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Give Us The Girly Men (And Nobody Gets Hurt)

It all began when a woman I know described Justin Bieber as “sexy”. Sure, I guess he’s a cute kid and all, but this just seemed wrong to me. How can a woman in her mid-thirties find a sixteen year old child “sexy”? I tried to let her comment slide, but found myself haunted by images of ‘The Biebs’ as he is lovingly referred to by his fans. How does a 16 year old boy from Ontario become an internationally worshipped and drooled over sex icon? Furthermore, why does it creep me out so much?

Granted, many of his fans are teenage girls, but how could this skinny little teen appeal to women with the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Josh Holloway equally available to receive their affections from afar? I have a theory which may surprise you.

Girly Boy and Manly Man

According to various scientific studies, being on the birth control pill may be the reason many sexually mature women swoon over the likes of Justin Bieber and everyone’s favorite sparkly vampire Robert Pattinson (Twi-moms, anyone?). Many of the studies to date do not fully tackle the issue of physical attraction based on appearance alone, but to me it seems the effects of the birth control pill on at least some women’s preferences towards different types of men are apparent.

Scent has been identified as a crucial factor in terms of physical attraction, as subconsciously we are all affected by them. Through these imperceptible differences in scent, naturally ovulating women are naturally attracted to males with differing MHC genes than their own, to ensure offspring with healthy and functioning immune systems. This does not seem to apply to women on the birth control pill, and as many studies have shown they actually tend to be more attracted to men with more similar MHC genes.

What does this mean? Generally, men with very differing MHC genes from women are rugged, manly, hairy, and strong. Men with MHC genes more similar to their female counterparts tend to be less hairy, less muscular and possess more effeminate features.

Couples who share similar MHC genes are far more likely to be related, which some studies are linking to higher infertility rates. It also means that the laws of natural attraction no longer apply for many of us, men and women included. Ovulating women are known to give off subtle signals that attract men and signal fertility – women with regulated hormone levels do not.

Nobody really knows why this makes them more drawn to more effeminate men, but some theories suggest that the hormones in birth control which mimic pregnancy also tend to subconsciously draw women to more nurturing companions. This brings in another issue entirely: deciding to go on or off the birth control pill could have potentially disastrous effects on a relationship. Think about it, if your girlfriend is attracted to you while she is on the pill, and then stops taking it, she will undergo a massive change in hormones which she will have no control over. This hormonal change could wreak havoc on an unsuspecting relationship in a number of ways – such as the woman being more likely to end the relationship or cheat as she is no longer attracted to the partner she is with on a purely physical/hormonal level.

One thing is for sure: A lot has changed since the 1960’s when the birth control was made widely available to women. Though this may be highly subjective, to me it appears that male sex icons are getting younger and for lack of a better word, girlier, while female sex icons have remained relatively the same age, with the same degree of femininity.

It is impossible to argue that pre-1960’s heartthrobs such as Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, Sean Connery, Clark Gable, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood were not ultra-masculine. Can you say the same for the 1990’s or 2000’s? Fashions and styles change, but when pictured side by side it is clear that more modern definitions of sexual attractiveness have undergone many changes in the last fifty years. Even comparing Michael Keaton (who played Batman in 1989) to Christian Bale (who played Batman in 2005) you can see how these changes have affected what is sexy in 2010. Whether it has been a purely cultural shift or something more complex is up to you to decide.

– Mary Hoffman