Depictions of beauty

[Caffeinated]

If only to get away from always naming Chris Hemsworth when we talk about attractive men, here's a thread for sharing depictions of beauty.

Today's hotness: Asian men!

http://www.mic.com/articles/104332/16-stunning-images-shatter-stereotypes-about-asian-men

http://www.dramafever.com/news/20-men-sexier-than-peoples-sexiest-man-alive-chris-hemsworth/

So drool-worthy.

[Werel]

Damn, dude. Some of those photos... I'm not even into muscly prettyboys, but that photographer has a fine eye for the sensuous.

I'll see those and raise you a visceral appreciation of the beauty of certain paunchy, balding, middle-aged men. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty finding sensuous photoshoots of any of them. Media needs to step up its game.

Edit: realized upon re-reading that this could be read as derogatory of "muscly prettyboys" or people who are into them, which is not my intent at all! Those guys are legit really beautiful!

[UristMcBunny]

*edit* just realised I do not even slightly have time to collate my links.

[Guest]

Is...this thread intended to be empowering somehow?

[eselle28]

Is...this thread intended to be empowering somehow?

Realistically speaking? No. Any discussion about what people find beautiful is going to lead to other people feeling like they're not represented or that people who are very unlike them predominate. It's inherently problematic, and I'm not sure what the way to reconcile the urge to show people who are left out of mainstream media that they're desirable and the feelings on the part of people who get left out of both mainstream and reactive discussions.

[Werel]

Is...this thread intended to be empowering somehow?

No, I don't think so. While I do find discussion of a wide variety of characteristics people find attractive very encouraging and pleasant (dunno about "empowering"!), I certainly get that not everyone feels that way. Question in return: do you feel like this kind of thread is actively harmful? Would it be useful to have some sort of tag to specify "warning! discussion of attraction/attractiveness within, steer clear if that brings you down"?

[Guest]

Question in return: do you feel like this kind of thread is actively harmful?

I don't know about 'harm', because being a non-entity in these discussions is fairly normal and not unexpected. These depictions of beauty are still being filtered through a Western-centric lens.

Would it be useful to have some sort of tag to specify "warning! discussion of attraction/attractiveness within, steer clear if that brings you down"?

I don't think they'd be very useful because those discussions would be expected to be fairly commonplace on a dating advice forum. So, if I were sensitive to those discussions, then I'd be missing out on a lot of information. I think that ultimately, it's on the reader to tough it out when reading discussions that don't include them.

[reboot]

I have always found the people of South Sudan attractive
Dinka man, Guar Marial, man from Darfur, Five Talents trainee, , Topsa woman with traditional scarification, Dinka woman

I also find people from Ethiopia and Eritrea really attractive. For a while I thought they were the most beautiful people on earth (and still kind of do)
Ethiopian priest, young man, Mursi warrior, young woman , Afar woman, young woman

[InkAndComb]

Do people find their perception of a individuals beauty affected by factors such as voice sound or movement styles? May we talk of beauty in other forms than body on this forum too?

I have a friend in dance. The way he moves is so powerful; I find myself flustered after his performances, because they are often modern, personal, and amazing. It's like getting starstruck when the artists come off stage to talk to you. But because he is not a conventional bodytype for ballet, he is very conscious of his presence and size; I think he is absolutely stunning. He is so graceful, and funny, masculine, and real. When people are in sync with their body, I find that very beautiful.

[reboot]

Do people find their perception of a individuals beauty affected by factors such as voice sound or movement styles? May we talk of beauty in other forms than body on this forum too?

I have a friend in dance. The way he moves is so powerful; I find myself flustered after his performances, because they are often modern, personal, and amazing. It's like getting starstruck when the artists come off stage to talk to you. But because he is not a conventional bodytype for ballet, he is very conscious of his presence and size; I think he is absolutely stunning. He is so graceful, and funny, masculine, and real. When people are in sync with their body, I find that very beautiful.

I feel that with really good male flamenco dancers. They can be someone I would not even notice offstage, but onstage their presence, passion and skills can lead to some very, VERY explicit thoughts

[Werel]

Do people find their perception of a individuals beauty affected by factors such as voice sound or movement styles? May we talk of beauty in other forms than body on this forum too?

Oh my gosh yes. Dance (really, all kinds of musical performance) is one of those things that can take my breath out of my lungs. One of my partner's best friends is not a particularly conventionally good-looking dude. He's overweight, he's got a big gap between his front teeth, he's losing his hair. But when he's on stage, channeling all his sass and rage and hilarity, pulling some GG Allin-style punk shit, he's a vision. Stunning. And that stunning quality follows him offstage if you've ever seen him perform. You can't forget that part of somebody once you've seen it.

In general, a huge portion of what I'm attracted to, when I'm attracted to somebody, is the way they move and talk. All those little mannerisms, the way they stand and sit and walk, their intonation and joke timing and the way their eyes move. It's largely about what the way they use their body says about what's going on in their brain. If I were to describe a random sampling of crushes I've had, in terms of what was most salient to the crush, it'd end up being largely "the way he ducks his head after he tells a joke," or "that wry grin," or "his intonation when he talks about his favorite things." And that applies to more than just attraction, but to simple appreciation of beauty. I often sit on the bus admiring people's physical stance, or the way they laugh, or their expression as they look out the window, or the way they shove their hands in their pockets, just in a "how lovely" way. There's so much to appreciate about how people move and talk.

[Caffeinated]

In general, a huge portion of what I'm attracted to, when I'm attracted to somebody, is the way they move and talk. All those little mannerisms, the way they stand and sit and walk, their intonation and joke timing and the way their eyes move. It's largely about what the way they use their body says about what's going on in their brain. If I were to describe a random sampling of crushes I've had, in terms of what was most salient to the crush, it'd end up being largely "the way he ducks his head after he tells a joke," or "that wry grin," or "his intonation when he talks about his favorite things."

What a perfect way to put it!

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