# How important is facial beauty in determining whether you're sexually attracted to someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167 "2011-03-27T17:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/1 "2011-03-27T17:37:35Z")
I can’t think of a simpler way of putting this question. I can of course imagine more COMPLICATED way, but I can’t be bothered to type it out. Poll in a second, but don’t let that stop you. Be forewarned that the poll results will be public. Unless I change my mind while typing it, of course, but I don’t see why I would. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/2 "2011-03-27T17:40:44Z")
It ranks as an importance of 7 in Skald-importance units (SKI.) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/3 "2011-03-27T17:41:03Z")
Sexual attraction begins with the body, a cute face helps but there’s a reason Jesus invented doggy style. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/4 "2011-03-27T17:43:56Z")
A nice face is the primary physical attractor for me. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/5 "2011-03-27T17:50:50Z")
Are you familiar with the term “BOBFOC”? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/6 "2011-03-27T17:52:56Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Are you familiar with the term “BOBFOC”? Never have I encountered such a term. You have 11 and 2/7 minutes to explain it to me or I will kill this raccoon. :: sets timer on guillotine :: ETA: Also, I changed my mind about making the results public. Obviously. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/7 "2011-03-27T17:54:58Z")
I voted “Straight female, the face and body are about equal” because there’s no “Straight female, the face is much more important than the body” choice. For me a great smile and an intelligent sparkle in the eyes are much, much more important than what the body looks like. Once the face wins me over I might check out the body, but I give a funny, smart guy a lot of leeway in that area. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/8 "2011-03-27T17:57:43Z")
If I’m not attracted to the face, then I’m not attracted. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/9 "2011-03-27T17:59:54Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > I voted “Straight female, the face and body are about equal” because there’s no “Straight female, the face is much more important than the body” choice. For me a great smile and an intelligent sparkle in the eyes are much, much more important than what the body looks like. Once the face wins me over I might check out the body, but I give a funny, smart guy a lot of leeway in that area. There’s supposed to be. Sorry about that; poor editing. I deliberately left out the issues of intelligence, humor, and other aspects of character, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/10 "2011-03-27T18:14:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Never have I encountered such a term. You have 11 and 2/7 minutes to explain it to me or I will kill this raccoon. > > :: sets timer on guillotine :: > > ETA: Also, I changed my mind about making the results public. Obviously. “Body off Baywatch, face off [Crimewatch](http://www.bbc.co.uk/crimewatch/wanted/)”. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/11 "2011-03-27T18:46:25Z")
None of these really worked for me. My answer would be “Straight female: I’m not attracted to traditionally handsome guys, but I do have preferred facial types which I can’t really articulate. Ditto body types. In a nutshell, a guy whom I’m attracted to is automatically good-looking to me.” My husband says “Straight male: Beauty lives from _here_ to _here_.” _indicating the area between waist and upper thigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/12 "2011-03-27T18:50:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If I’m not attracted to the face, then I’m not attracted. No option for this. I’m a straight female and if I’m not attracted to the face, the body can’t compensate. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/13 "2011-03-27T18:54:50Z")
^What she said. Classically handsome isn’t necessary, but if the eyes and the smile aren’t doing it for me, nothing below the neck is going to make up for that. Well, not for more than a night or two, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/14 "2011-03-27T18:56:38Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > ^What she said. Classically handsome isn’t necessary, but if the eyes and the smile aren’t doing it for me, nothing below the neck is going to make up for that. Well, not for more than a night or two, anyway. I’ve noticed that many women don’t talk in terms of facial features but of eyes and smile. Why is that? What kind of eyes and smile are most attractive for you and why? ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/15 "2011-03-27T19:13:04Z")
The kind of eyes that have a lot going on behind them, and the kind of smile that matches the eyes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/16 "2011-03-27T19:16:42Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > There’s supposed to be. Sorry about that; poor editing. > > I deliberately left out the issues of intelligence, humor, and other aspects of character, by the way. For me, though, intelligence, humor, and so on show in the face; often, they are what makes the face. Once I get to know someone and realize how smart and funny they are, they become so much more attractive to me. Someone else might look at their face and think, meh, while I’m looking at it and thinking, wow, this guy’s gorgeous because I see not the features but what’s behind them. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/17 "2011-03-27T19:25:10Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > For me, though, intelligence, humor, and so on show in the face; often, they are what makes the face. Once I get to know someone and realize how smart and funny they are, they become so much more attractive to me. Someone else might look at their face and think, meh, while I’m looking at it and thinking, wow, this guy’s gorgeous because I see not the features but what’s behind them. I wonder about that sometimes – i.e., whether there is any truth to the idea that persons thought to _look_ intelligent actually _are_ intelligent. I benefit from that sometimes; I am often told by persons I know in meatspace that I look smart. But I know that, for instance, my friend Jennifer has a brain the size of Wisconsin, even though she looks like a stereotypical blonde bimbo. No one ever thinks she is smart just looking at her, but it’s clear she’s brilliant as soon as she opens her mouth. Likewise my friend Susan. Her gorgeous face & righteous rack would not seem to belong to the extremel competent professional she is. Anyway … the reason I left out humor, intellect, character, and so forth is that I was trying to segregate things one notices at first glance from things that only apparent on actually knowing a person. I think I’m on record as judging Natalie Portman as being hellaciously beautiful, but I’ve no idea if I’d find her sexy in person as I know virtually nothing of her personality. But I can know things about her face and body, and the remarkable quality of the former makes up – more than makes up – for the nice-but-less-than-spectactular quality of the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/18 "2011-03-27T19:43:17Z")
The way you have worded the question for straight females makes it impossible for me to answer, because every answer gives too much weight to the body. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/19 "2011-03-27T19:45:57Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I wonder about that sometimes – i.e., whether there is any truth to the idea that persons thought to _look_ intelligent actually _are_ intelligent. I benefit from that sometimes; I am often told by persons I know in meatspace that I look smart. But I know that, for instance, my friend Jennifer has a brain the size of Wisconsin, even though she looks like a stereotypical blonde bimbo. No one ever thinks she is smart just looking at her, but it’s clear she’s brilliant as soon as she opens her mouth. Likewise my friend Susan. Her gorgeous face & righteous rack would not seem to belong to the extremel competent professional she is. > > Anyway … the reason I left out humor, intellect, character, and so forth is that I was trying to segregate things one notices at first glance from things that only apparent on actually knowing a person. I think I’m on record as judging Natalie Portman as being hellaciously beautiful, but I’ve no idea if I’d find her sexy in person as I know virtually nothing of her personality. But I can know things about her face and body, and the remarkable quality of the former makes up – more than makes up – for the nice-but-less-than-spectactular quality of the latter. I don’t mean that I look at a man I don’t know and immediately see intelligence in his face. I mean that a plain or even homely face will look much more attractive to me once I talk to someone and realize that they are intelligent and have a sense of humor and are kind. I am rarely attracted to anyone just by how they look. I can recognize when someone is conventionally handsome, or when women are beautiful, but that doesn’t mean I’m attracted to them. I do understand that men are more visual than women and can be immediately attracted to someone based on how they look, but that rarely happens to me. I can appreciate it, but I am generally not attracted to it. An example of someone I find attractive is [Colin Firth.](http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=colin+firth&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1372&bih=726) Now, I realize many women agree that he is attractive, but there are times when I don’t always find his face handsome, such as in _The English Patient,_ and I couldn’t tell you much about what his body looks like because I haven’t paid much attention to it. There is something about his face, something perhaps indefinable, that makes my heart flutter. It’s not his _features_ so much as what’s behind them, and what I’ve heard him say in interviews only confirms that he is intelligent, thoughtful, and sensitive, which are all qualities I look for in a man. His face reflects that, which is why I am attracted to him. He does have those lovely brown eyes, though . . . By the way, you mentioned Natalie Portman. She is, from all accounts, [very intelligent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Portman); do you think that might be part of what you find attractive about her without realizing it? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167/20 "2011-03-27T19:57:09Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > …my friend Jennifer has a brain the size of Wisconsin… I’ve been to Wisconsin. That’s a pretty big brain. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-facial-beauty-in-determining-whether-youre-sexually-attracted-to-someone/576167.md?page=2)