Do you like different men in each stage of your life? How are your preferences changing?

12+

I used to like skater boys when I was 12-15.

15+

I liked surfer boys or skinny band boys from 15-24. For a while, I thought older men were cool because I thought it was exciting that older men thought I was mature enough for them--it felt like finding a hack to becoming an adult quickly, bypassing the awkward teenage/young adult stage. Once I realized older dudes only liked me because I was young and a bit silly, the attraction waned. I lost respect for them--it was like finding out the Wizard of Oz is just a dud guy behind a curtain.

I also liked guys my age who had wide swings of emotion, thinking that was way exciting. They were often musicians who were tortured beings when they were down and the funnest people ever when they were up.

30+

I still like tortured band guys but have a much wider range of who I like. A new thing is liking men who work with their hands. I don't want to live with extremes of emotion anymore. I have a deeper appreciation for men who are rock-steady (like my husband) who show me their inner selves and fears at times. I want to know what makes my husband tick and I crave those insights. If my husband didn't show me what was inside, I'd find him hard to love. No deep connection, no love.

Physically, I now like men anywhere from 25 to around my age (late 30s) and a little older. I prefer a man who is more solid than skinny now, though no big muscles. The range of looks I find attractive is now super-wide. I've come into contact with a lot of different men now and have realized that a lot of different kinds of men are attractive and pretty cool.