# Blind people and attractiveness. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534 "2004-06-03T23:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534/21 "2004-06-05T20:01:03Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > why would a blind person prefer a smooth face rather than a bumpy one? Well, before I met **kaylasmom** , she once broke up with a guy because his zits spelled out “Suck my dick” in Braille. Heh, heh. Not really. But her attraction to me was largely based on a pragmatic application of “handsome is as handsome does.” A significant portion of what we refer to as “physical attractiveness” relates to bilateral symmetry, a property that can be adequately determined by tactile sampling. **daffyduck** and **Lamia** have been doing a pretty good job of relating the answers that **kaylasmom** would give (anyway, those were the ones that she most strongly agreed with when I read her this thread). **Yllaria** , [Geerat Vermeij](http://www.nfb.org/books/kernel1/kern0610.htm) is the marine biologist to whom you refer. I happened to have this link in my favorites folder. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534/22 "2004-06-05T20:20:00Z")
No-one has yet mentioned pheromones, which play a part in attraction … perhaps more so for a blind person? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534/23 "2004-06-05T22:45:36Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > **Yllaria** , [Geerat Vermeij](http://www.nfb.org/books/kernel1/kern0610.htm) is the marine biologist to whom you refer. I happened to have this link in my favorites folder. Well then, lets advise **Mr. Vermeij** that shouldn’t be annoyed simply because someone wants to know a little more about him. It can be annoying when people assume that others _instrinctively_ know what’s inside one’s head. Does he know, for example, that sighted people construct images when they close their eyes and imagine? ---
**Author:** ![jsleek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@jsleek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsleek)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534/24 "2004-06-06T05:48:19Z")
I was blind for a while. It really sucks. Just going to the toilet is a major problem. When you walk, you worry about hitting something like a branch or cupboard. when you go outside, you concentrate everything on where you are. Then some jerk with no muffler roars by which hurts your ears and you’re all confused and can’t remember where you are. Just going for a walk takes more courage than I usually had. How people look? No concern at all. No care about race, size, age or anything. A person is a voice that moves around. I totally forgot what my wife looked like. It didn’t matter. Your main concern is whether that person will help you or hurt you. You’re absolutely helpless, yourself. The world is a black place with sounds. You feel your way around a little at a time. That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534/25 "2004-06-06T18:41:33Z")
> [@jsleek](#): > > I was blind for a while. It really sucks. Just going to the toilet is a major problem. > When you walk, you worry about hitting something like a branch or cupboard. when you go outside, you concentrate everything on where you are. Then some jerk with no muffler roars by which hurts your ears and you’re all confused and can’t remember where you are. Just going for a walk takes more courage than I usually had. > > How people look? No concern at all. No care about race, size, age or anything. A person is a voice that moves around. I totally forgot what my wife looked like. It didn’t matter. Your main concern is whether that person will help you or hurt you. You’re absolutely helpless, yourself. > > The world is a black place with sounds. You feel your way around a little at a time. That’s it. Thanks, **jsleek** , for your honest response. I need to think about it. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-attractiveness/248534.md?page=1)