AIBU to think men prefer fake looking women?

[Bumpitybumper]

I can't help but feel suspicious everytime I read the results from a survey where it is suggested that men prefer the "natural" look. This just doesn't seem to reflect my experience in real life and also what I see on social media or on TV.

We have Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian who have both obviously had a LOT of work being viewed as the pinnacle of female attractiveness whilst Meghan from Love Island who has apparently been completely remodeled by surgeon seems to have attracted the most men in Love Island.

AIBU to suggest despite their protestations that men actually don't favour the natural look at all?

I do think it’s porn and also celebrity culture fuelling it. I don’t think it’s only women affected by the pressure to be as ‘perfect’ as possible but also men. For men it consists of being ‘ripped’, often tattooed, white teeth, fake tan, sometimes waxed, hair done, beard groomed etc. I don’t go for men like that at all and never have just as many men don’t go for the female equivalent.

My DP is automatically turned off by fake looking women because he assumes they won’t have much going on upstairs and that’s just as important to him as good looks.

I wasn't intending to suggest they were female-specific EvenThoughYouDidCHEAT but to make the point that my truly 'natural' look, without doing any of those any of things, would be very different.

It's not any more natural to be able to squat your own bodyweight, than it is to have fake breasts.

I don't think there's much mystery to this. Lots of men secretly like the fake look, because it screams sexual availability and the desire to please. But many would not choose this look in a long-term partner or wife. I imagine it was ever thus. Not dissimilar to women swooning over muscle-bound, arrogant bad-boys but marrying Mr Nice Guy.

So the majority of men probably do prefer the natural look in a prospective long-term partner. The fake-looking ones are for other purposes...

The looks you describe are classically porny looks. Which means available in some men’s minds, unfortunately.
Available is always good if you are feeling up for it.

I was very struck by this during the whole Tiger Woods marriage breakup. He had a beautiful natural wife, yet he was playing around with all those porny looking women. Some of those women looked like caricatures rather than real women. Most of them weren't even (IMO) attractive.

I do wonder what happens when the man sees one of these fake women for the first time without the whole makeup/fake tan/fake eyebrows and lashes, etc. It must be nerve wracking for the woman (has he seen enough of my personality to still like me in the raw), and an awful let down for the man.

it has always been so: think ancient Chinese & feet lengthening necks with rings, corseted waists right back to Tudor times, flat chests & boyish looks in the 20's, etc etc

My DH certainly doesn't find fake women attractive. He laughs at all the fake tans, slug eyebrows etc. He often says "she looks like she has Boots makeup counter on her face". He always says I look good without makeup although I don't wear much anyway.

He also is quicker at seeing fake breasts than I am and, again, he doesn't like them. He says he has no interest in a woman with 2 plastic balls on her chest!

LeighA My American husband jokes the same about importing me from the UK!

We live in California where I think it's actually the law or something to at least make the attempt to emulate the Karjenner look - though, there are a lot of them (with more coming every day) so it's entirely possible that the women I see in at the mall are actual Karjenners not just wannabes.

What you have to remember with love island is the blokes have probably had as much done as the women! The men who make an effort like women who make an effort.

What does it matter anyway? Surely it's better to just look how you like and then you will find someone who thinks you're attractive as you are. I'd never make an effort to please anyone other than to make myself feel better.

I think the real problem is that this 'fake' look is rapidly becoming somewhat of the norm and that's why I think (some) men are beginning to prefer that look. We see many naturally stunning younger female celebs starting plastic surgery and implants when they are in their early thirties (and some even earlier) and being praised for their 'new look' as if it were due to 'plenty of sleep, diet and exercise' (as if!). We see older female (and some male) celebs who have obviously had puh-lenty of 'work' done being praised for 'looking so wonderful' at whatever their age is. It's changing the way we look at beauty and the way we look at aging.

I had this discussion with my husband (yes, I know my valuing his opinion will draw your collective sighs..)..he said no, men do not like that look.. I told him that I thought he was possibly wrong, but whatever the case it seemed to me that women THINK men like it and that's why they are doing it..they think it's what a man wants...I find it hard to believe that any woman is doing it exclusively for her own benefit.

A lot of men prefer the natural look, a lot prefer the fake look, it's same for women it isn't exclusive to one sex.

The Kardashian/Jenner clan are fakes but a lot of women watch this and love island claptrap and idolise these women. I see it at work day in day out.

One of the kardashians is nearly a billionaire due to her cosmetics empire, I think it's safe to say that it isn't men who have bought into her imagine buying the product to look like one of the Kardashians

I've always had the natural look, because life is too short to spend it painting myself, and never had any trouble pulling men. Frankly maybe only 10% of men are my type anyway so I do not need to be universally attractive.

I think men on programmes like love island like what they think they are supposed to like....

In theory, big boobs, big lips, smooth skin etc is what is supposed to be attractive to men. Men don’t think about fake vs. Natural in these situations, they think about what will reflect best on them with the general public. They want the most attractive, because it means they are the most attractive. When all the women are gorgeous, it’s the biggest boobs or whatever that is the decider...

Man’s view here

Natural as in healthy and looking after yourself wins every time. This is the view of 90% of my male friends.

If you’re taking love island at face value. This means all women like men who spend 3 hours a day at the gym. Wear fake fan and make up and have no respect for women as the ultimate catch.

The media wants you to believe this is what the opposite sex want. And yes it will influence society to some degree.
Think how much makeup,clothes,gym memberships they can sell on the back of it.

I personally don’t like love island. But the show would be a bit boring if there were average looking people sitting on a sofa In long periods of silence. Only mustering a breath to talk about how they got the shits from the water/food on the island.

At the mo Dr Alex and Jack 2 fancy Laura 2 who is the most natural looking, least enhanced girl in there.

I don't rate any of the men on Love Island though. Well maybe Jack2 because he seems reasonably honest. And Niall at least had a bit of chat.

Fake pretty boy with muscles, average man with a bit of chat who can make me laugh, I'd go for the latter.

Men can "prefer" away. A lot of them look like a side of gammon themselves and don't really get a say in whether they want to have sex with someone natural looking or made up and botoxed.

I'm curious, Squirreltamer. How would you define 'looking after yourself' for a woman?

I do think there is truth in the suggestion that people who are obsessed with their appearance and modifying it are more likely to be insecure, and a lot of men are [consciously or subconsciously, I'm not sure] attracted to insecure women.

I think when a lot of men say “natural” they mean no contouring, fake lashes, etc as opposed to no make up.

The opposite is true. Men prefer natural looking women. Gotta be remembered, however, that the women they think are “natural” have, in fact, perfected a certain look using makeup.😂

actualpuffins

Men can "prefer" away. A lot of them look like a side of gammon themselves...

Haha😂

Good brains are sexy as is a sense of humour. The hulks on Love Island are very unappealing because they do not seem to have anything between their ears.

The fake look is about enhancing what body parts are seen as sexual...lips, boobs, bums, hair, eyes

Fake women project sexual availability. Isn’t that what some men like?

Others see it as high maintenance and shallow, but signalling sexual availability for unwoke men has got to be tempting

I do agree with the poster who said some men say they want natural & they ogle the fake types. Cynically I also think some men also tell their wives/partners not to wear loads of make up etc as they don’t want them to get attention.