“Men are visual creatures”

[Memsnutter]

I know that everyone is an individual and that this is stereotyping to some extent but AIBU to not understand this comment when most men won’t notice if their significant other has a new hairstyle etc.

To some extent I don’t disagree as men seem to “check out” women more than women check out men, but at the same time - they’re oblivious to visible changes.
No big deal just musing...

My boyfriend came home from holiday and he’d had a hair cut, I definitely noticed, it also looks really really awful.

Lots of men notice changes, but we’re often conditioned not to say anything if it’s a woman with different hair etc.

Interesting! So you don’t say anything as it’s not the thing to do rather than not noticing?

I always though my other half didn’t notice -or care-

“Men are visual creatures”
“Men don’t see mess”

I thought that phrase related to what turned men on or what men found attractive rather than saying men have better observational skills than women! So for example they can measure how turned on someone is by their increase in pulse rate amongst other things. In general mens pulses are raised more when they look at images eg women in tarty underwear. Whereas for women looking at semi naked men, it didnt raise their pulse as much as reading some sort of erotic fiction for example.

I've never heard that phrase! Is it a well known saying?

“Men are visual creatures” is almost exclusively used to excuse sexually inappropriate behaviour by men.

It’s not actually true.

I think this phrase is used to explain why men tend to be more into porn than women.

Q, Is my new hair style nice?
A, Yes
A, No = truth, possible row

Q, Does my bum look big in this?
A, No, international peace continues
A, Yes, the green one was better. WW3 breaks out.

Sometimes life is simply easier not to notice or comment.

That refers to how men are when it comes to finding a partner I think, not if they notice mess or anything different etc. It means someone fairly attractive or well put together sparks their initial interest & attraction. Whereas a lot of women go for other stuff initially IME, like funny or clever or kind.

It's a phrase used as an excuse for men when they leer at girls and women and their "need" to consume all the porn they can. 🙄

It's just a bullshit phrase to excuse selfish behaviour, much like "men are simple creatures. They need things spelled out to them". Yet somehow the same men who 'don't understand" that their DW would like a birthday gift somehow manage successful interactions with people at work, including the usual subtleties in communicating, without needing things "spelled out to them". Isn't that weird?

No, but they're visceral critters in my experience.

I always think the phrase 'men are visual creatures' really means 'men are shallow perverts'.

Proper LOL

I'd say most people are visual creatures.

I only get my news almost solely via radio, and am quite struck by how differently politicians look in person to how they sound when I do see them on TV. My impressions can change a lot. I react very differently when I see the person speaking.

Same on MN... folk here take each other too seriously or assume we have things in common b/c you can't see the whole picture of the person writing.

ExDH has yet to find anything in the fridge

DS stood in front of a wardrobe yesterday with no more than 12 things hanging in it and could not find his long sleeved school shirt

YANBU OP

If they're so visual, why is DH incapable of finding vital ingredients in fridge or larder when cooking?

To be any more obvious they'd have to fly at his head and knock him out!

I assume it means looks play a big factor in attracting a man's interest. A given woman is probably roughly equally attractive whatever she has done to her hair, so a change would not be something a man notices or cares about.

"Men are visual creatures” is almost exclusively used to excuse sexually inappropriate behaviour by men."
"It’s not actually true."

That used to very much be the case and still is to an extent.

Which is why what a sexual assault victim's clothing would be brought up in court.

Street harassment and older men being pervy around young women is still blamed on this.

It was used as an excuse to drap a half naked woman over anything advertised.

Women who were more sexually subtle would be branded 'thinking man's crumpet'.

Women were seen as deviant if we picked up someone we fancied for a one night stand. We were supposed to look for the inner qualities of men.

I think the not noticing things is to do with not being fully checked in to family relationships and the handing over of the mental load. They don't bother because they are let off with not bothering.

Men do get more sexually aroused by looking at images, than women do, but that never justified the behaviour that went with it. We'll never know how much of all of this is still socialisation. Now Women have more sexual freedom a lot of the old theories are debunked. How women sexually conduct themselves is from a mixture of sources, socialisation, stigma and a fear of pregnancy etc, very little to do with biology.

Men are visual creatures” is almost exclusively used to excuse sexually inappropriate behaviour by men.

Yep. I’m a visual creature.
I work in a creative role, it’s the most important skill for my job. I can recall from memory thousands of images. Colours and photographic compositions can stop me in my tracks.
Yet this still doesn’t mean I have to wank over porn all day or leer at women (or men) with my tongue out

I always think the phrase 'men are visual creatures' really means 'men are shallow perverts'.

Part of the definition of "pervert" is abnormal, so by definition men can't generally be perverts.

Part of the definition of "pervert" is abnormal, so by men can't generally be perverts.

Unmm, I think you'll find they absolutely can,🙄