# Guys: What's your deal with Anna Kournikova? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302 "2002-06-21T17:47:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/1 "2002-06-21T17:47:20Z")
Don’t get me wrong-I mean, I do think she’s an attractive girl. But when she starts winning “looks contests” around here, and makes #1 in this year’s FHM 100 Sexiest women, I just don’t get it… Here’s my take: She’s got a toned body. A bit boyish, not too feminine IMO, but pics and wonderbras can do a lot. Her hair, although long and pretty, is a total dye job. The face? Eh-no disrespect to the girl or those of you who find her so stunning, but I honestly don’t see beyond average appeal. Eyes too close together and nose too big, giving her an almost rodent-like look. To be perfectly honest, she kinda looks like a (gulp) man in drag to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that- I am all about a good drag show-but being considered best looking of all celebs, including Katie Holmes, Natasha Henstridge, Salma Hayek, Susan Ward, Charlize Theron. etc ad infinitum? There’s just no freakin’ way! My SO says it’s an insane sex appeal that I don’t see, rather than classic beauty. True? I don’t get it! Enlighten me here! ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/2 "2002-06-21T17:49:18Z")
Maybe its the fact she’s young. Youth is a great appeal to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/3 "2002-06-21T17:53:52Z")
well, since she turned twenty, she’s kind of lost “it”, imho. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pathros\_1983](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@Pathros\_1983](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pathros_1983)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/4 "2002-06-21T17:58:22Z")
I personally don’t find her attractive other than she’s physically fit. I think it’s because shes supposively posed nude, and from what a few friends have told me shes “kinky.” (Honestly, I don’t know how they know that or where they got it from.) Obviously, guys like that sort of thing. [hijack] you’re from chas? Right on… first doper I’ve met from there. I’m a CO guy myself but grew up there (about 8 years on and off) and have a lot of family there. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/5 "2002-06-21T18:00:53Z")
This is easy! She’s definitely the best-looking female in sports. We males tend to see a lot of sports, and in sports there tend to be a lot of males. Even the females in sports - their athleticism notwithstanding - look a little rough and tough. Anna Kournikova doesn’t look rough and tough, at least not to me. (Of course, the fact that she’s not a particularly good tennis player lends some creedence to that.) So she’s a striking contrast to the others in her profession, even her fellow female tennis players. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/6 "2002-06-21T18:21:58Z")
I have no idea. I’m one of thsoe guys who couldn’t care less when she’s on. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/7 "2002-06-21T18:28:50Z")
Because a man can stare at her legs and pretend it’s in support of women’s sport. Plus the fact the English isn’t her first language so she hasn’t been too outspoken on anything. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/8 "2002-06-21T22:15:25Z")
Count me as another guy who doesn’t see the attraction. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/9 "2002-06-21T23:38:02Z")
I think she’s hot–damn hot–physically. But after reading some of the statements she’s made I also get the impression that she’s a bit of a bitch too. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/10 "2002-06-22T02:33:21Z")
I don’t care about her. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/11 "2002-06-22T02:59:56Z")
[hijack] The heck with Anna – Yay! Strainger’s back! 🙂 You saw the thread on a Vegas dopefest, yes? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/12 "2002-06-22T06:04:24Z")
Sidle, You do something that women always seem to do, when describing women. (usually even when describing themselves, so sad.) You list all the things you see “wrong” with her. Well, guys generally pay more attention to what they like, and less to what might not be “right.” You should try it. Start with yourself, for practice, and then try it out on other women. Lots of beauty exists in the world, if you just keep you heart as open as your eyes. ## Tris “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” ~ Carl Jung ~ ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/13 "2002-06-22T09:44:48Z")
I don’t think there is anything wrong with considering an athlete more attractive than a movie star, even though the movie star has technically better looks. Actually, now that I think of it, tennis may be the sport most likely to make its female players seem attractive. Female tennis players have to be in very good shape, they are on their own, not part of a team, which makes them seem more important, they show their legs, they act aggressively. What sport can really compete? Basketball? Golf? Soccer comes closer, but they are still part of a team. Swimming? Not exciting enough. Hockey? Can anyone think of a sport more inclined to make its females more attractive? ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/14 "2002-06-22T09:53:02Z")
Badminton. Looks like tennis, but they jump higher. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nenya_Elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/15 "2002-06-22T10:25:48Z")
re: **Tris** ’s hijack: A guy friend said to me the other day, “Why do all these guys get so fixated on these celebrities? There are dozens of girls walking down the street who are way more good looking. Explain this to me, **Nenya** , why do people do this?” To which my answer was a) marketing of the celebrity–e.g. you see them in a movie where they are supposedly “hot” or the love interest, so you are conditioned to think that you are supposed to think they are good-looking or that “everyone” thinks they are and b) sweetheart, tell the girls this! Too many women don’t know that some guys think this way! Also c) \ Hmmmm, so do I count as one of the cute chicks walking down the street? 😃 Not being male I can’t really answer the OP, but I suspect that the youthful, energetic factor is attractive (and I’ve heard lots of male Dopers say they like ponytails and long braids). I also doubt that the multitude of porn email spam done with her name on it hurts her perceived hotness level. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/16 "2002-06-22T11:47:46Z")
I think she looks like a porn star. A good shape, but trashy. Apparently some men like the porn star look, so that’s my theory. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/17 "2002-06-22T11:57:08Z")
- - - I was told by someone that it was because that she prefers to play bra-less and if she can wear shorts, underwear-less. Apparently such articles creep around during use and distract her attention from the game. I don’t know if this story is total BS or not, but I have found a _lot_ of Anna photos on the net, on _non-porn_ sites (try the sports photos section of [www.strangecosmos.com](http://www.strangecosmos.com)), that show here wearing clothing that you can see through on-court, due to being sweaty or because of the angle of the lighting. I doubt they were all faked. The reason I believe it is that there’s also a number of them of her fidgeting with bra straps/underwear on court. ~ She’s in top physical shape (which is always eye-catching) but her face is nothing special, just nothing especially _wrong_. - DougC ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/18 "2002-06-22T13:45:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shrew \* > \*\*I think she looks like a porn star. A good shape, but trashy. > > Apparently some men like the porn star look, so that’s my theory. \*\* I really wouldn’t know about that one, **shrew**. I don’t watch porn, so I have no porn stars to reference Anna Kournikova with, pro or con. To answer the OP: I hit a slack hour a couple of months ago and worked through the Muller Tournament thing. I had very few pre-conceptions. I liked Ashley Judd as an actress, didn’t like Angelina Jolie much, thought Britney Spears was pretty but I didn’t like her singing, had seen a couple of sports page pictures of Anna K. in the newspaper, and of course, knew Cindy Crawford’s name. I looked at the pictures provided at the site and did an honest job of selecting what I thought was the most attractive woman each time. My selections were based almost entirely on the pictures, as there were many of the contestants that I had never even heard of prior to visiting that site. When I was all through and all done, my winner turned to be out Anna Kournikova. What can I say? I think that maybe you are trying to quantify a thing here that defies quantification. “_What makes a person attractive to another person_” probably can’t be answered empirically. Whatever “it” is, it appears that Anna Kournikova has it. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/19 "2002-06-22T14:02:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Strainger \* > \*\*I think she’s hot–damn hot–physically. But after reading some of the statements she’s made I also get the impression that she’s a bit of a bitch too. \*\* Ditto on the bitch part. But I don’t think she’s hot. She is attractive in the abstract, but (and I’m not trying to garner brownie points with anyone here) I’ve become incapable of seperating someone’s personality from my opinion of their attractiveness. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302/20 "2002-06-22T14:11:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Posted by sidle_ > To be perfectly honest, she kinda looks like a (gulp) man in drag to me. To be specific, she looks like Boris Yeltsin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-deal-with-anna-kournikova/115302.md?page=2)