Do Women Love Men's Butts? The Erotic Attraction and the Bum Deal

 

We men have heard that woman appreciate a nice male butt. Even though ladies may be reluctant to admit they like hot buns, some informal polls show women rate an attractive butt high on the list of the most desired physical features in a man's anatomy. Yet, most conversation girls have about men's backsides are accompanied by twitters of laughter.

And, so we read things like this girl's admission about appreciating guys' buns:

“Well, what girls mostly look for in a guys butt is its overall 'cuteness' I guess. If the guy has a nice rounded, somewhat uplifted butt, and definitively muscular and not flat and droopy I think that that is a big bonus to a girl. And pinching your butt is just a flirtatious way of saying that you really do have a nice butt, could need a little work, but its very nice indeed, kinda pinch.

“But sadly I do not know how to answer the whole giggling part... maybe its just that you do have a very nice butt and they were just fantasizing about what you could do with that butt of yours.”

“Cuteness?” That general, nondescript, sensual-void adjective is indicative of the taboo restricting gentlewomen from putting their cards on the table. Men think girls like their rear ends, but is the affection serious or merely lighthearted? Erotic attraction or just a bum deal?

It's time for women to answer the question – Do you girls like our butts as a sexy part of male anatomy?

In truth, almost no research is readily available to confirm that women do (or don't) like men's butts. To me, this seems very mysterious in an age when body parts, sexual conduct, and fitness are such popular topics. Is the perceived attraction just a myth? Perhaps the scant evidence that is available can help answer this question.

Dr. Kerri Johnson of UCLA, a leading specialist in the psychology of human attraction, claims that women aren’t likely attracted to the butt itself — as its own separate entity — but rather attracted to how it enhances male body movement. In other words, the rear is essential to the right motion.

Johnson says heterosexual women make two snap judgments within microseconds: Is this a male, and if so, is he masculine?

“Bodies that were judged to be men … were judged to be more attractive when they were also perceived to be masculine,” Dr. Johnson says. “That combination produced the most attractive ratings for men.” And how a guy moves enormously informs a woman’s opinion of that.”

So, Johnson's research found that the butt itself is not the attraction, but rather the appeal comes from a man's shoulders in relation to his butt. It seems a man's walk goes side-to-side and has high levels of shoulder motion and low levels of hip motion (unlike their female counterparts who employ hip movement).

A masculine walk is one in which the shoulders ’twist’ more relative to the natural “twist” of the hips. Johnson says “a .85 [waist-to-hip ratio] combined with wide shoulders” is, scientifically speaking, the best look for a guy. Waist-to-hip ratios for men between 0.85 and 0.95 are typically rated by women as most attractive – these feature broad shoulders and a small waist.

(Marty Beckerman. “Why Are Women Into Dude Butts? We Asked Science.” mtv.com. February 20, 2015.)

Johnson sees importance in muscles but warns that a rear end that is too flat or too big is not as appealing to women as is a well-toned, moderate one. “The prototypical body shape is that swimmer’s v-body, where there’s broad shoulders that taper down to the waist, straight down to the hip. We have some unpublished research showing that a tapered [male] body with just the right level of muscularity is going to be found the most attractive,” she claims.

Women also adore men with a higher shoulder-to-waist ratio (in other words, men with broad shoulders and a small waist).

The Butt in the Mix

I guess a V-shaped male walking with a natural “twist” of shoulder motion will make a woman double-take a peek of his well-toned butt. One interesting art instruction publication, Drawing Men’s Hips, finds a perfect metaphor for drawing the shape of guys' buns in green peppers. Maybe the meat of this conversation is rooted in some strange vegetable adoration.

 

There's not much to learn here about women and any of their reported desires or fascinations with male rears. You certainly can't say that about men and their love of female butts. We all know that most guys go gaga over hot buns. I have read that men concentrate on women's parts while women tend to appreciate the whole physique as a package. This blog entry does seem to confirm that research. 
 
Yet, are there ladies who are unadulterated “butt women”? Are they truly lusting after the male gluteus maximus or simply considering it a necessary part of a total package? I think so, but I guess we're still waiting on the research for confirmation.

One last note. There is a rumor that the female citizens of the Marvel universe feel lucky that so much time was devoted to framing shots in The Avengers that featured Captain America’s butt. It turns out that stunt doubles gave shots for both Chris Evans and Charlie Cox. Evans' doubles included Chris Brewster, Daniel Hargrave, and Sam Hargrave. Each had two butt cheeks. So, ladies did you really “likey likey” those purposeful butt shots?