| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 3:16:39 PM | Women do you buy this news story?
Is it true?
Men do you think it is true?
Women swoon over men with stubble
Misty Harris, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, July 06, 2008
Homer Simpson, sex symbol? That's the implication of a new study that reveals women overwhelmingly prefer men with facial stubble when seeking a partner for love, sex or marriage.
Researchers publishing in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found women are drawn to men who, like the ever-scruffy Homer, flaunt one to two days of follicular growth. The look is reminiscent of the "designer stubble" popularized in the 1980s by Miami Vice's Don Johnson and now worn by leading men such as Matthew Fox, George Clooney, Jason Statham, Ryan Reynolds, Christian Bale, Will Smith and Brad Pitt.
If the metrosexual revolution judged men as the sum of their grooming products, its backlash measures them by their five o'clock shadows.
"The results were very clear cut," says lead author Nick Neave, an evolutionary psychologist at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom.
"The face that had the light stubble was thought to be much more attractive, much sexier. It was preferred for a short-term partner, it was preferred for a long-term partner."
In a pre-test, shaven male faces were rated by women for attractiveness. Researchers selected only average-looking subjects (men who were neither very handsome nor ugly) from those results for the study.
Using advanced computer software, each face was then given five different facial-hair appearances, ranging from clean-shaven to full-fledged beards.
After evaluating the various degrees of growth on 15 subjects, the majority of women agreed light stubble was most appealing. Men who boasted the smoothness of a dolphin or the hairiness of Red Green rated lowest; the former was dismissed as lacking social maturity and masculinity, while the latter was viewed as too aggressive, the least attractive and overly dominant.
"Preference for facial hair is clearly a cultural thing, but I think the underlying mechanism is that it signals masculinity," says Neave.
"It starts off very wispy and very pathetic, really, and then gets much thicker and finally, with older people, gets scraggy. So it's a sign of sexual maturity."
The tides of follicular fashion began changing in 2006, when a rebellion against metrosexual manscaping saw hipsters begin sprouting lumberjack-style beards.
Two years later, the trend seems to have settled between the two extremes, with "designer stubble" being the Switzerland of styles.
"Females seem to have a preference for faces that are masculine, but not too masculine," says Neave. "They don't want these hulking cavemen, yet they also don't want faces that are too immature."
Sarah Dalziel, a 29-year-old from Edmonton, thinks her boyfriend's five o'clock shadow is the height of sexiness. She's baffled by women who want their men waxed and polished like fresh linoleum.
"I really don't like clean-shaven anything on men," says Dalziel, who adds she still likes to see a man well-groomed. Her only regret about her guy's stubble is that its texture "definitely does not feel good on the face when he gives me kisses."
Indeed, before men surrender their shavers they should know that Dalziel's kissing caveat was echoed in the British study. When getting up close and personal, women prefer the baby face.
"They don't want a stubble rash," explains Neave, adding that the fairer sex's contrasting preferences might leave men feeling as though they can't win no matter what they do.
"No change there," he says, laughing. | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 3:22:21 PM | I like stubble, I find it very sexy. Not into the full beard thing, but a mustache/goatee is sexy too on the right guy, and assuming its kept groomed nice.
Mustache/goatee AND stubble... mmmm 
Smooching with stubble/bit of facial hair is fun too, you can smooch and get an itch scratched at the same time!  | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 4:20:29 PM | northern,
I am with you........ not overly fussy on the baby face or the wooly bear looks, but I wont exclude a man because of those things. | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 4:23:13 PM | Nope, neither will I.
Something to be said for the 5 o'clock shadow though... damned straights!
Now if only men liked the 5 o'clock shadow on women's legs.... | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 4:41:30 PM |
Yeah... it is, makes me goofy... I can handle goofy!
better then sitting there going ow... Ow.. OW.. OWIEEEEE....
But I wonder... why is it ok for men to have stubble, but our legs are supposed to be baby butt smooth? | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 4:44:18 PM | Northern,
Double Standards like everything else.
some european countries the men appreciate it....... but not so much on this side of the world.
Guys Northern needs a male nurse to help her heal......... Any volunteers? | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 4:52:06 PM | hehe... I said the other day I need a cabana boy or something... need someone to help me wash my hair, shave my legs, need someone to help me dry off after a shower, and someone to help me get dressed... everything takes three times as long now... It's just stupid. I'm used to getting out of the shower and being out the door in less then 1/2 hour... now it takes me a good hour just cuz every movement hurts so much.
I didn't get any volunteers!
double standard indeed. Years ago I went to Europe with my parents, I guess I was about 13, you know, the age where a girl starts to become aware of her body and stuff? I was already shaving by then.
I met my older cousin for the first time, she was absolutely stunning, she was a model, very beautiful woman. I remember we went to a lake, and I saw her legs for the first time, I was shocked, they were hairier then most mens legs! I started noticing things more from that point on, and yep, over there it's acceptable to not shave like we do here. total culture shock!
Mind you, in the winter I look like that... it keeps me warm.... kidding... kinda | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 5:20:36 PM | | I definitely like facial hair on a man. From the little scruff on their chin, to , depending on the guy...a full beard...well trimmed...not grizzly adams mind you...lol! Although Pierce Brosnan in the movie After Sunset.....omg....gorgeous!!! he can definitely pull off scruffy! and body hair....ooooh la la! sweet! jmho....heehee! | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 5:34:46 PM | Redhotmom... keep it up girl, and a bunch of us will be needing a cold shower....
I think we're taking this thread totally OT! | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 6:18:47 PM | | ^^ LOL I was watching that Pierce Brosnan movie for awhile today too and had the same thought, his stubble looked DAMN good. Silky smooth metrosexual guys don't do it for me, much prefer some scruff. | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 6:36:54 PM | Vin, hun??
Not quite the same thing.... really its not.
Does your boil have stubble on it??
Ummm.... don't answer that... I don't think I really wanna know! | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 6:39:11 PM | Northern wrote "Now if only men liked the 5 o'clock shadow on women's legs...."
What makes you think we don't. Nibbling our way up...... Oh, just read another of your posts. You meant growing on women's legs...... never mind... | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 7:00:16 PM | Oh easy... mind if I call you easy?
We women put up with stubble, hair, you name it... scratching us, umm... stuck in our teeth....
What's so bad about getting some of the same back?
You never know, you might appreciate 'stubble burn' too...
Legs man... LEGS.. get yer mind outta the gutter! | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 8:42:09 PM | Not me... I like clean shaven with a groomed goatee and moustache..
And......... a little AXE body spray never hurts..
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 9:15:41 PM | | I find that stubble on women irritates my face. Oh, did I say that out loud? Lol. What about stubble on the noggin? What do women think of a little day or two stubble on a mans head? | |
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| Women swoon over men with stubble
Posted: 7/6/2008 9:34:48 PM | I like it! kind of like to feel it & massage it, sort of like a genie or a chia pet...jk....I like bald guys...jmho....with facial hair...... 
agree with Ms. Fox too...Axe smells yummy .....and the commercials are almost dead on! when a guy is lookin hot & smelling equally so....look out! very tempting! or is it the pherenomes.....hmmm....think that is another thread way back when.... or just some ole soap & water is good too!
Homer....not so much! yuk! | |
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