Do women really like muscular men

By M.Farouk Radwan, MSc.

What really attracts women?

Do women really like muscular men?
Do women even care about looks?
Do ripped men have a better chance of attracting women?
Or is the perfect body thing over hyped?

In order to answer these questions properly you first need to know what women think about looks. Yes women do care about looks but much less than men do. A man can instantly get attracted to a woman once he sees her but women usually need some more things, apart from visual cues, before they can find a man attractive.

If you read any romantic novels before, the ones that are written specially for women, you will always discover that the hero wasn't just handsome but he was also dominant. Most heroes of romance novels are leaders, kings, nights, bosses, sheriffs and the list goes on. (see also Why women find bad boys attractive)

Most women won't be much interested in men who look good but don't have a dominant position in society. In one study women found men with pizza delivery uniforms much less attractive than men wearing professional suits.

In 50 shades of grey the heroine didn't like Mr grey because he was handsome for that's not enough to turn most women on but she liked him because he was a handsome CEO who had power over so many employees (dominance).

Muscles and protection

Most women want to feel safe and secure. Women tend to find men who seem strong and protective more attractive than other men provided that all other factors are constant.

Now if a woman considered a man's size a sign that he is capable of protecting her then certainly she might find him more attractive but there is a trick here.

Unlike men women look for cues across different domains and so they can conclude the same piece of information through the man's behavior and not just his looks. For example a man who is strong and dominant but not muscular might seem more attractive than a man who is muscular but passive. (see also Why women like cocky men)

In my latest book Jane's Code i explained how a short and slim guy managed to attract the most beautiful woman in town not because she didn't care about looks but because he sent her other signals that showed that he posses the traits good looking men posses.

In other words good looks can certainly convey good things about a man but this doesn't mean that average looking men don't have a chance. By sending the same signals across a different channel (behavior instead of looks) an average looking man can still have a great chance of attracting good looking women. (see Do average looking people have a chance)

Do women like muscular men?

Provided that all other factors are constant a ripped man can appear more attractive to women because of many reasons such as the need for protection. In addition to that biological need many women assume that a muscular man is more self motivated and more committed than an ordinary man.

After all it takes a lot of self discipline, motivation and commitment to develop a good looking body. Add to this the ability to resist unhealthy food and to avoid binge eating in a world where such food is anything but scarce.

So if a woman cares about such traits then certainly she will find a muscular man more attractive but the one thing you must put in mind is that each woman is different.

Do looks really matter? Can an unattractive person attract a very attractive one? Yes its quite possible and this is exactly what Jane's Code is all about. A revolutionary book that explains how love can be manipulated no matter who you are or how you look like.

Want to know more?

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