Things someone has done that suddenly made you weirdly attracted to them

[Carryonrunning]

I got to work this morning and I have a bit of equipment that I use that I always struggle setting up.

I turned up a bit early and put it on the table ready to set up. A guy I work with who honestly I have never really even liked as a person and am DEFINITELY not remotely
physically attracted to, picked it up off the table while we were all chatting before our shift, and wordlessly constructed it for me.

For a minute I thought he thought it was his and was very confused, but he handed it to me once done.

I cannot stress how much I am not attracted to this man but it was weirdly hot.

Please share your versions of this so I know I’m not a complete weirdo!

Not the first time I've heard that about the bonds etc.

This was a long time ago but I went to an adults learning class and the teacher (who is never had any interest in) wore a jumper with sleeves that were too long. The way his sleeves went over half his hands like a 1990’s grunge heart throb totally did it for me.

Someone at work was demonstrating a new function on our computer system. It wouldn't work properly so he just opened up the code, wrote new code and fixed the problem. Swoon!

Does anyone else feel bitter sweet reading these tales kindly shared by all posters?

Is been a while now since I feel attracted to anyone. Can't wait for these feelings to resurface!

Funnily that's me if it's life threatening stuff
If someone has an arm hanging off or there's a huge car accident, I'm the calm organiser

However if the toilet develops a leak or I drop a glass dish I go to pieces

My dad is "I don't know how you can do CPR without blinking when everyone else panics but you ring me in tears over a toilet"

Yes! Recently my DC had a playdate with another child. The dad, fairly handsome but not someone I'd fancied before, casually strolled over to our piano while I was getting the kid's stuff together, and deftly played a difficult melody with one hand while chatting to me. It was very smooth.

No judgement from me. Must be tough for you. What a sweet moment of life. 🤗

This made me loooollll

Competence porn 😂

I agree though. It's all the 'c's.' Calm, compassionate, capable competence with a sprinkling of rolled-up shirt-sleeve forearm is awfully effective.

I always find excelling at something attractive. I don't care about what it is really, it's just about being bloody good at it.

This 💜

This 💜💜

What pleases you in a man?

WOAH - impressive - this would do it for me every time

I confess, I’m jealous! 😁

Very similar to what others have posted. I never fancied Tom Holland until I saw him on Lip Sync Battle (will try to paste the link, if I fail please google it!). The sheer EFFORT he’s obviously put in to the dancing is SO evident and I got butterflies watching him. He’s a fabulous dancer. Showed it to my partner and he understood the life lesson 😂 it’s not the dancing itself, it’s the effort!

Oh, I have lots of these! Most are about my husband, but one that best fits the OP was an old colleague who I'd never given a second thought to before.

We had a formal organised fun work night out and I was a bit of a wallflower, not really being part of several friends groups that had formed, but having a perfectly pleasant time. This colleague (very much happily attached and knowing I was too) clocked this and came over to me to me to chat. It was unobtrusive and nice, definitely not a come-on, and then proceeded to twirl me some the dance floor in a kind of older-brother, light-hearted way (though he was actually passably good at it too) for a good portion of the evening. The combination of active kindness, ability to create an unshowy good time and calm competence (theme!) - with nothing in it for him - was just so lovely that I've thought fondly of him ever since and, yes, it sent him skyrocketing up my estimation of his attractiveness!

My attraction to my husband is a combination of a million events where I expected criticism and annoyance and got kindness and help fixing what I'd messed up instead, and a very practical handiness and desire to fix things in general. (Maybe I was also a thing he was keen to fix...)

So, yep, female-gaze = kindness + calm, unshowy competence in my book!

I’ve been on Mumsnet for 13 years and I’ve never wanted a Thread to be published by the media before this!!

I suppose that partly explains why women like men in uniform. Though nowadays the uniformed crew like police are viewed as misogynistic and not to be trusted.

Watched my DH (before marriage) change two car tyres that had blown out, in the pouring rain, at a ferry port in Ireland at midnight, in under 15 minutes. Plus the car was full of people. What made it better was he had an extra, extra 'spare' tyre just in case.

I was in awe. He isn't a mechanic, just knew what he was doing. Never fancied anyone more than that moment.

Good point, actually. When my eldest was born and my DH insisted on splitting the newborn night shift feeding/caring in half with me despite continuing to work a full-time important job swoon. (I'm horrendous on little sleep so possibly it was self-preservation on his part, but still...!)

Other than dh (who is a hands on, capable outdoorsy sort and often gives me the flutters), for me it's my GP and ds3's headteacher.

It's definitely a capability thing. They're both just so...in charge.

The headteacher especially. On my way out of the yard and hearing 'right guys, line up please!' and then seeing 100 little people do exactly what he said...oof. Made me want to say 'Yes sir!' and get in the line 😂

Yes to the competence! I have a real soft spot for men showing that they care about other people, but in a knowledgeable and competent way.

My example is a colleague I've known for almost ten years and never even remotely fancied. We were at the dinner of a work conference I'd organised. A group of us (including guest speakers) stepped outside to smoke, when some drunk and high men tried to start a fight with us. When they heard my colleague's foreign accent they turned on the "what the fuck you doing in my country mate, why don't you fuck off back where you're from". Instead of escalating or taking the piss out of them (like some of my other colleagues) he calmly and seriously got into a discussion with them about the economic and social hardships of the area. I think this was partly to take the target off the other people in the group (swoon) and also because he really did care (double swoon). The incident could have really ruined my impression to the guest speakers, so I felt rescued. The others retreated and I eventually took colleague's arm to guide him away, and he had these amazing strong arms.

This was a good year ago and I've had a raging crush on him ever since, it's to the point where I deliberately avoid overnight events away with him because I don't fully trust my self control.

My DH turned up on my doorstep for our second date with a big drill to fix all the things I said needed fixing at home
This is not a euphemism 🤣
I married him soon after

I’m not into women, but that joke has just made me love you 🤣

This is very niche, but it was an in-depth, working knowledge of the Dune books. Before the new films came out. With another man it was a discussion of the relative merits of Starfuries vs X-wings vs Colonial Vipers. I do like a good geek.