I keep seeing these claims that a highly muscular man is a male fantasy, that women prefer slimmer "swimmer-type" guys. I used to disagree with this, but I eventually realized it's true. BUT it's really goddamn tricky because it's not that simple.

In my personal experience and also in media, handsome tall men are by far the most popular among women (DDDUUUUUUHHHH) and the tricky part is that when these guys put on juuuuust a bit of muscle, they're instantly seen as "beefcake". Just like that. Got decent pectorals? "He got huge for the role!!!" They're no bigger and no more ripped than many gymgoers you might know yourself, but the results are seen as completely different.

I will give you a few examples; this is exactly how it has worked for my male acquaintances, but I will use celebrities because I never post other people's photos without asking. Take the "large and manly" Hollywood stars considered sex symbols. Henry Cavill (an absolute sensation thanks to the Witcher thing), Channing Tatum, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jason Momoa, Michael B. Jordan. People straight up gasped when seeing them in movie theaters.

All of them were below 100 kg/220 lbs, even as tall as they are. Cavill and Evans were 88 kg/195 lbs, Tatum 83 kg/180 lbs, Hemsworth and Momoa 95 kg/210 lbs, Jordan 80 kg/177 lbs. All of them roughly 10% body fat. That's achievable even for a gymgoer who doesn't have steroids, professional dietists and trainers and plenty of time like these guys have. I know gym bro guys more jacked than that.

And bear in mind these are the TOP BUFFED of sex symbols. All the other male sex symbols, and there's quite a few of them, are lighter than this. People know Tatum as the "football jock" in most roles. Hemsworth and Momoa are pointed out as huge every time. These are the tanks, the upper end of the muscle spectrum, and yet they're nothing impossible. The rest of sex symbols are less muscular than this.

In conclusion: women DO prefer slim and lean, but it may seem like they prefer jacked men because as soon as the guys that they already like put on a bit of muscle everyone acts as if they got huge.