# Who's Hot - and Who's Not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250 "2012-08-12T05:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/1 "2012-08-12T05:25:03Z")
I don’t understand how women classify men. For example, Channing Tatum from Mike is “hot,” while Matt McConaughey doesn’t even get mentioned. Hell, I think both are incredibly sexy. Sean from Nikita is “hot,” while Michael isn’t. Sean: [http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM\_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sean+nikita&oq=sean+nikita&gs\_l=img.3..0j0i24j0i5i24l4.3481.4614.0.4647.7.7.0.0.0.0.286.1004.0j3j2.5.0...0.0...1c.0YbiTb3TGcg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r\_gc.r\_pw.r\_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541](http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sean+nikita&oq=sean+nikita&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24j0i5i24l4.3481.4614.0.4647.7.7.0.0.0.0.286.1004.0j3j2.5.0...0.0...1c.0YbiTb3TGcg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541) Michael:[http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM\_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=michael+nikita&oq=michael+nikita&gs\_l=img.3..0j0i24l6j0i5i24.13507.14080.2.14426.8.6.0.0.0.4.176.676.0j5.5.0...0.0...1c.ffUibGl6jn0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r\_gc.r\_pw.r\_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541](http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=michael+nikita&oq=michael+nikita&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l6j0i5i24.13507.14080.2.14426.8.6.0.0.0.4.176.676.0j5.5.0...0.0...1c.ffUibGl6jn0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541) Christian Bale from Batman is “hot,” while Bane is not. All of the aforementioned men qualify as “hot” at least to me. But to chicks … only Channing Tatum, Sean, and Christian Bale qualify as “hot.” The other three **don’t even get mentioned** in the discussions of who’s hot and who’s not. :dubious: Women: what is your criteria for who’s hot and who’s not? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/2 "2012-08-12T05:46:33Z")
Like pornography, most of us know it when we see it. And I disagree with your basic premise. Michael is much hotter than Sean. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/3 "2012-08-12T05:58:29Z")
Handsome looks+cocky attitude=hot Handsome looks+normal attitude=good looking I don’t know who the guys you’re talking about are and I don’t know if they fit into my categories at all, but let’s take Grey’s Anatomy, a show I hate, as an example. Derek is objectively a handsome guy, but he’s got this annoying nice guy attitude. Not hot. Karev and that other guy who is Derek’s best friend have cocky attitudes and they’re hot\*. \*For white guys, but that’s probably most of you guys’ preference so there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/4 "2012-08-12T06:40:57Z")
I have to agree that hot = attitude. But I’m a bad one to ask, as most guys who are conventionally good-looking all kinda look alike to me, and aren’t interesting. I need some other kind of hook. So there are many guys who are ‘hot’ to ME that may merely be good-looking to someone else. Jeremy Renner comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/5 "2012-08-12T08:52:50Z")
To take your example here: > [@IceQube](#): > > Sean from Nikita is “hot,” while Michael isn’t. > > Sean: [sean - Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sean+nikita&oq=sean+nikita&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24j0i5i24l4.3481.4614.0.4647.7.7.0.0.0.0.286.1004.0j3j2.5.0...0.0...1c.0YbiTb3TGcg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541) > > Michael:[sean - Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?q=sean&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=DD0nULDSOouC9gTDmIHIDA&biw=1092&bih=541&sei=Dj0nUM_8MIWc9QTNzoGABw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=michael+nikita&oq=michael+nikita&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l6j0i5i24.13507.14080.2.14426.8.6.0.0.0.4.176.676.0j5.5.0...0.0...1c.ffUibGl6jn0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=23cc0ff53cdd6fda&biw=1092&bih=541) Sean has big kissable lips, and Michael has a pretty measly mouth. Sean’s hair is longer and more devil-may-care, Michael’s is shorter and utilitarian. Sean has a long, straight, pleasing nose, and \*remarkably \*manly, dark eyebrows. Michael’s nose is too wide, and his eyebrows are too thin. If I had to distill down why I think Sean is the hotter one into a single word (and he definitely is), it’s because he looks more **manly**. He’s bigger, stronger, and bolder. Michael isn’t unattractive at all, he’s merely less exceptional. I just googled their heights and was surprised to find that they’re the same height (6 feet). Just on the basis of their respective headshots, I expected Michael to be shorter than Sean by at least 3-5 inches. Don’t get me wrong, I find them both attractive (not that it matters, as both are vastly out of my league). I wouldn’t turn down a date from either one. But only one has the “hot” factor. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/6 "2012-08-12T17:07:06Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I have to agree that hot = attitude. Hmmm … makes sense. There are two profs at my school who I think are pretty hot, but whenever the girls start talking about them, they always talk about prof 1 as “hot.” They do discuss prof 2 and his eccentricities, but they never say that he’s “hot.” I even asked one time if they thought that prof 2 was “hot,” and I got a decisive “no.” I guess it really does depend a lot on attitude. Prof 1 is a fun guy. Prof 2, however, can be a real dick a lot of times. I would think that prof 2 would be hot because he’s 6’4 and lean. Prof 1 is about 5’8 and already has gray hair, unlike prof 2. But Prof 1 is still “hot” while the other is not. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/7 "2012-08-12T17:30:02Z")
I’m sort of surprised to see you mention Matt McConaughey - he’s been [People’s Sexiest Man Alive](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1113899_1129980,00.html). If he is not currently thought of as hot, maybe it’s because he hasn’t aged well. That can happen to men who are “pretty.” It certainly was not always the case. Now personally, I’ve always found him unappealing: ugly face, overtall/overlanky, with ridiculous hair. That rednecky charm appeals to some people I guess. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/8 "2012-08-12T18:30:45Z")
A bazillion years ago, one of my best friends from HS and I were doing some people watching. I was struck by the guys that she thought were good-looking - I just didn’t see it. I have the same reaction to celebs that are supposed to be “hot” that just don’t appeal to me. Apparently it comes down to personal preferences, and in many cases, mine don’t match much of the rest of the world - oh well… ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/9 "2012-08-12T18:39:25Z")
I’ve always felt that women, on the whole, are attracted to a wider variety of men, while men tend to have a much more uniform idea of what an attractive women is. For example, women love baby faces, others love rough, weathered men. Some like them lean, others like them husky. But men in general (with a few exceptions, of course) are going to be attracted to a rather specific set of body and facial types, and you can probably get pretty good agreement across men as to how attractive a given woman is based on how close she is to that ideal. On the converse, I think individual women are much more likely to have a “type” and not find men outside of the type attractive. I am strongly attracted to slim, shorter men with golden-brown skin and a baby face. You could show me Ryan Gossling all day, and I won’t think he’s cute even if my friends are gaga over him. I’m only really interested in my type. Men, on the other hand, seem to have a wider range of women they find attractive. They guy who prefers blondes probably still won’t turn down Salma Hayek. Any woman who has a good figure and face is going to attract a lot of guys, while even the cutest guy is probably only going to be able to attract the subset of women who likes his type. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/10 "2012-08-13T07:58:11Z")
I can easily answer this question if you answer a simple question for me. What is my favorite color? Hint: If you answer, you don’t understand the question. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/11 "2012-08-14T15:10:14Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > To take your example here: > Sean has big kissable lips, and Michael has a pretty measly mouth. Sean’s hair is longer and more devil-may-care, Michael’s is shorter and utilitarian. Sean has a long, straight, pleasing nose, and \*remarkably \*manly, dark eyebrows. Michael’s nose is too wide, and his eyebrows are too thin. If I had to distill down why I think Sean is the hotter one into a single word (and he definitely is), it’s because he looks more **manly**. He’s bigger, stronger, and bolder. Michael isn’t unattractive at all, he’s merely less exceptional. I just googled their heights and was surprised to find that they’re the same height (6 feet). Just on the basis of their respective headshots, I expected Michael to be shorter than Sean by at least 3-5 inches. > > Don’t get me wrong, I find them both attractive (not that it matters, as both are vastly out of my league). I wouldn’t turn down a date from either one. But only one has the “hot” factor. What about Michael with long hair? > **[michael nikita - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=michael%2Bnikita&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D16&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=4mkqUPCxJZKu8QTX0YD4DA&biw=1344&bih=767&sei=7GkqUJWxA5OY8gTk1oAo#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=michael+nikita+pale+fire&oq=michael+nikita+pale+fire&gs_l=img.3...20051.20810.0.20849.10.8.0.0.0.0.110.649.4j3.7.0...0.0...1c.djjJxgvUxx8&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=49cb2c3ddb50d3ab&biw=1344&bih=767)** ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/12 "2012-08-14T15:58:32Z")
No matter where Michael cuts his hair, he’d still look the way he does, namely, all his face is squashed down into the lower half of his head. He is slightly strange looking. In every picture he is frowning and disgruntled, too, which is a nail in the coffin. Being brooding and intense CAN make you sexy (see, Ralph Fiennes in “The English Patient” where he’s far sexier than his looks deserve), but it can also make you VERY UNSEXY, if you do it wrong and come off like a whiny baby about everything. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/13 "2012-08-14T16:28:00Z")
Which one is supposed to be the hot one? Light hair dude? He’s the better looking of the two if you ask me, which you shouldn’t because I don’t find either one attractive. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/14 "2012-08-14T17:37:48Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > No matter where Michael cuts his hair, he’d still look the way he does, namely, all his face is squashed down into the lower half of his head. He is slightly strange looking. In every picture he is frowning and disgruntled, too, which is a nail in the coffin. Being brooding and intense CAN make you sexy (see, Ralph Fiennes in “The English Patient” where he’s far sexier than his looks deserve), but it can also make you VERY UNSEXY, if you do it wrong and come off like a whiny baby about everything. I’m deducing a lot of dating advice here. One, be born with a good phenotype. Two, hotness is in great part defined by attitude. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/15 "2012-08-14T17:38:20Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I’ve always felt that women, on the whole, are attracted to a wider variety of men, while men tend to have a much more uniform idea of what an attractive women is. For example, women love baby faces, others love rough, weathered men. Some like them lean, others like them husky. But men in general (with a few exceptions, of course) are going to be attracted to a rather specific set of body and facial types, and you can probably get pretty good agreement across men as to how attractive a given woman is based on how close she is to that ideal. > > On the converse, I think individual women are much more likely to have a “type” and not find men outside of the type attractive. I am strongly attracted to slim, shorter men with golden-brown skin and a baby face. You could show me Ryan Gossling all day, and I won’t think he’s cute even if my friends are gaga over him. I’m only really interested in my type. Men, on the other hand, seem to have a wider range of women they find attractive. They guy who prefers blondes probably still won’t turn down Salma Hayek. Any woman who has a good figure and face is going to attract a lot of guys, while even the cutest guy is probably only going to be able to attract the subset of women who likes his type. Bingo. And personal experience changes what one’s attracted to as well. You may find yourself hating, or loving, a particular ‘type’ that 10 years ago you wouldn’t have looked at twice, because in the interim you dated that type and the experience colors your mindset. But it’s a different question, ‘hot’ vs ‘attraction’, anyway. We all know when a woman is ‘hot’. Men don’t have the easily-identified secondary characteristics to help identify hotness, so it’s more subjective. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/16 "2012-08-14T17:40:19Z")
And if it isn’t too much to ask what do you guys think of Roan - hot, or not? (Roan = gray-haired dude) [https://www.google.com/search?q=rob+stewart&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D16&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=RY0qULE2iazwBPfYgNgK&biw=648&bih=656&sei=SY0qUNq2PIiW8gTV3oGABA#q=roan+nikita&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r\_gc.r\_pw.r\_cp.r\_qf.&fp=399919cea5b5d0f8&biw=900&bih=912](https://www.google.com/search?q=rob+stewart&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D16&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=RY0qULE2iazwBPfYgNgK&biw=648&bih=656&sei=SY0qUNq2PIiW8gTV3oGABA#q=roan+nikita&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=399919cea5b5d0f8&biw=900&bih=912) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/17 "2012-08-14T18:45:30Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I can easily answer this question if you answer a simple question for me. > > What is my favorite color? > . The Magic Ring? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/18 "2012-08-14T18:47:06Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > Women: what is your criteria for who’s hot and who’s not? Lots of different things, but the #1 is basically tall dark and snarky. Throw in blue or gray eyes and I’m yours. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/19 "2012-08-14T18:53:32Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > And if it isn’t too much to ask what do you guys think of Roan - hot, or not? > > (Roan = gray-haired dude) > > [rob stewart - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=rob+stewart&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D16&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=RY0qULE2iazwBPfYgNgK&biw=648&bih=656&sei=SY0qUNq2PIiW8gTV3oGABA#q=roan+nikita&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=399919cea5b5d0f8&biw=900&bih=912) Heavens no. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250/20 "2012-08-14T19:12:53Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Heavens no. Rugged looks, badass gun, clean-shaven … what’s there not to like? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-hot-and-whos-not/631250.md?page=2)