>>14722I feel like a lot of people *are* socialized or predisposed to be attracted to certain things, and discussion of that isn’t inherently bad. If cute smiles make you really happy, it’s fine to talk about it. If you love how bangs look, that’s fine, too. All part of the human experience.
>>12076But there’s a fine line, and the answer is that it feels like shit, especially when collections of physical characteristics become commodified within pop culture. For *decades*, probably centuries if you count depictions of women in, like, baroque painting and stuff lol, women’s body types themselves are what have cycled in and out of style and are what women are socialized to want to “achieve” if they want to feel pretty. In the early 2000’s, it was being super skinny with 0% fat. Then in the 2010’s, it was the BBL and curves and etc that were in vogue. Now fashion magazines are talking about how curves are out and underweight figures are back in. Girls in some East Asian countries have it even worse where plastic surgery is even more mainstream. I would absolutely hate to grow up in an environment where the way I looked when I was born was explicitly sold to me as not good enough, and I would have to live with the thought hanging over me that I should save up money to have it forcibly changed.
I think most of us are desensitized to most of these discussions, and now I don’t really feel anything when people talk about the “perfect ass” or “perfect boobs” or whatever. Unfortunate but that’s how it is.
For me, it’s when I get in a relationship with someone and truly get close with them that I start to get turned on by super specific physical characteristics. In my last relationship, her style and fashion and the way she parted her hair were the charm points for me back then. But with my current boyfriend I’m slightly obsessed with his muscles and smile lol. It all comes secondary to me to the person, so I often wonder what life is like for people that approach others and try to date them by motivation of physical characteristics alone. How do you know that you’re going to get along? It’s such a huge time and emotional investment. No hate meant just genuine curiosity.
