What Makes A Man Sexy?

In our image obsessed modern culture we are bombarded by ideas of what a sexy man ought to look like. In adverts, film, television, magazines, even music, we are shown the cultural stereotype of a sexy man, and woe betide those of us who fail to measure up to this standard.

Modern western society seems obsessed with the body, with the aesthetics of a person, with looks above all else. One need only open a newspaper or magazine to realise exactly how hysterical the media is for actors, musicians, and celebrities who conform to the Hollywood ideal of a sexy man.

Pecs, muscles, rugged good looks, six packs, a tight bottom, the dazzling smile; all of these ideas of what makes a man sexy are pummelled into our brains every single day through the media and advertising industries. How many of us can truly claim to live up to these impossible expectations? Very few it would seem.

Not only does society dictate exactly how a sexy man must look, but what traits he should have to fulfil the stereotype of masculinity as well. Traditionally men were expected to be tough and hardy, dominant and confident. Nowadays ideals have changed somewhat and men can also be caring, compassionate and emotionally expressive without being labelled effeminate. But do all these physical and characteristic traits equate to what makes a man sexy?

Psychologists and behavioural scientists would argue that there a number of factors that make someone sexually appealing: physical appearances like having a symmetrical face or a muscular body, how a personal smells, the pheromone compatibility or chemistry between two people, even how somebody sounds.

All of these scientific explanations of sexiness hinge around the idea that these features indicate fertility and healthiness to potential partners, yet how does this explain homosexual attraction? How does the fact that some women prefer men who are bald, thin or large, short or tall relate to these? Clearly these factors cannot all indicate healthiness and fertility when they are in opposition to one another. It would seem that humans have evolved, culturally and as a species, beyond such purely biological attractions. We are no longer just looking for a suitable mate. Sexiness must comprise of a wider range of factors, including the emotional and spiritual.

There is clearly no single definition of what makes a man sexy. When science fails us and society seeks to have us conform to an imposed stereotype we must look beyond hard facts and cultural norms. What truly makes a man sexy is different depending on both the man in question and who is being asked. No two individuals are identical and what is sexy in one can be repellent in another. Physical attractiveness may enter into it at some base level but definitions of sexiness are clearly arbitrary and non-universal.

So, what makes a man sexy? The conclusion seems to be that there is no hard and fast answer and that it is down to each and every person to decide for himself or herself what truly makes a man sexy.

By Nicholas Cockayne