Most women are attracted to men who are macho or masculine in appearance and behavior. But certain women prefer men who are more feminine.
According to Psychology Today, macho men have exaggerated masculine traits that women find valuable. They also think macho men are more virile and make good biological fathers.
Women who prefer feminine men usually have a past history that includes physical abuse or rape. Such women consider feminine men to be more sensitive, gentler and kinder than masculine men.
“In some circumstances, masculine qualities are more valuable. In others, a more feminine partner might be the better choice. The results of 15 years of research consistently show that women prefer masculine men more for a short-term fling than for marriage, perhaps because macho men are generally less committed.”
A research study by Glasgow University’s Iris Holzleitner tested 500 women who rated the attractiveness of a set of male faces that had been manipulated to appear more feminine or more masculine.
Holzleitner found that, generally, women most preferred male faces that were moderately masculine.
Women also differed in their preferences according to their own attractiveness: Women who thought they were highly attractive didn’t find feminine male faces very attractive at all.
Women who thought of themselves as less attractive were more attracted to men with feminine features, according to Holzleitner.
