What Men Notice First About You — Before Anything Else
The surprising physical feature men notice in a woman first.
Averie Woodard | Unsplash Good news for those of us with lingerie drawers full of push-up bras! It’s not your chest he's looking at instead of your face, it's your hair!
A 2011 Pantene survey found what guys notice first about a girl's appearance. And what men want is silky, healthy hair. Here are some of these hard numbers.
What men notice first about you — before anything else:
- 74 percent of men indicated that they notice women because of their hair.
- 44 percent of men surveyed said that hair is the first thing they notice about a woman, more than her clothes (26 percent), legs (25 percent), or makeup (4 percent), and most men surveyed would be more likely to approach a woman at a bar with great hair than a woman wearing a low-cut shirt.
- 82 percent of men indicated that great hair is a key element to a woman's overall appeal.
- 60 percent of men surveyed say they would rather date a woman with great hair than a woman with big breasts.
- 78 percent of men surveyed consider healthy hair to be a turn-on.
But wait... I thought we were taught that we can have it all!
Led by Pantene, the survey is hardly impartial, but do men care about hair this much? According to Steve Ward (of VH1 Tough Love fame) yes! "Anyone can wear a low-cut blouse, but not everyone can have great hair," he says. Anyone! Steve can wear a low-cut blouse, I bet.
Your hair also talks to Steve and all men.
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"Hair that is healthy and well-kept immediately signals to a man that you are responsible, classy, attentive, and take pride in your appearance and these are all characteristics that men look for in women," Steve says.
Responsible! Maybe your hair should have a resume. Besides, if good hair tells men that you are responsible and classy, what does bad hair tell them? (Sometimes mine says, "I was eating Doritos earlier and got some crumbs in my hair.")
While I do take pride in my long and luxurious locks, it is not something I take great care of to make sure it looks shiny and frizz-free anywhere I go. The men are just going to have to find something else to notice about me.
Ladies, what do you think? Does your guy prefer your locks to everything else about you — maybe including your personality? — or does this study simplify their whims and preferences?
Diana Vilibert is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Redbook, Paste Magazine, and Self.