# Ladies, what kind of build do you like in a man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555 "2005-03-08T18:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/21 "2005-03-08T22:33:38Z")
I’m 5’8", so I’ve been attracted to tall and short, as long as they have thick bodies. Extra weight is not as unattractive as bodybuilder muscle. Slender and frail equals unhealthy to me on a deep, I-want-to-have-your-baby level. So it’s more the question what DON’t I like in a masculine build: an unnatural amount of muscle or small-boned/petite frame. Everything else is pretty much great. Let the parade begin. ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/22 "2005-03-08T23:02:14Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > Deja vu! Another **JThunder** thread that wouldn’t work the other way around. Why not? I’ve seen plenty of threads with fellows talking about what they found attractive in a lady. And presumably if it was the other way around, it would be a woman polling men. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/23 "2005-03-08T23:36:09Z")
There are few body types I’d turn down if I was sufficiently interested in the personality inside and vice versa, but what I’m most attracted to (and what I’ve currently got is): Tall and lean–basically, in shape, but not necessarily athletic. Slight belly neither adds to nor detracts from attractiveness. Well-turned legs–yum. Athletic bodies can be good too, but seriously cut/built bodies usually turn me off–I don’t know why, exactly. I guess a good way of visualizing this is: soccer players yes, gymnasts no. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/24 "2005-03-08T23:45:38Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > With the gut and all? I think I’ve found my new idol to emulate (since I’ll never be as tall and thin as John Cusack, as suave as Cary Grant, or have has crisp a voice as Gregory Peck.) > > Mitchum…I could _definitely_ do that. “Build my gallows high, baby.” > > Stranger Not to flirt or anything, but … hi there, new best friend! Also if the only thing you need to work on in the Gregory Peck department is the _voice_, then let’s just go ahead and get married, and let me call you Atticus on our honeymoon. (That isn’t flirting either.) ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/25 "2005-03-09T00:35:40Z")
I’ve also been attracted to all sorts of body-shapes in guys, but I tend to like 'em best one of two ways: the really big, burly bears, or small and wiry. If I were building my perfect-bodied guy, he’d be about 5’10", broad in shoulder and chest, big arms, nice round tushy, long, wiry, muscular legs - and aside from his head where he would have long, wavy tresses, he’d have none-to-very-little body hair. If he’s wearing a kilt/playing a guitar even better 😃 (My husband is 5’11", average build with a little softness around the middle and your basic Young Republican haircut, does not play guitar or wear kilts, and in spite of the fact that he’s not at all my type, I like him just fine. Go figure.) ---
**Author:** ![Typically\_Sunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/26 "2005-03-09T00:49:57Z")
Skinny white boys all the way! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/27 "2005-03-09T00:52:22Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > Not to flirt or anything, but … hi there, new best friend! > > Also if the only thing you need to work on in the Gregory Peck department is the _voice_, then let’s just go ahead and get married, and let me call you Atticus on our honeymoon. (That isn’t flirting either.) Heya. 😉 I can’t manage Gregory Peck–he, like James Earl Jones, has a certain resonance that is just unreproducible by me–but I do a very effective Sean Connery, and have been called upon to entertain my cow-orkers in this manner. “Ryan, be careful what you shoot out. Some things in there don’t react well to bullets.” I can also do a very good Professer Frink from _The Simpsons_: “Well, it should be obvious to even the most dim-witted individual who holds an advanced degree in hyperbolic topology, n’gee, that Homer Simpson has stumbled into…the third dimension.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t go over well with the chicks. Oh, and I’ve been known to spontaneously start to quote the entire opening narration from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”…but I don’t sound anything like Peter Jones while doing it, so it loses some flavor. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/28 "2005-03-09T00:58:18Z")
My ideal is the swimmer’s build. It is the right amount of muscle. Bulgy muscles are really a turnoff to me, especially the kind that look like they are the product of lots of time in the gym (as opposed to swimmers, who have muscles that are supposedly developed a moderate amount from pursuing a sport they are passionate about). I’ve never dated a guy like that. I’ve dated: short/skinny, verrry tall/skinny, and now I’m with a medium/teddy bear (although I’d like him to be a medium/teddy bear with a bit of a flatter stomach. :-D) ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/29 "2005-03-09T01:27:19Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > How you doing? 😉 I’m fine, dear, just fine. And I’ll now be stalking you relentlessly. Hope you don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![laurelann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5daacb/32.png) [@laurelann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laurelann)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/30 "2005-03-09T02:21:54Z")
It doesn’t really matter for me. Not particularly skinny or enourmous though. I like my men to have a little pudge to cuddle with. Nice arms are good for hugging, so put that on the list. And I don’t like men with too many muscles (“I DIDN’T BUILD HIM FOR YOU!”). The most important parts though, are a good smile and eyes. ---
**Author:** ![SusanStoHelit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/31 "2005-03-09T02:25:56Z")
As has been mentioned, the swimmer body type gets me going. The shoulders don’t have to be bulky, just wider than then waist and hips. Ideally, a guy should be carrot-shaped from behind. I can forgive a lot for wide shoulders, narrow hips, and long, strong hands… Excuse me for a minute while I compose myself… There. I don’t really care about height (although it is a bit awkward to dance with someone \>3" shorter than me) or weight, as long as it looks proportional. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/32 "2005-03-09T04:37:44Z")
Just about any build attracts me, except for extremely skinny. I like big, tall guys the best. Broad shoulders, long arms and legs, big hands…mmmm! I like a man who feels substantial. The few thin guys that I’ve put my arms around felt a little too light. One thing I nearly always look for is how big a man’s hands are relative to mine. I have long fingers and wide hands, and a guy whose hand is larger than mine makes me feel strangely protected. Yeah, I have just a bit of a possible hand fetish. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/33 "2005-03-09T04:43:51Z")
Okay, so some of you have said that you don’t like the bodybuilder look. Now, I have to ask – at what point would you consider a guy to be excessively muscular? Obviously, Ah-nold and his ilk woudl be considered ultra-muscular. What about the following? [ul] [li]Jean Claude van Damme?[/li][li]Dean Cain?[/li][li]The younger male lifeguards on Baywatch?[/li][li]Tyson Beckford?[/li][li]LL Cool J?[/li][li]Brad Pitt?[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/34 "2005-03-09T04:45:46Z")
I like: 1. slender guys with nice asses. 2. somewhat built guys - i.e. not chiseled but with just a little more to grab onto, if you follow. Preferably with some fur. 3. Oh, hell… guys in general. If you won’t smother me or break when I’m on top of you, you’ve had a shower recently, and you’re in sound health and you’ve got all your parts (you’ll need them)… bring it on! ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/35 "2005-03-09T05:22:31Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > I like: > > 1. slender guys with nice asses. > 2. somewhat built guys - i.e. not chiseled but with just a little more to grab onto, if you follow. Preferably with some fur. > 3. Oh, hell… guys in general. If you won’t smother me or break when I’m on top of you, you’ve had a shower recently, and you’re in sound health and you’ve got all your parts (you’ll need them)… bring it on! Promise? Lessee… for me? I’d have to say I’m attracted to eccentricity in look more than anything else. Cookie-cutter men and women just generally don’t appeal overall. If you’ve got a certain touch of spice that others don’t, I’m likely to notice. For guys? Build-wise, I tend to favor the thinner types. Muscles don’t do all that much for me, but tight abs? Damn fine. A light dusting of hair can be nice on the right fellow as it can add a certain amount of definition to the chest, but I’m not overall a huge fan of the hirsute. Connected to my first paragraph, I tend to be attracted to somewhat androgynous guys. Long hair? Hot. Skinny and somewhat femme-y? One to check in, please! I’ll also second (third? fourth?) the swimmer’s build being nice too. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/36 "2005-03-09T05:33:41Z")
I like 'em pale and scrawny. Tall if I can get it, but at least as tall as me no matter what - I hate looking down at people. Don’t care about muscles except to dislike very muscular types. Not fond of body hair, but even less fond of waxing or other artificial hair removal means. Don’t like them femme or androgynous (which doesn’t mean they need to look like Buzz Lightyear or something, just that… y’know… generally masculine facial features) and don’t like long hair. Despite liking 'em pale and scrawny, I’ve been attracted to some who were rather doughier than is the societal norm for masculine beauty. I am the nerd boy’s dream, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/37 "2005-03-09T05:41:28Z")
> [@Priam](#): > > Promise? But of course. I’ve seen your photo. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/38 "2005-03-09T05:44:53Z")
> [@racinchikki](#): > > Don’t like them femme or androgynous Ohhhhhh, I do. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/39 "2005-03-09T06:06:23Z")
Tall seems to have come up many times here. Why is that a plus? ---
**Author:** ![MsPrufrock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@MsPrufrock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsPrufrock)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555/40 "2005-03-09T06:41:34Z")
I like my guys: Taller than me (over 5’10") Broad shoulders Big hands (like Liam Neeson or The Rock - wow, never thought I’d discuss those two in the same sentence -hehe) Solid build - not the lean, lanky look - more the slight pudge or slight gym physique with a fat layer over it. I haven’t had much luck in the “tall” category though. All but one have been my height or shorter. Again, none of these are deal breakers. I just want a nice guy, who smiles and laughs a lot, who’s intelligent and who, if they don’t read as much as I do, will be happy to listen to me babble on about my books anyway. _deep sigh_ I have been single WAY too long. **Walloon** , to answer your question, at least from my perspective: I’m about 5’10" with flats on and with most of my heels I’m about 6’. I’m also a bit overweight. I love it when I’m with a guy who is bigger than I am because I get to feel more delicate than I normally feel. I like feeling protected, etc. That’s my reason for the tall guy preference. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-kind-of-build-do-you-like-in-a-man/293555.md?page=3)