# Troll, Average, Model: How many different classifications of attractiveness? and . . **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545 "2008-12-17T12:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/41 "2008-12-19T01:50:20Z")
> [@Pazu](#): > > [At least one Doper disagrees with you here (see post #58).](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=497712&page=2) I’m not at all surprised that at least one Doper disagrees with me. I thought it would be far more. I am a little disappointed in who it is, though. But good for her. She deserves to have high standards. It just doesn’t do me much good to assume that I don’t meet those standards. I’d be cutting myself off at the knees (or slightly higher!) if I did. A lot of people, men and women, often sell themselves short. I totally used to do that, and I missed an awful lot of opportunities. In the past year, I threw out that line of thinking, and I met quite a few women that I consider truly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/42 "2008-12-19T04:07:53Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m not at all surprised that at least one Doper disagrees with me. I thought it would be far more. I am a little disappointed in who it is, though. > > But good for her. She deserves to have high standards. It just doesn’t do me much good to assume that I don’t meet those standards. I’d be cutting myself off at the knees (or slightly higher!) if I did. > > A lot of people, men and women, often sell themselves short. I totally used to do that, and I missed an awful lot of opportunities. In the past year, I threw out that line of thinking, and I met quite a few women that I consider truly beautiful. And really, unless you are genuinely deformed, there are a lot of ways you can make yourself attractive to most people. I bet that if that guy \*\*DianaG \*\* mentioned were younger, didn’t approach her in an off-putting way, had a nice haircut, and was wearing a nice suit, he would have been a lot more attractive to her. All of these things (except for age, which just limits you to people of similar age) can be changed. The catch is that most people’s “types” are based on \*how \*exactly you go about making yourself attractive. (Plus personality too of course, but your personality arguably \*should \*be reflected in the way you dress.) Valete, Vox Imperatoris ETA: Also, **Pazu** , it’s a lot better to link to a post by clicking on the little number at the top right of it and copying the URL from there. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/43 "2008-12-19T08:02:32Z")
There’s: Unfortunate Kind of homely Average Kind of cute Definitely cute Hot! (aka so very much out of my league) but then there’s also: too young to care about too old to care about Men in these two categories aren’t really classifiable on a scale of not to hot. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/44 "2008-12-19T08:22:32Z")
For the basic yes or no, “Lady” and “Tramp” works well. /chauvinism ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/45 "2008-12-19T08:41:29Z")
I don’t understand the ‘too perfect’ category that some people have. It seems to be assuming that if someone is so mindblowingly beautiful, then they can’t possibly be worthwhile partners (for whatever reason). I can’t use a scale, because there are several physical features that I rate higher than others, but even so, if someone who I considered ‘perfect’ came up to me and seemed nice and clever, etc, there’s no WAY I’d turn her away. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/46 "2008-12-19T13:33:06Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > And really, unless you are genuinely deformed, there are a lot of ways you can make yourself attractive to most people. I bet that if that guy \*\*DianaG \*\* mentioned were younger, didn’t approach her in an off-putting way, had a nice haircut, and was wearing a nice suit, he would have been a lot more attractive to her. All of these things (except for age, which just limits you to people of similar age) can be changed. The catch is that most people’s “types” are based on \*how \*exactly you go about making yourself attractive. (Plus personality too of course, but your personality arguably \*should \*be reflected in the way you dress.) Exactly. It’s amazing what a nice pair of shoes and a matching belt can do for your love life. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/47 "2008-12-19T14:43:58Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I guess I’m in the first category then, because I think you’re quite attractive myself. 😃 Well, get me drunk first and we’ll talk. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/48 "2008-12-19T15:27:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Illuminatiprimus** > \*I guess I’m in the first category then, because I think you’re quite attractive myself. \* > > > [@Zebra](#): > > > > Well, get me drunk first and we’ll talk. How much would it cost to watch such an encounter were someing interested in doing so? Hypothetically speaking, of course.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/49 "2008-12-19T15:51:07Z")
Well since I’ll be unemployed come the new year… Ummm… 20 bucks and you provide the booze. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/50 "2008-12-19T16:26:36Z")
1. My wife. 2. Other. I can still recognize that a particular woman is more or less appealing than another, but they’re all incidental anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/51 "2008-12-20T12:42:52Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > I don’t understand the ‘too perfect’ category that some people have. It seems to be assuming that if someone is so mindblowingly beautiful, then they can’t possibly be worthwhile partners (for whatever reason). > > I can’t use a scale, because there are several physical features that I rate higher than others, but even so, if someone who I considered ‘perfect’ came up to me and seemed nice and clever, etc, there’s no WAY I’d turn her away. I don’t know, there’s just something off-putting about it. Like, perfectly toned, muscular bodies - I can kind of appreciate them aesthetically, but they don’t get my motor running, as it were. Plus, with a very exceptions, perfect beauty requires a lot of upkeep and maintenance, which suggests vanity, and I find vanity to be one of the most unappealing characteristics in a man. If you spend more time beautifying yourself than I do (and I don’t spend much time), I don’t want to know! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/52 "2008-12-20T13:27:08Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > 1. My wife. > 2. Other. > > I can still recognize that a particular woman is more or less appealing than another, but they’re all incidental anymore. +1 1. **Hal** ’s wife 2. Other actually, I’m sure your wife is a very attractive woman, but I can’t really remember what she looks like right off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/53 "2008-12-20T15:54:49Z")
I agree with the OP. The scale is really: 0 1 See, binary is useful! ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/54 "2008-12-20T17:51:37Z")
For general use purposes there is; Would hit that. Would not hit that. As much as I like to believe that I am an evolved, intelligent person…sometimes it just all goes back to the base impulses. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/55 "2008-12-21T04:27:48Z")
Different scales for different purposes. If I’m just doing an aesthetic judgement there’s more gradation and nuance. For dating, there’s basically just two categories - not attractive enough for me to consider dating, and attractive enough (to me) to consider dating. Although there might be a third category of actually too attractive for me to feel comfortable enough pursuing. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/56 "2008-12-21T04:44:09Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > A lot of people are framing their answer in terms of whether they would conceivably sleep with them or not, but for me that’s a bit different - the moment I meet a guy I think my brain kind of automatically sorts him into a “never ever” box or a “has potential” box, and then after a conversation or two the latter get sorted into “maybe if I were drunk” box and “I would like it to happen one day” box. 😛 I really like the way you think about this. Instead of some subjective scale of 1 to 10 (or whatever) you seem to break it down to a binary choice\* that once selected is then _further_ broken down to subsequent, new binary choices as you gather more information about the dude (or chick). It seems rather like starting with a simple “yin/yang” type dichotomy then refining further using fractals or Fibonacci’s Number or… something (dammit Jim! I’m a TV/film guy–not a mathematician!) Anyway… it’s neat, tidy and maybe a little wonderful. I think (or hope) it’s the way I consider various women; refining the parameters as I get to know them better. \*& Yo! a quick shout-out to **Aestivalis** for thinking along these lines too. It’s… it’s … it’s… DIGITAL, man! ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/57 "2008-12-21T10:19:52Z")
You have got a point there **I Love Me, Vol.1** , because ultimately it doesn’t matter HOW attractive someone is, if you’re up for it you’re up for it. For the record I don’t tend to discuss my ratings of others with people I know, it’s always in my head. But if I am discussing whether someone is attractive the answer is either “he’s attractive” generally without qualifier or “no thanks”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545/58 "2008-12-21T14:41:24Z")
I’ve actually started writing an essay on this subject, entitled “Yes, No, Maybe,” which is the game I play on the subway when I find I’ve forgotten to pack reading material (or my laptop battery has died), consisting of looking over every woman I can see between age 18 and age 70 on the subway car and instantly making the call. The essay concerns my mild surprise at finding how easy it is to make each call instantly (my rules demand that I make a call within 2 seconds of looking each one over) and how rarely I have to invoke a “Maybe.” Next-most-surprising is how often I say “No.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-average-model-how-many-different-classifications-of-attractiveness-and/477545.md?page=2)