Justlooking5
Active member
So I was reading some articles (couldn't link, but google "the ideal male physique") which say women prefer the skinny
Brad Pitt look according to poll responses.
One article basically polled women who said they preferred Brad Pitt's lean/slightly muscular physique to all others, including bodybuilders, etc. Their next favorite was a slim tattooed "fit" look.
However, when it comes to more than just what women say in polls, but where they actually spend their money (i.e., their actions), take a look at their purchasing decisions. When Harlequin, the romance novel publisher who surely knows its audience with half a billion dollars in annual revenue wants to sell sexual and romantic fantasies to women, they choose muscular, aesthetic (but not freaky-huge) bodybuilder-esque physiques to put on the covers. Not Brad Pitt fit, not skinny fit with tattoos.
In fact, several bodybuilders are also romance novel cover models (e.g., Frank Sepe).
So they know when women actually want fantasy men, they choose guys who are way more built than most popular wisdom would suggest. (Just google "romance novel covers" to see a bunch of aesthetic (but not freaky/vascular) bodybuilders) gracing the covers of these female fantasy novels).
Personally, positive attention from women has increased when I've gotten more muscular. I get better reactions now at 6' 212 lbs. probably 11-13% bodyfat than I did at 6' 190, and when I was bigger in the past, (up to 6' 235 lbs. or a much leaner 6' 215 or so with appx. 17.75" arms pumped) even more freaky positive stuff happened with chicks, and I got attention from hotter girls.
Anyway, tldr: Look at romance novel covers to see that (at least a large number of) chicks actually do like the non-freaky bodybuilder look a lot when it comes to guys they fantasize about sexually and romantically, in disagreement with current popular press on the topic and even the prevailing viewpoints expressed on many bodybuilding forums.
Brad Pitt look according to poll responses.
One article basically polled women who said they preferred Brad Pitt's lean/slightly muscular physique to all others, including bodybuilders, etc. Their next favorite was a slim tattooed "fit" look.
However, when it comes to more than just what women say in polls, but where they actually spend their money (i.e., their actions), take a look at their purchasing decisions. When Harlequin, the romance novel publisher who surely knows its audience with half a billion dollars in annual revenue wants to sell sexual and romantic fantasies to women, they choose muscular, aesthetic (but not freaky-huge) bodybuilder-esque physiques to put on the covers. Not Brad Pitt fit, not skinny fit with tattoos.
In fact, several bodybuilders are also romance novel cover models (e.g., Frank Sepe).
So they know when women actually want fantasy men, they choose guys who are way more built than most popular wisdom would suggest. (Just google "romance novel covers" to see a bunch of aesthetic (but not freaky/vascular) bodybuilders) gracing the covers of these female fantasy novels).
Personally, positive attention from women has increased when I've gotten more muscular. I get better reactions now at 6' 212 lbs. probably 11-13% bodyfat than I did at 6' 190, and when I was bigger in the past, (up to 6' 235 lbs. or a much leaner 6' 215 or so with appx. 17.75" arms pumped) even more freaky positive stuff happened with chicks, and I got attention from hotter girls.
Anyway, tldr: Look at romance novel covers to see that (at least a large number of) chicks actually do like the non-freaky bodybuilder look a lot when it comes to guys they fantasize about sexually and romantically, in disagreement with current popular press on the topic and even the prevailing viewpoints expressed on many bodybuilding forums.
