We Asked Men Who Is Peak Male Attractiveness—Here’s What They Said

Look, we know that women have a lot of opinions about male hotness. Some women will die on the hill of their man being over six feet, while others insist he has six-pack abs, while others swoon over emotive, captivating eyes. 

But do men care as much as women seem to about their sex’s appearance? When we talk about concepts like “male gaze” and “female gaze,” oftentimes you’ll hear people say that female beauty standards are actually set by the female gaze, with preferable, trendy beauty traits guided more by female intrasexual competition than a woman directly trying to impress a man.

With that in mind, where in the world did male beauty standards come from? Motivation to impress a potential mate? Motivation to outcompete another man? Women can hypothesize all we want about what we think men think about male attractiveness, but since we cannot change our chromosomes, we’re left wondering how men determine what they find most attractive for their own sex. 

I got curious and asked countless men what their standard for peak male attractiveness looks like or if there’s a particular celebrity or public figure they can point to. Along the way, I learned some fascinating (and somewhat shocking) insights about the inner workings of the male brain.

Meet Men’s Top Three Man Crushes

Glen Powell

Texas native Glen Powell has been making waves in Hollywood as of late. After acting in the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick as “Hangman,” the mid-30s actor took a lead role in the 2023 rom-com Anyone But You and the 2024 blockbuster Twisters. 

Powell is currently thought to be 6’1” and 190 lbs, and one of his most defining physical features is undoubtedly his striking green eyes. He’s poised to become one of Hollywood’s biggest names, and he has captured the hearts of many an onlooking fan. Yes, even chronic “dog moms” now fangirl over Powell when he brings his pup Brisket to the red carpet.

Almost every guy I spoke to referenced Glen Powell as epitomizing peak male attractiveness…but a couple of them were skeptical of him based on his hotness.

“If it’s just physical [attractiveness], then Glen Powell and all the other ripped guys,” said one male respondent about who he thought embodies peak male attractiveness. “But, it’s the heart that matters the most.”

This man has been a first responder for many years now, and that experience not only as a firefighter but also as an EMT definitely influenced his preferences.

He asked, “Glen Powell might look good, but would he actually run into a tornado to save someone he’s never met?” Interestingly enough, he pointed to Steve Buscemi as an unforeseen male role model because even though he’s an actor, he was also a fireman and saved lives during 9/11. To him, Buscemi is “by definition a man” who “ran into the crumbling Twin Towers without a second thought” and said that women might not actually like a Glen Powell IRL because “what women want most is a man to the core, not just physique.”

Ryan Reynolds

Canadian-born actor Ryan Reynolds skyrocketed into mainstream fame upon playing the role of Deadpool. 

Born in 1976, 47-year-old Reynolds is thought to be around 6’2” and 185 pounds. He was raised in a devoutly Irish Catholic household. Reynolds was married to actress Scarlett Johansson from 2008 to 2011, but upon their separation, he married actress Blake Lively in 2012 and now has four children.

Though he mainly acted in romantic comedies to start, Reynolds became an action movie staple and has repeatedly made it on People’s Sexiest Man Alive list. 

Several guys I spoke to thought Reynolds is total goals, with one even going so far as to say he must be the “default answer.”

“I mean he’s very fit, charismatic, has a pretty boy face, but not too much like a pretty boy,” the male respondent said. “Also, his personality is unapologetically him, and he doesn’t care for others' judgments of him. He does what he wants, likes, and believes in.” 

I found this same sentiment echoed all over the internet, particularly on Reddit where one user said that men find Reynolds so attractive because he’s “just a guy you would want to be friends with” and called him an “ultra chad.” Another on the same thread said that Reynolds is a healthy, masculine role model that many men may lack IRL. 

“Every character he plays is the kind of guy that would be as nice to the unpopular ugly guy as he is to the high school quarterback,” said another Reddit user. “He's the kind of nice guy that genuinely just wants everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves. And he acts that way even when not in character.”

Henry Cavill

British actor Henry Cavill was born in the early ‘80s and has become somewhat of a household name due to his leading roles as Superman in the 2013 movie Man of Steel and, more recently, as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. 

Cavill stands at around 6’1”, and when he starred as Superman, he apparently leaned out his weight to 170 lbs. His defining features include sharp bone structure, piercing blue eyes, and inky dark hair. Is it any wonder he was named Glamour UK’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2013?

According to one male respondent, men all tend to put Cavill on a high pedestal and perhaps even find him more attractive than women do. Reasons cited include that he’s got a “good build,” he dresses sharp, he gives little regard to public perception, he’s “not a sheep” in terms of leading rather than following, and he’s authentic about his interests, not even shying away from the public knowing that he’s a gamer.

“Henry Cavill would rather be at home right now, without the fame, without the attention, sitting at his gaming PC in shorts and a T-shirt, playing Total War: Warhammer II,” wrote one GQ journalist who had a chance to interview Cavill in 2019. “And he’s played it through six times already, accounting for hundreds of hours of gameplay (‘With six different races! And I love it each time!’).”

Perhaps this is why one man called Cavill “the whole package.” Not only does he have good genes and works hard to maintain his physique (but also doesn’t look half bad rocking a dad bod), but he’s also just a normal dude. Acting isn’t his whole life – he’s got normal dude hobbies but just looks good while doing them.

“When we assess male attractiveness, we more pick who we’d like to be,” said another man.

Interestingly enough, another male respondent struggled to find a real-life example of who he thought was peak male attractiveness but gave Superman (the character, not Cavill) high marks. 

Why? To paraphrase, Superman essentially embodies a perfect masculine archetype because he’s “power under control.” He’s got immense strength, fitness, and capacity to protect, but he’s also the spitting image of moral perfection in a uniquely American, justice-driven manner. I guess it doesn’t hurt Cavill’s image that he’s associated with such a perfect model of masculinity!

Which Traits Set a Hot Guy Apart from an Average Joe?

Where men lacked opinions on role models for themselves, they certainly didn’t lack specificity about what traits make a man a man.

One respondent pointed to that same “power under control” concept that we heard about Superman, saying that peak male attractiveness is found in “men who are capable of extraordinary violence, but who bridle that capability and harness it for the improvement of themselves and others.”

To this respondent, a man gets high marks if he can be “ruthless to their enemies, kind to their friends, powerful, educated, thoughtful, productive, and moral.” 

Another man echoed this sentiment, sharing that “discipline, physical and spiritual prowess, ability to perform violence” are all traits that contribute to peak male attractiveness.

I found this fascinating because it aligns quite well with the notion that women prefer a man who is “tall, dark, and handsome.” He might have some Dark Triad traits; he might be a bit of a “bad boy” and seem physically intimidating, but that also serves as a layer of protection for the woman herself.

We’ve heard it said in jest, but some say, "Nice guys finish last.” This stereotype isn’t scientifically sound by any means, but there is some evidence to show that women interested in short-term mates will use physical attractiveness as a higher benchmark than personality, while women who are interested in long-term mates will pick the “safer,” perhaps less attractive man because his more neutral looks could signify higher paternal involvement when kids enter the picture and less volatility.

If women want the best for themselves and they have any agency in the matter, they won’t want a self-absorbed, macho, insensitive mate. But if their man at least looks like they could be a bad boy, that’s an entirely different story. This same concept seems to track with the men who contributed to my extremely informal research.

Take Henry Cavill as an example. His physical presence is domineering, but if you know anything about him, you know he’s got a good sense of humor and he’s into Average Joe activities like gaming. He’s apparently quite relatable and down-to-earth, but he just so happens to have god-tier physical attributes as well.

So, what specific physical attributes may men care more about?

Whereas women may worry about the waist-to-hip ratio, men may care more about their shoulder-to-hip ratio. In fact, one study suggests that both men and women think men are more attractive when they have larger shoulder-to-hip ratios. 

Another perhaps under-recognized male attribute is their buttock aesthetics. Whereas women may do everything in their power to reduce “hip dips,” the male standard is to have better defined hip contours, according to research that spanned preferences from both sexes.

Attractiveness also means a lot more to a man than a woman for their socioeconomic success, according to one study. Researchers analyzed data from over 20,000 U.S. adolescents and found that those who were attractive or very attractive also experienced upward social mobility – translating into increased education, higher income, and better occupations. 

Beauty can indeed be subjective, but there are also objective truths that define standards for both sexes. Humans have developed them perhaps through evolutionary preferences or perhaps innate biological programming from the very start, but no matter how they came to be, we cannot pretend that they simply don’t exist.

Sure, some women will prefer a less macho guy (I mean, how else have male K-pop idols gained international notoriety), and some women will supposedly marry simply for personality (or perhaps pocketbooks). Still, I think it’s a fair generalization to say that specific attributes make a man more attractive. And this isn’t just in terms of mating either; it’s also evident that men have a clear understanding of what makes a hot man hot.

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