It’s not that they can’t inspire lust, it’s that they more inspire awe and admiration, a remoteness that is pretty to look at but somewhat inaccessible. Compare this to Ryan Gosling, who does not. Zayn Malik and Harry Styles are perfect examples of both, too - they have the same symmetry (or “ golden ratio”) of the handsome men, so they could also be considered handsome, but they have a youthful prettiness that also constitutes an overarching beauty. Johnny Depp is both beautiful and handsome, particularly when he was younger and less of an asshole. It evokes, whether real or imagined, a kind of introverted (often unearned) depth, a longing, a dreamy quality. Beautiful men have an almost feminine prettiness to their appeal. Handsome men are often beautiful, but beautiful men are not always handsome. They have what you’d call “classic” good looks: They exist in every era due to basic facial symmetry, and when you think of being with them, you feel strongly that you would be dressed in evening wear first with the appropriate clutch. This means his eyes are spaced apart correctly, he has a forehead (not a threehead or a fivehead) and he has a prominent chin. This is a judgment of balance and proportion. But instead of a list of boobs, it was stuff about men being confident and passionate.Ī handsome man is a man with a face that could be chiseled on a statue representing Timeless Handsome Man Across All Handsomeness of All-Time Handsomeness. Finally, there were some results about what makes men attractive to women. (Verdict: They’re good.) Another result was about the 11 features men can’t resist in women (high voice, smile, boobs). I found a study about male and female perceptions of physical attractiveness, but it’s actually talking about female attractiveness only - how men and women together feel about whether women’s boobs are good. The wiki on physical attractiveness says that “Women, on average, tend to be more attracted to men who have a relatively narrow waist, a V-shaped torso, and broad shoulders.” I brake for upside-down triangles as eagerly as the next gal, but I’m more than just hungry loins, okay? Where was the breakdown of finer distinctions about male attractiveness overall, especially up top in the face? (And down below, in the dick or butt region?) I tried to Google it - how women define male attractiveness - and I started to understand why my colleague would want to know. I happily accepted the challenge to explain this, but later that day, talking with some lady friends in a group chat, I mentioned that I didn’t really get what there was to “get.” Isn’t it obvious? Aren’t these the same terms men use to talk about women? Recently a male colleague mentioned that he’d like to know what women mean when they break down male attractiveness by different markers: handsome, beautiful, cute, sexy, fine, good-looking, etc.