities and are hard workers.

It's the same for men as far as I can tell. They want the whole package, not just looks.

cxj · 2016-11-22T02:28:25+00:00

I believe so because I am frequently told I'm good looking and given IOIs from girls only to fuck it up with my weird personality. Lol

Willow-girl · 2016-11-22T05:17:36+00:00

Can't speak for others, but I find personality more important. If a man is interesting, I generally find him attractive, providing he's reasonably well-groomed.

Atlas_B_Shruggin · 2016-11-22T01:26:09+00:00

[deleted] · 2016-11-22T09:23:50+00:00

[permanently deleted]

redmachines · 2016-11-22T02:43:27+00:00

Good looks alone were never sufficient for men. That is a BP cope. They are intentionally lowering their standards in order to find a decent partner. They know that if they ask for personality too then they will become incel....if they aren't one already from trying to find a woman that isn't fat.

trail22 · 2016-11-22T04:59:56+00:00

Women when they look for a ONS tend to increase they physical requirements.

In a practical sense, most people won't get to know a someone well enough to appreciate them for their personality if the person physically doesnt meet a minimum threshold of attractiveness.

anitapk · 2016-11-22T07:29:16+00:00

Looks don't get you rejected or get girls interested in you, but you gotta keep that interest up.

fuxdpus · 2016-11-22T12:25:02+00:00

Women don't even need good looks. Women care more about status. Men care more about looks.

Women go for celebrity athletes and rich/powerful men even if those men aren't that good looking.

Men aren't like that. Men aren't going to go for a woman just cause she's a celebrity, rich, or high status. A man would rather date a broke hot girl who is nice to him than an ugly, post-wall, mean, bitchy, billionaire or celebrity.

[deleted] · 2016-11-22T12:35:12+00:00

A man needs to be 100% physical perfect for a woman to be attracted to him, yes. That women need the man to be physical perfect and still might not be attracted to him because he doesn't like to bake apple pies for poor children in Africa or some shit only goes to show how sexually and emotionally hypergamous all women are(anyyway the women who aren't 500 pounds and missing an eye).

it also depends on the age of the women. My chad friends bang girls 18-25 without having to worry about attracting women by using their personality or their collection of pokemon cards.

goatismycopilot · 2016-11-22T13:56:19+00:00

Everybody has preferences in looks, they get you in the door. There is some guy at my gym that I say hi to that looks like Gerard Butler. Doesn't mean anything though. I think oh it is the hot guy who looks like Gerard Butler and continue on.

Blue_Beatrix · 2016-11-22T14:32:43+00:00

Yes. Good looks is the baseline. It's just that women never ever talk about it because to talk about requiring good looks makes them look shallow and superficial and bitchy, and women don't want to project that appearance. So they don't talk about it, or out and out lie about it.

If you're getting rejected, it's because you aren't good looking enough.

PoopInMyBottom · 2016-11-22T14:47:55+00:00

No.

This is how it works for some women, but not for others.

I'll use myself as an example. I do horrendously on tinder and Internet dating. I'm not a looker and have a body like an assortment of twigs. I can barely bench the bar on its own. I redeem myself by being smart. I'm good at making people laugh, at least IRL.

Most women don't find me particularly attractive. 90% think I'm disgusting, no matter how attractive they are. But the 10% that like me? They couldn't give a shit what I look like at all.

Women have a crazy degree of variability in what they find attractive. There are defined features women like in men but what features one particular woman will like is totally up in the air.

Some women like bodybuilders, some women like swimmers. Some women like thin, emaciated pale men in tiny skinny jeans. Some women like humour. Some women like intelligence. Some women like MMA fighters. Some women like nerds. Some women like other women.

Trying to find a universal explanation for what women find attractive is flawed. You can probably find a model of the ideal body but how much that metric actually matters to each individual woman varies.

cicilala · 2016-11-22T07:53:43+00:00

It i$ not nece$$ary. You can make up for it with other thing$.

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Candy_Kittens · 2016-11-22T20:16:17+00:00

I don't think looks are everything. It's funny but sometimes I might pass an attractive woman but not be attracted to her at all. Like my own eyes can she is good looking, but I am not attracted to her.

Transmigratory · 2016-11-23T20:27:04+00:00

Status helps, but it is amplified with good looks. If those guys were electricians or bricklayers then you can bet that they'd probably not say no to doing them.

Blue_Beatrix · 2016-11-23T22:38:30+00:00

Good looks only works for one night stands. You need more than good looks for long term relationships.

Title	Are good looks a necessary but not sufficient condition for physical attraction in women?
Author	ifelsedowhile
Upvotes	6
Comments	179
Date	November 21, 2016 11:49 PM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/5e7gcl/are_good_looks_a_necessary_but_not_sufficient/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/are-good-looks-a-necessary-but-not-sufficient.271733 https://theredarchive.com/post/271733

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