# Is a six-pack attractive on a chick?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325 "2015-06-12T05:57:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/1 "2015-06-12T05:57:13Z")
I thought this post by body-builder and fitness blogger Noelle was really great: > **[Why I Don't Want Six-Pack Abs](https://coconutsandkettlebells.com/dont-want-six-pack-abs/)** > > Although six-pack abs are a highly coveted physical attribute in the world of health and fitness, here's eight reasons why I don't want six-pack abs. Here’s the thing though: This woman _already_ has pretty much what I would consider the ideal stomach for a woman: flat-ish but without visible ab cuts. Personally, I can tolerate, even celebrate, a significant amount of fat on a woman, so long as it doesn’t reach a truly obese level. I think _most_ straight guys feel the same way: not too fat, not too thin is just right. The definition of what a “six pack” means to guys and gals may vary, but for guys it invariably means the aforementioned ab cuts, which requires a low body fat percentage. I’m assuming it means basically the same thing to Noelle. I’ve never had a girlfriend with visible ab cuts. That doesn’t look sexy to me; it looks unnatural. Women typically have a higher body fat percentage than guys, on average, and they need that fat in order to get pregnant and have healthy babies. IOW, there is no evolutionary reason for women thin enough to have a six pack to appear _more_ attractive to straight men for that reason. What do you think? Do you want your woman to have a ripped gut? Is that attractive to you? Thanks for your replies! ---
**Author:** ![XRaeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f14d63/32.png) [@XRaeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XRaeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/2 "2015-06-12T07:42:58Z")
I’m firmly in the “not caring either way” camp. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/3 "2015-06-12T07:54:37Z")
I also am in the don’t care camp. I have been aware for some time that “six-pack” abs are created more in front of the refrigerator than in the gym. They result from fairly extreme leanness and low body fat. Additionally, I can’t quite help wondering if the poll has a bit of a misogyny-fishing feel to it. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/4 "2015-06-12T07:55:55Z")
Man. Absolutely not attractive. On the contrary, wide hips and a hint of belly? _That’s_ very attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/5 "2015-06-12T08:35:12Z")
> [@jimbuff314](#): > > Additionally, I can’t quite help wondering if the poll has a bit of a misogyny-fishing feel to it. Saying that I find women with normal bodies attractive is fishing for misogyny?! Methinks not. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/6 "2015-06-12T11:38:46Z")
I like the more softer, rounded look. No body builders for me, I think they look masculine. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/7 "2015-06-12T11:53:20Z")
Oh hell yeah, and so is not having one. In short there are soooo many ways a woman can be attractive. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/8 "2015-06-12T12:03:08Z")
Is a six pack attractive on a woman? Yes. Yes. Oh yes. Probably mostly because I don’t have one of my own, I would love to be with one! It doesn’t require bodybuilder muscle size, but does of course require a decent amount of training. Not saying there aren’t many other things that can be attractive too. I’m also partial to good, strong calves. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/9 "2015-06-12T12:14:36Z")
I find many fit people attractive. That doesn’t require a six-pack, but it’s certainly not a negative. I also find many not so fit people attractive It’s no an either-or situation. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/10 "2015-06-12T12:18:28Z")
No, it is overly masculine. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/11 "2015-06-12T13:20:00Z")
A guy And oh hell yes it’s attractive. If she’s got a 6 pack then it most likely means the rest of her is nice and tone and that’s right up my alley. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/12 "2015-06-12T13:24:21Z")
I’m a hetero woman, if it matters, and I don’t particularly think a six-pack on either gender is attractive sexually. IOW I can admire it objectively as a great testament to their hard work, but I don’t find it overly desirable. I think the woman in the picture has a great figure and not having read the article, I’m not sure why she’s going out of her way to tell us what she \*doesn’t \*want. \*I’ve \*known the secret to not having six pack abs for a lonnnnnnng time. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/13 "2015-06-12T13:31:59Z")
Where’s the “neither unattractive nor particularly attractive” option? I don’t find six-pack abs particularly attractive, but they’re not repulsive or a turn-off either. For me, there’s a pretty wide range of figures that I find very sexy- anything from the more zaftig figure of an Ashley Graham to the more lean look of many fitness models. I suspect the author of the article gets some degree of judgement for being fit, but not taking it all the way to six-pack super-lean land, and this is her response to that pressure. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/14 "2015-06-12T13:38:18Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I’m a hetero woman, if it matters, and I don’t particularly think a six-pack on either gender is attractive sexually. IOW I can admire it objectively as a great testament to their hard work, but I don’t find it overly desirable. I think the woman in the picture has a great figure and not having read the article, I’m not sure why she’s going out of her way to tell us what she \*doesn’t \*want. \*I’ve \*known the secret to not having six pack abs for a lonnnnnnng time. I’m a gay woman, and I agree with you. I don’t think it’s because it’s masculine that I dislike it - I like a sexy androgynous look in women ([_hot_](http://images-2.domain.com.au/2015/04/10/6429393/Article%20Lead%20-%20wide982592961mi1vtimage.related.articleLeadwide.729x410.1mi1cw.png1428624402822.jpg-620x349.jpg)), it’s the hardness. What I like about women is their softness. ---
**Author:** ![Swamp\_Adder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@Swamp\_Adder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swamp_Adder)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/15 "2015-06-12T14:55:17Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Saying that I find women with normal bodies attractive is fishing for misogyny?! Methinks not. Oh, no. Saying that women with a certain body type are “unnatural”, and that their bodies are not “normal”, is certainly not misogynistic at all. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/16 "2015-06-12T15:01:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I suspect the author of the article gets some degree of judgement for being fit, but not taking it all the way to six-pack super-lean land, and this is her response to that pressure. I think that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/17 "2015-06-12T15:05:09Z")
I don’t find it un-attractive. It’s not a turn-off or anything. But, I don’t find it particularly attractive either. I find my visual attention drawn to other regions of the female anatomy. ETA So, I didn’t vote. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/18 "2015-06-12T15:06:38Z")
> [@Swamp\_Adder](#): > > Oh, no. Saying that women with a certain body type are “unnatural”, and that their bodies are not “normal”, is certainly not misogynistic at all. Oh jesus, you’re really reaching for this one. The level of effort in the gym and with diet for a woman to have actual ab cuts is _not_ normal. “Close to impossible” is more like it. It may be very close to actually impossible without heavy gym work, since a woman will tend just to have a flat stomach, even when her body fat is very low. It’s also quite hard for a guy as well, but a rare few guys will have a six-pack without trying. The idea that I’m “six-pack shaming” women walking around with a natural six-pack isn’t going to work, but nice try. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/19 "2015-06-12T15:19:01Z")
Dude here. I’m a fan. Of course, I’m a fan of just about everything between the extremes of supermodel skinny and \>25% bodyfat. A sixpack says she knows how to take care of herself and is willing to work at it. That in itself is attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325/20 "2015-06-12T15:21:33Z")
> [@Swamp\_Adder](#): > > Oh, no. Saying that women with a certain body type are “unnatural”, and that their bodies are not “normal”, is certainly not misogynistic at all. Outside of famine, a woman having sufficiently low bodyfat as to display six pack abs is certainly not _statistically_ normal. It’s actually pretty damn rare. Either the woman has a maniacal dedication to achieving the look (which, as pointed out in the article can have serious consequences for the woman’s life outside the gym) or she has some sort of lipid metabolism and storage disorder (lipodystrophy), which can have some extremely serious medical consequences. No, it’s not normal. Pointing that out is not inherently misogynistic, any more than pointing out someone is left handed is hostile towards lefthanders. At most, six packs on a chick is interesting from a “oh, that’s unusual” viewpoint, but I wouldn’t call it attractive. Then again, I don’t really find women attractive physically anyway. I can make general judgements on what society considers attractive, or what my spouse considers attractive, because I’m familiar with some of the criteria used but women with six pack abs are such statistical outliers I really have no way to make a judgement. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-six-pack-attractive-on-a-chick/722325.md?page=2)