to wonder why you don't see as many handsome men with plain women...

[salamanda]

as you do plain men with pretty women?

And when you do, do you wonder what he is doing with her and secretly think there is something odd about it?

Flywiththecrows, you beat me to it!

I've told people this totally straight-faced when they've asked.

Ooo someone agrees with me

I reckon if you took one of those 'pretty girl, rough men' couples, and reduced them down to what nature, respectively, endowed them with, there'd not be a lot to choose between them.

MadeinChina I admire your balls (ahem). I always make up some rubbish about my DHs personality and achievements, but really it's his cock

Because, when you see a handsome man with a plain wife, there is often gossip about his sexuality. To illustrate I give you one of the more enduring Hollywood marriages yet plagued with sexuality speculation

Oh no. The 2 I'm thinking of were not given to wearing make up or making an effort.

Men are fickle creatures. We are attracted by looks and then personality while women are attracted by personality first and then looks. Just my opinion.

In fact Scarlett, I agree with you even more now I've been thinking about it. Crap like falsh eyelashes and extensions aren't necessary. Just a tiny hint of blusher and lipgloss and some carefully placed eyeliner can turn me from a sallow hag into quite a hot woman on a very good day.

who would have known that as a man chicken keeping make you a lot more attractive

Who are those two Slug?

MadeInChina - when I was first introduced to DH's mates, they all asked what I saw in him. They seemed to be taking the piss so like you, I also said totally straight faced 'because he has a massive cock'

The looks I got!

PushyDad is that your genuine opinion or are you just speaking in cliches?

I have no idea who they are slug

OMG

that is SO true - the amount of times i have noticed this phenomenon

i actually have been meaning to start a thread about it myself but havent dared so thank you OP for bringing this subject up for discussion

Hugh Jackman and wife.

My husband is good looking. I was good looking when we got together ten years ago, in a 'cute and pretty' kind of way.

I am discovering 'cute' does not last into your thirties, particularly when you are permentantly knackered and have no time to do your hair, and I'm beginning to suspect people think we make an odd couple. A while ago, somebody expressed surprise that I had a good looking husband

I'm plain and short and fat and have only ever dated very attractive men

One explanation could be very attractive men get fed up with the attention of shallow, very attractive women

I dated a man who was the most good looking person I have ever seen in my life (and others thought so too, heads would turn whenever he arrived anywhere) He was fed up with the pretty girls wanting a conquest, he hated being seen as only good looks and wanted to date intelligent women. He married a very plain but wonderful lady

I also dated a male model, he was the same - his words were he didn't want to date someone preoccupied by her looks, he wanted to be with someone happy in jeans and no make up

I have found most handsome men want a natural looking woman

I think I got a bargain with my partner. He's quite gorgeous but a bit overlooked sometimes because he is short. Women should look out for that, you can often find a hot, shorter man who other women won't even consider because of their height.

Besides that, I find short men are crazy in the bedroom because they have to prove their masculinity. Grrrowl.

By the way, I say short, he's like 5ft7, he's not teeny weeny tiny or something.

I agree with you MsCellophane. I don't think beautiful people necessarily want an equally beautiful partner. For a start, beauty probably isn't as interesting to them because they themselves are beautiful. They don't need to attain it as they already have it.

How do you know if you are beautiful? I don't think most people know where they are on a scale of 1-100 do they?

or is it just me

Hugh Jackman's wife (if that's who that was?) doesn't seem very plain. Who is the other couple?

Well, my dilemma is now solved, thanks!

You see more attractive women with plain men because the women aren't really that much more attractive, they just make an effort, and you see hot men with plain women because they have become bored of hot, shallow women and want someone with substance.

That's not to say that truly hot women are all shallow and looks-obsessed, but you can see how handsome men might be often targeted by the ones that are.

Cos I've got a mirror Agincourt

Agincourt I reckon a truly model-standard, conventionally beautiful person knows that they are beautiful because they either make their money from it or are told it constantly. The rest of us probably aren't too sure where we are on the scale though, no...

I think most people have a good idea where they are on the 1-10 scale. You might slightly downplay yourself if your self-esteem isn't great but you can usually judge based on the looks of those you attract, I think.

Hugh Jackman isn't that bothered by having an attractive wife anyway, is he?

Women can make themselves look, if not attractive, at least "done" a lot more easily than men can. Like others have said though, take off the make up and they look the same as everyone else.