Are women attracted to bodybuilders

We as members of a bodybuilding discussionboard are mostly health conscious we pay attention to our body, we train, maintain  and nourish our body. And we mostly have a bigger acceptance of muscle on the human body, both male and female, then the average population. Still the last few decades the average public accepts the muscular people more than in the days of Arnold. Bodybuilding and especially Fitness went from an obscure subculture to broadly accepted , as I wrote in previous posts on body-image cq muscle dismorphia, movies, moeviestars, music-stars esp. the HipHop  accepted bodybuilding an juicing as part of their life-style.

On almost every website devoted on physical training you can find a section on female physical beauty and lots of male members like to watch and comment T&A (tits and ass). Controversial are the pictures of female bodybuilders. For those females the question how much is too much is even more relevant than for a male bodybuilder. Also because their genitals get bigger and become more pronounced through the use of androgens. Some men like it most of them don’t.

But what do women and girls think of us? How much muscle do they like? As I wrote previously, we have a bigger muscle acceptance and are “used” to muscular people in the gym. Most of us like to work-out and grow bigger not only the get respect from our friends and others but also because we want our body to be attractive to the girls. From experience I know that a bodybuilding physique leads to ooh’s and eewk’s.

This question doesn’t only puzzles me but luckily many scientist that have the time and means to do proper research. And man, it is interesting and amusing.

An interesting study (Why Is Muscularity Sexy? - DA Frederick - ‎2007) for those of you who are curious about what women think when they look at your physique. 141 college-aged women (20 years) rated  drawings of male bodies with varying degrees of musculature for four characteristics: Sexual desirability, commitment, physical dominance (over other males), and volatility (e.g. bad temper).

Women are attracted to muscular men, but don’t want a long-term relationship with them, says psychologist David Frederick.

Muscles are a sign of health. A man with muscles expends a lot of energy, so muscles are a sign that a man can take good care of himself. Muscles also represent strength and therefore mean that a man can offer protection. Muscles are a sign of good genes, which women are likely to want to pass on to their children. So that’s why women are attracted to muscular men. At least, that’s how the theory goes.

There are also arguments that point in the opposite direction. Men with lots of muscle also have high levels of androgens in their body. Androgens mean infidelity and perhaps even violence, say biologists. A woman who goes for a man with a high androgen level is risking her life. So muscular men are not attractive.

The graph above shows the scores: the higher point on the curve, the higher the score. In women’s eyes, the ultimate bodybuilder’s body is definitely unattractive.

The female students were then shown these pictures and asked to describe the characteristics they associated with the different bodies. They were asked to say to what extent the men were sexually attractive, dominant, loving and volatile (i.e. violent). The figure below shows the scores.

According to the women, the brawny man is a tiny bit less attractive than the built man. He is not loving, is likely to be dominating and to have violent tendencies. When the researchers asked the women, it turned out that they had had frequent one night stands with this type of man, but very rarely a long-term relationship. Muscular men are there to have fun with.

All this is not particularly relevant to the average bodybuilder though: his physique will be more developed than that of the brawny and built physiques that the women said they found attractive. It’s strange but true: if bodybuilders want to attract women, they’ll have to rely on their character

In 2005 David Frederick started a new study “Do representations of male muscularity differ in men's and women's magazines?”

Men overestimate the degree of muscularity that is attractive to women, and women overestimate the degree of thinness that is most attractive to men. Consistent with the thesis that sociocultural input influences such body type preferences and beliefs, we postulated that magazines aimed at a male audience would portray a more muscular male body ideal than would magazines aimed at a female audience. Systematic comparison of popular magazines (Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness) revealed that the ideal male body marketed to men is more muscular than the ideal male body marketed to women. We introduce the Physical Trait Overvaluation Hypothesis, which proposes that gender-specific media fuel emphasis on certain body parts in within-gender prestige competitions. The resulting competitive escalation creates a disconnect between the preferences of one gender and the personal aspirations of the other.

The results of his study indicated that, as predicted, Female- Audience magazines present representations of the ideal male body that are less muscular than Male- Audience magazines. Male-Audience magazines were also less muscular than magazines specifically targeted at body-builders. Research employing similar measures designed for men has shown that men desire a level of muscularity that is greater than the level found attractive by women, and that men overestimate the level of muscularity women find ideal and the level women desire in a short-term sexual partner

Rachel Khona on her blog:

I don't know where men got the idea that bodybuilding is hot, but, trust me, it's not.

What woman doesn’t like a muscular man? Buff arms, a broad chest and strong shoulders make women feel protected and secure. Guys aren’t doing set after set of crunches 'cause it’s fun; they know how much ladies love six-pack abs. But there’s a fine line between sexy and skanky. Bodybuilders take a step (or five) too far by bulking up way beyond any normal standards. By morphing their bodies into exaggerated — some might even say grotesque — shapes, they successfully manage to gross out women everywhere. I don't know where men got the idea that bodybuilding is hot, but, trust me, it's not.

We admit it, there's a vanity double standard

Adonis complex, anyone? We’re the ones who are supposed to take longer getting ready. Primping, fussing and spending two hours in the bathroom is traditionally the domain of women, and we like it like that. If she’s the wash-and-go type, she’s even less likely to enjoy your obsession with your appearance. In the book Adonis Complex, author Harrison Pope details at length stories of women whose partners became so consumed with getting bigger that they allowed their relationships to falter. Some of these guys spent so much time at the gym that they rarely saw their partners, while others simply relished so much obsessive attention on their bodies that their partners felt invisible by comparison. Either way, it sucked for the ladies.

Media

We live in a time where the media has a massive influence on how we see the outside world and ourselves. Young people all day long have access to MTV and other media.

A female student made project on female body image in the media, it showed a splendid slideshow of pop culture advertising shots featuring numerous sexualized images of females. While the video showed some of the methods that are used including interpolation and “the gaze” theory, (methods that advertisers use to seduce the audience to cognitively assimilate the images causing purchase consumption desire), it did not mention the often ignored male body image that is presented in the media. Women’s right have caused perhaps a more sensitive environment for female body images in the last century, but in last years, the proliferation of an idealistic, often unrealistic male body image is equally as prevalent  in pop culture. And the fact is that the images presented are becoming more and more unrealistic for the media consuming  culture of North America.

Actors, musicians, models and sports celebrities are all in the business of presenting an almost unattainable physical perfection ideal. This is used to create the desire for consumption behavior in that the media presents the material in a way to lead consumers to believe they purchase or promote such a product, they will be able to achieve the same lifestyle. While this may or may not always work, the ideal presented in the music video uses this through “synasthasia” in allowing sensory images and sounds to deliver an irresistible sell point, for males and females this undermines a healthy body image for that of an entertainer. What results is individuals falling prey to wanting products because of the ideals that are attached to it, and thus further perpetrating the capitalistic economic system that supports the entire entertainment industry

You need to shave or wax, boy!!

Researchers at Indiana University examined the physical proportions and genital appearance and presentation of Playboy magazine centerfolds from 1953 to 2007. Not surprisingly, the naked models have grown bustier, thinner and less hairy over time. In a nutshell, the study concludes: When the pubic hair diappeared the genitals where more visible and where photoshoped also.

Taken together, results suggest the perpetuation of a "Barbie Doll" ideal characterized by a low BMI, narrow hips, a prominent bust, and hairless, undefined genitalia resembling those of a prepubescent female.

While I'm dubious that the Western female body ideal can be reliably found within in the pages of Playboy, a similar evolution has occurred in the sister (?) publication, Playgirl. A team of psychologists calculated the body mass index (BMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) of 115 Playgirl centerfolds and found that, lo and behold, the supposed male body ideal has changed as well. But instead of getting thinner, the boys have bulked up.

So-called "Barbie Doll" ideal, meet muscularity. Gender parity in unrealistic body standards!

Only in recent years have researchers started paying more attention to how media consumption influences what men see—and want to see—when they look in the mirror. Statistically, guys are less likely to develop eating disorders, nevertheless, an estimated 1 million American men battle anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and even more have tried anabolic steroids, presumably to amp their muscularity. Also, body dysmorphic disorder is a gender-blind somatoform disorder, affecting men and women equally.

In a 2005 study comparing men's body image and expectations of masculinity and gender roles, Brock University psychologist Donald R. McCreary found that boys are just as body conscious as girls—just in a different way. For instance, while many women strive to lose weight:…men's ideal body size represents an average increase of 28 pounds of muscle and men feel women are most attracted to a body shape that is, on average, 30 pounds heavier in muscle than their actual size."

In addition to striving for the muscularity that media images from television, magazines, movies and more might fuel, media images in study Schooler et all also seemed to foster a "sanitized ideal." Not only is the masculine ideal hyper-muscular, it's also sweat-free, odorless, and hairless.

And they start younger

Pediatricians are starting to sound alarm bells about boys who take unhealthy measures to try to achieve Charles Atlas bodies that only genetics can truly confer. Whether it is long hours in the gym, allowances blown on expensive supplements or even risky experiments with illegal steroids, the price American boys are willing to pay for the perfect body appears to be on the rise.

In a study from 2012 “Muscle-enhancing Behaviors Among Adolescent Girls and Boys” , more than 40 percent of boys in middle school and high school said they regularly exercised with the goal of increasing muscle mass. Thirty-eight percent said they used protein supplements, and nearly 6 percent said they had experimented with steroids.

Overall, 90 percent of the 1,307 boys in the survey — who lived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but typify what doctors say is a national phenomenon — said they exercised at least occasionally to add muscle.

Online, in bodybuilding forums for teenagers, boys barely out of puberty share weight-lifting regimens and body fat percentages, and judge one another’s progress. On Tumblr and Facebook, teenagers post images of ripped athletes under the heading “fitspo” or “fitspiraton,” which are short for “fitness inspiration.” The tags are spinoffs of “thinspo” and “thinspiration” pictures and videos, which have been banned from many sites for promoting anorexia

“The model of feminine beauty is now more toned and fit and sculpted than it was a generation ago,” “It’s not just being thin. It’s being thin and toned.” Indeed, visitors to the “Fitspo” Facebook page are greeted by a sinewy model wearing a tank top that reads “Strong is the new skinny.”

The Muscle Man As An Ideal Mate

Well it depends on who you are asking. Researchers found that women who saw themselves as conservative and feminine tended to favor ‘muscle men’ while more ‘liberated’ women leaned more towards thinner and more linear bodies. What was also observed was that  big women preferred big men.

The fact that women prefer the physique of the man that is currently important to them suggests that partners are selected for many reasons besides physical attractiveness, and that people can favor an ideal body type but still not be happy with someone that fits that ideal. Muscles do give you the potential of a good first impression- but after that it character, personality and a host of other factors will determine one’s eligibility. For this reason when it comes to find a long-term partner, women tend to pick a regular man over a mate with huge biceps. So, the desire for a well-developed body should spring from a genuine wish for self-improvement and overall health, and certainly not only as a way to pick up women

Of course it’s all very relatively, if you are rich or famous or better rich and famous, lots of women will find you irresistible.

If you like the subject I wrote a blog post on body dysmorphia earlier //juicedmuscle.com/jmblog/content/body-image-body-dysmorphia