I was watching tv programme about models with my cousin last night. They were talking about the super models and when it came to Kate Moss i go, "god, she is just so beautiful..." , well my cousin says, "no, she's not, i dont see anything in her and shes so skinny and has awful skin!".. WEll, i was amazed because i truely think she is like the most beautiful woman in the world. I asked him what he thought of Angelina Jolie and he said she was gorgeous. Now i have always thought she was ugly, i mean it, i really think she is ugly, specially when she smiles. I honestly don't understand what anyone sees in her. Anyway, so i'm wondering if women and men have like a different idea of attractiveness?.

hi! well u can certainly go the superficial route, but after being in many relationships, i can say that 1) there needs to be some kind of physical/chemical attraction, if that is not there, then it won't come later, do i believe in love at first sight? No, but i believe in physical/chemical attraction at first sight 2) u will never find someone that u want exactly, nobody is a carbon copy of yourself, u tend gravitate towards what is familiar, that's what makes them attractive to u.... 3) the most attractive part i can find in a male is that he is honest & loving, if he lies to me, then i am done... 4) physically, i go for eyes, guys r attracted to me also 'cause of my eyes (and legs, lol) but i can look into eyes & tell if they r really meaning what they say, bein' big & brown doesn't hurt either..... keep kewl!!

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Kelli

High-voiced wimp... haha, that's awesome.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

So true-well i guesss alot of it has to do with attitude, like confidence. Also theres the Oedipus complex, ie: every man secretly is attracted women who look like their mothers!
Scary I know! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by ladida (edited 09-15-2003).]

"beauty is in the eye of the beer holder" http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/love2.gif

I know alot of people say Justin Timberlake is attractive but if he wasnt famous and those people saw him walking down the street that wouldnt give a second glance. It's just the whole rich, famous, mr cool dud image that have people going for him. Take it all away and hes nothing

Well, what you had originally asked was if men and women view beauty differently....and the answer is yes. And I think it's based on our reasons - women judge another woman based soley on her looks, and men will base it on what's attractive to them as men. And it's not just limited to the way we see women in general, it's also men. No, I don't think Justin Timbrlake is very nice looking if you're basing that on just his face, but the whole package is what makes him appealing to younger girls. I personally have never seen the attraction to Nicole Kidman, but I know others - men and women alike - who think she's beautiful. I don't find Catherine Zeta Jones attractive either, but my son-in-law drools. Kate Moss? I don't see it, either. Cindy Crawford? I've seen her in person and she's much prettier in pictures, which I suppose is why she's a model. I have never thought she was drop-dead gorgeous either, but photogenic? You bet. As far as classic beauty, I still think Elizabeth Taylor was for many years the most beautiful woman on the planet, and I wasn't alone in that feeling as she was called that for many many years. All a person need do is look at pictures of her when she was younger, especially during the time she was married to Richard Burton, I don't think there was a female anywhere who could touch her. She was beautiful. Period. I do remember one day at work mentioning this to a friend who was only in her 20's, and she scrunched up her nose. She was thinking of how she looks now, and Liz has aged as we all have. I asked if she had ever seen Liz when she was younger, and she said no. Awhile later I saw a picture of Liz in a magazine when she was in her 20's and took it into work to show my friend. She looked at the picture and said 'Wow, is she ever pretty. Who is she?' Imagine her surprise when I told her. Angeline Jolie kind of grows on you I think. I find her face interesting but not really pretty. But men will drop at her feet, I think because they like those full lips and long hair, and to them that spells sexuality. Cameron Diaz is 'odd' looking, and I honestly don't know of anyone who considers her pretty....except maybe Justin. And I'm sure there's many people out there who look at Britney, then look at Cameron, and like me don't get it. Britney to me has the whole package going - looks, figure, hair, the works. I don't think Cameron can hold a candle to her.
On the other hand, how many of us women have looked at a man and commented on how attractive he is, only to get a really strange look from our husband/boyfriend? Honestly, for me it's Billy Ray Cyrus, incredibly handsome man - in my eyes - but it's also his gentleness and down-south manners that are attractive to women. And how many of us can say that we thought Tom Cruise was 'it' until he dumped Nicole, and then for some reason he wasn't quite so attractive to us anymore.
So I think it's not only what we find physically attractive but what someone's looks do to us inside and how they make us feel. As my dad used to say - 'There's something attractive about everybody, whether they have nice eyes, pretty hair, cute toes, whatever. Everybody has SOMEthing about them that's atractive to another person'. And I think that's something we can all agree with.

[This message has been edited by kellie2 (edited 09-16-2003).]

I agree that women are ruthless when judging other women's looks. Men on the other hand are much more indulgent and an attractive woman with a good body will be beautiful in their eyes. I also think we are generally attracted to the opposite sex of our own type. I have dark hair, brown eyes, slim build and i've always been attracted to men of this type. Only once have i dated a blond and it was his personality that attracted me. I've dated ugly men, average looking men and good looking men, but always of a similar type. I think though that men have a wider scope as they're pretty much attracted to any type, heh.

Anyways, regarding beauty. I always thought that beauty was instantly recognisable, whether you're attracted to it or not, it's something you just can't deny. It's a completely superficial quality as it has no relation to whether you're having a bad hair day or whether you've spent a sleepless night, beauty is always apparant. Attractiveness is something else. I think most people can be attractive with the right hair style, the right clothes, the right attitude etc. I actually don't think there are that many truely beautiful celebrities out there, most of them are attractive people who after some polishing and grooming can look beautiful, otherwise why so many different opinions.

That's funny that Liz Taylor should be mentioned as being beautiful. When my mom was a blackjack dealer in Reno around 1950 or so, Elizabeth Taylor was in her club. According to my mom, she had really thick, black facial hair that looked awful. I've never seen her with facial hair in pictures, so maybe this was before she had it removed. I don't really remember is she said she was beautiful, though, just that the facial hair stood out so much.

Oh, one more thing. Seems to me that men find a woman attractive by what they think they see. They'll look at a woman all dolled up and really think she's hot, when it's really 99% makeup, a push-up bra, etc. It's the fantasy that they're attracted to, not so much the "real person."

I saw a clip the other day w/Justin Timberlake and thought to myself -- what do girls see in this guy. Then I remembered when I was young (13-14) and watching a TV Award show w/my Mom and Mick Jagger came on, and she said "what do girls see in that guy?". At the time, I looked at my Mom like she was blind or something -- how could you not see how sexy Mick Jagger was?. She said something to the affect - "he doesn't even have any hair on his chest and he's so skinny, and is that eyeliner he's wearing - bet, you he's really an ugly girl."

Well, made me feel old to have the same thought my mum had! LOL and in my middle-years jaded wisdom the answer to both our questions is - a good PR team!

Another note...I had Howard Stern on and sometimes, just like a train wreck, you can't switch the channel. I mean I hope it's not a study into the male mind. Some of the things that he says to the women on the show is just scary. Like tonight he commented that someone he was interviewing thought she was too good for men and so unapproachable. Where I though I saw a nice girl, who wasn't into kink, and trying to be polite and answer his rude questions in the friendliest way possible. But, in the back of mind, I'm wondering if men really think like that.

I saw a clip the other day w/Justin Timberlake and thought to myself -- what do girls see in this guy. Then I remembered when I was young (13-14) and watching a TV Award show w/my Mom and Mick Jagger came on, and she said "what do girls see in that guy?". At the time, I looked at my Mom like she was blind or something -- how could you not see how sexy Mick Jagger was?. She said something to the affect - "he doesn't even have any hair on his chest and he's so skinny, and is that eyeliner he's wearing - bet, you he's really an ugly girl."

Well, made me feel old to have the same thought my mum had! LOL and in my middle-years jaded wisdom the answer to both our questions is - a good PR team!

Another note...I had Howard Stern on and sometimes, just like a train wreck, you can't switch the channel. I mean I hope it's not a study into the male mind. Some of the things that he says to the women on the show is just scary. Like tonight he commented that someone he was interviewing thought she was too good for men and so unapproachable. Where I though I saw a nice girl, who wasn't into kink, and trying to be polite and answer his rude questions in the friendliest way possible. But, in the back of mind, I'm wondering if men really think like that.

Well I can tell you my husband's and my idea of what's beautiful is completely different. He seems to like the cutsey pie look, i.e. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Paige Davis (from Trading Spaces) and that sort of what I call pixie people. He does also think Cindy Crawford is beautiful but I don't see that at all. Oh yeah, he also likes Brittney Spears. I think Charlize Theron is beautiful as well as Catherine Zeta Jones. Oh, by the way he thinks Anj. Jolie is disgusting. So it seems I like exotic beauty and he likes "cute".

Yay! AT last a man who doesnt fancy Angelina Jolie!

Exotic beauties... Monica Bellucci. Aint she just drop dead gorgeous!

And the model Fernanda Tabares.... she is a seriously beautiful woman.

You know who else I think is very pretty? Sharon Osbourne. Doesn't look anything near her 50 years.

who wouldn't after all these operations? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Girlie19 (edited 09-18-2003).]

and to add to the discussion....my husband and I were watching an interview with Angelina Jolie about a month ago with Barbara Walters. Up until that night hubby viewed Angie somewhat indifferently from her Gothic look to the Billy Bob years. In a nutshell, he never gave her a second look. About 10 minutes into the interview, he turns to me and says, "Boy, she's really beautiful, isn't she? I never really noticed it before". Go figure.....

There are so many celebrities who are definitely not very attractive or at least not what I would call beautiful in the least. They happen to be lucky to somehow end up being famous (in many instances it is baffling to me as to why they are famous) but if they were not rich and famous most people would hardly give them a second look.
As far as difference between sexes in how beauty is perceived, yes there are certainly differences. It is because when we judge beauty or attractivness of someone of our own sex we do not use the same criteria as when we judge the opposite sex. That is why women and men can be much more objective when looking at same sex person then when looking at the opposite sex. With opposite sex we have more of a biological or evolutionary response (sometimes we don't even realize how much our response is dictated by nature). There are known female features that are deemed highly attractive to men and the same is true as far as which male features are attractive to women. What is intersting is that according to all reasearch, these features are pretty much constant and do not even vary much between vastly different cultures.

[This message has been edited by rita (edited 09-20-2003).]

I haven't really heard this from other posters, but I never notice attractiveness until I meet and get to know the person. I notice details, like eyes and hair, but never the whole package. Everyone is so beautiful in their own way, especially when they are commited to their self. Their general attractiveness escalates so much when you can see they love themselves. It bothers me when people pretty themselves up so much and they still appear blah to me. And I think its because they outdo their own character to try to appear to be something they aren't yet. (Hmmm. Wonder if this makes sense?)lol... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gif

it's so true that 99% of what men find attractive is fake - the push-up bra, the makeup, the high heels, etc. a guy i know thinks that carmen electra is attractive! huh??? she's like a freak show with about 2" of spackle on her face. and pamela anderson?? send in the clowns. her boobs are beyond ridiculous.

it's also true that the things that a lot of us get attracted to in others are things that aren't strictly physical, but are related to physicality, for example - the way someone carries himself, or talks, or the expressions he has on his face... things like that create an overall image that people are attracted to. later, you can see if the personality matches the image you got in your mind from looking at them initially.

[This message has been edited by kera (edited 09-27-2003).]

Have you ever seen some of these "beautiful" stars without their makeup and frills? You wouldn't give them a second glance on the street. Unfortunately most of us don't have a professional makeup team spending 2 hours a day on our faces and I know I for one don't have the money or the inclination for nips and tucks, botox and collagen, boob jobs and everything else. So if men find Carmen Electra and Pam Anderson so breathtaking, leave them to their fantasies. When my husband says some star is really attractive, I tell him "wait by the phone, maybe she'll call" LOL.

Ahhh well, what do i think is beautiful?
I find the "classic" beauty is beautiful.
Which..when you think about it, is someone who dark hair and fair skin. Think about it...Audrey Hepburn....Elizabeth Taylor....
In my opinion, the most beautiful women in the world are Audrey Hepburn, Beyonce Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor(young of course lol ) and Natalie Imbruglia.
Besides Beyonce, they all have the stereotype of a "classic beauty".

As for body...biggish women win hands down. Its so fem. and soft. Which is one of the biggest reasons I see Beyonce as beautiful.

Now MEN!
Weeellll, a big part of it for me, is what kind of "image" they have.
Colin Firth....Louis Jourdan...oh mama! They both act so charming and old-fashioned. Which basically makes me kick a sheep ova the fence!
But then again....I find 50 cent and DMX really attractive. Weird huh?

We all have different opinions, thank goodness! Otherwise some of us would miss out on being considered attractive lol.

There is a person who...most people think is OMGosh, and I cant ever understand it! Well...actually a couple lol.

Katie Holmes
Cameron Diaz

Cookie,

You mentioned guys liking Pam Anderson. Have you ever seen her in the Enquirer without her makeup? If it weren't for her boobs, I don't know if she would turn heads.

Naomi,
Yes, I saw her in the Enquirer. Looks like a completely different person! The same is true for Julia Roberts and Christina Aguilera. Without their makeup I wouldn't recognize them.