BuzzFeed just had me considering “7 Situations That Test What You Find Attractive In a Man.” This was quite the interesting little survey. Once I stopped drooling over the stunningly handsome and sexy model, Broderick Hunter, I wasn’t overly shocked with my results, however.
This original experiment, designed by a professional psychotherapist, uses the same man portraying two different sides of himself in order to determine which version you would find more attractive. The experiment is meant to test the value of masculinity.
Each of the seven questions sets the model in a variety of situations and encounters and asks you to pick from two opposing portrayals. In one of the portrayals he conducts himself with characteristics and traits more traditionally defined as masculine and in the opposing option he displays less masculine traits. You’re asked, “Which man do you find more attractive?”
Gay men demonstrate traits and characteristics along the full spectrum of what’s traditionally defined as masculine. The different encounters demonstrated in the 7 questions include opposing traits like smile vs. smolder, formal vs. casual, expressive vs. stoic, faster higher speech vs. deeper lower speech, aloofness vs. attentiveness, low EQ/agressive vs. high EQ/passive, committed vs. unavailable.
As I answered the questions I found that in some situations, I was drawn to the traditionally defined masculine traits and in other cases I was drawn to the less masculine ones. And in some cases I was conflicted. On the one hand I was seeing and thinking about sexual attraction (which was hard to overcome with Broderick Hunter) and on the other hand when I thought about what was attractive, I found myself considering romantic and emotional attraction.
In going over the results the psychotherapist summarizes that some people “exist on an emotional side” and some “on a rational side.” When guided by what society or our culture dictates is of value, we likely shift our thoughts to one end of the spectrum rather than considering and allowing ourselves to be “balanced” in our perspectives and thoughts and values.
