I remembering reading somewhere (maybe it was Wikipedia?) that studies have shown that women prefer more masculine-looking men during or close to their period, and tend toward more effeminate men during their off-time.
Is this true? Ladies?
Is there any way that I can tell if a woman is well between her periods? 
Good luck, pal. I’m not touching this one. :eek:
I do remember hearing a TV show (like a Discovery Channel news type show) reference a study about that, but I don’t know who conducted the study or what the conclusion was.
I would think it should be the other way around, though, since she’s ovulating mid-cycle (pretty much smack in between periods) and would be most fertile around then. I think it makes more sense that she’d gravitate towards the “manlier” specimens at that point, instead of while she’s on her period and needs a wimpy man to take orders and go get her some chocolate ice cream and Tampax.
Hmm, I wonder if this somehow correlates:
Sometimes, after I’ve been working outside all day I’ll go to my local pub to have a beer to cool off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that; women will start flirting with me like crazy.
I mean jeez! It seems like I have more luck with the ladies when I’m hot, sweaty and smelly than I do after I’m clean shaven and just stepped out of the shower!!
What the hell gives ladies?? 
As the OP suggests; Maybe it is a whole “Call of the wild” thing.
Pheremones, perhaps ?
I can’t provide a cite either, but I recall reading that women prefer more “manly” men during their times of maximum fertility. They are also more likely to seek out men, wear jewelry and wear clothes that expose more skin. In a similar vein, IIRC married women are more likely to seek out lovers when fertile, and tend to orgasm more with lovers than husbands, increasing their fertility.
Hell, I don’t know… I get excited more easily right at my period. Never understood why men have such a hangup about it, too, it’s extra lubrication and all.
My taste in men doesn’t vary with the monthlies.
Sure, just ask. Hell, get the responses on camera and put the show on cable. It would be mildly entertaining.
I’m checking w/some Girlfriends - but so far we’re 2-0 in favor of hot & sweaty (minus stinky - I don’t care what the song says, do not bring the funk).
Tangential question…if women are sexually attracted to atavism, why are men evolving away from it?
:dubious: “More masculine” isn’t the same as “atavism”. Were you thinking that fertile women preferred quadrupedal men with no forehead ?
I definately think there is something to it. I’m bisexual, and I find myself somewhat more attracted to women around my period and men at midcycle. Although it is by no means overpowering as it isn’t difficult for me to maintain my relationship with my boyfriend, but it is there.
M’kay, votes are in & it’s looking more 50/50.
Notable quote:
No; there’s True Atavism, i.e. born with a tail, and the cultural reference to atavism, which loosely means a throwback, i.e. hairy, warlike, etc. Link.
I was definitely using the term loosely and perjoratively.
BTW, I’m a tall, fairly masculine (though decidedly not hairy) fellow, so I’m not saying this resentfully, just kind of flippantly. Sorry, I’ll crawl back to my primordial ooze now. 
I recall the “study”, which made that claim and the papers. I read that it was considered a special piece of garbage, and I remember thinking the same when I read how the study was done. Someone should be able to dig up the critiques of the study, if nothing else.
There have been multiple studies. The first had females being shown pictures of faces that had masculine or feminine characteristics. Depending on the female’s cycle, she prefered different faces. During ovulation, they prefered more masculine faces. When asked which men they thought would be best for a relationship, they tended to pick more feminine looking males. The study with the faces was mentioned in one of my text books and in this video.
I’m not having any luck finding that particular study online, but I did find this related study.
I remember taking an online test with composite faces that was part of a research project on this topic. Before beginning, I had to enter my cycle length and the date of my last period. At the time, I was pregnant (which means I took the test sometime between August of '04 and Feb '05 - perhaps even from a link on this board, if anyone’s bored enough to search through my posts and find a thread like this one), and I believe I preferred more “feminine” men’s faces, probably from some nesting, nurturing hormone thing.
But really, I could hypothesize it either way: couldn’t a women want a strong masculine brute to protect her baby just as well as a nurturing provider to feed her and it?
I don’t remember who did it, and I don’t think it’s still available.
But here’s a bloggy type page with a whole bunch of fun stuff like this: Ovulating women prefer “dominant male scent”, men become more jealous when their mate is fertile, woman are surprisingly accurate at detecting from faces alone whether or not a man is interested in children, etc.
Nope, ideally from a genetic point of view you want the big strong “brute”, to produce big strong “brutish” sons, and you want a more controllable man for husband and provider. Lover material and husband material aren’t the same thing.
Why, you ask ? At this point, probably because other women find “brutish” men more attractive, and therefore the more “brutish” any sons appear, the better chance they have of passing on their genes. Once such a preference becomes established it becomes self-reinforcing.
Good point. I forgot for a moment that in the “animal world” (no comment on the human one), often the biological father isn’t the parenting partner. In my case, it is (for one of the two, anyway)!
Folk wisdom among family planning councilors has long held the belief that the primary reason for the failure of the rhythm method is that women most feel sexual desires during the most fertile days of the month. In addition to this anecdotal information, several studies evaluated women’s self reported behavior versus their menstrual cycles, and found that high testosterone level characteristics (basically, bald hairy guys with high muscle tone, and aggressive personalities) were reported to be more sexually attractive by women at the peak of their fertility than by those at less fertile times. An often quoted study of women’s dress habits versus their menstrual cycle was found to be insufficiently double blind to be reliable by many researchers.
However, the methodology aside, it is entirely reasonable to believe that human biology will favor any set of biases in women’s behavior that results in an increase in progeny, quite independent of any social pressure, or ethical judgments. The likely level of fertility in a life partner is biologically unimportant, but in an opportunistic partner it matters for that day only. You don’t have to want a child to get pregnant. You don’t have to act according to hormonal impulses, but deciding not to doesn’t make them go away.
“When they’re handin’ out the heartaches, you know you got to have you some.” ~ Juice Newton ~
Yet on the other hand, much increased sexual desire is one of the most commonly self-reported PMS symptoms. Mother nature screwed that one up since that pretty much our least fertile time in our cycles.
Personally, I agree with Nava - my tastes don’t change noticibly. OTOH, my strongest preferences have to with hair color (dark) and height (average height or less) rather than how masculine or delicate facial features are.