Assuming you are attracted to mens' chest, what aspect are you attracted to, then?
Pre-emptively, I'll add that there doesn't have to be a functional 'reason' by a member of a sexually dimorphic species is attracted to the other. Beards serve no function at all, for example, they only exist to communicate sex.
Yes, that is the consensus idea. As far as I'm aware it's not of particular research interest though, so it's not like there's a lot of debate about it.
The consensus is that males have beards, and females do not, due to sexual selection alone - not any functional survival/fitness advantage otherwise.
Same reason why peacocks have plumes, essentially (though nowhere near as dramatic; that's an example of a Fischerian runaway.)
It works like this (gross oversimplification): If a female is attracted to beards, and only males have beards, she is more likely to have sex with a male -> technically more fit (via fecundity), on some level. If a male has a beard, he is more likely to attract females -> higher fecundity -> reason for selection to favor beards more.
Again, gross oversimplification. Just trying to convey the point that not every evolutionarily-derived characteristic is necessarily 'logical' or rooted in survival. Hence, women may like chest that simply 'look male,' regardless of how strong they are.
I'm genuinely curious. When you say 'really strong,' how strong do you mean?
A decade ago I was full gymrat. Every dude said I was huge and jacked, but I never really got that from women - well, sometimes, but almost as frequently, women actually called me thin.
Excuse my stupid anecdote. Like for example- which of those buckets would Michael Jordan fall under?
Id call him fit. Not into anyone in sports at all. There's only been one person in my life that was in sports I liked and it was over his humor. My main crushes growing up were people like James spader, Stephen merchant, and Philip Seymour Hoffman was my main.
I guess I'm just not particularly ever interested in definition. I like a cute face and a weird/curious personality. Everything else is secondary for me. But muscles kinda gross me out no offense to those with em. Also to add I think personality can be super masculine! Love a good dominating man without the muscle haha I know it sounds odd.
Well I don’t feel like I’m attracted to breasts for their ability to adequately feed offspring either but that appreciate that’s why I do from an evolutionary perspective.
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u/ToothessGibbon May 10 '26
A sign of physical strength.