Figuring out guys can be truly maddening, especially when it comes to deciphering what they’re thinking. Guys may at times appear to not think at all but, chances are, they do have opinions about the things you think about, though they may be reluctant to share. Since you might be too shy to ask or just tired of hearing “nothing” when you do, we’ve decided to ask men about things you want to know. And we can get their candid answers because we won’t cry and throw their clothes out the window if we don’t like what we hear. Enjoy.
The question:
It takes a lot of work for girls to look as good as they do but, no doubt, some of the things we do guys probably don't care about or care for. Wondering which parts of your beauty routine you could skip in a pinch? Then read on.
Guys, which female grooming habits do you appreciate?
The answers:
“A girl with well-kept hair makes a statement because a beautiful face loses character without a nice hairstyle.”
—Ed
“Waxing: underarms, legs, between the legs and sometimes that upper lip.”
—Ben
“Grooming doesn’t matter all that much to me. Sure, a smooth leg and a fancy armpit might feel or look nice, but the way I see it, you either are or aren’t attracted to someone. If anything, I would agree with Ed: Properly framing your face with the right hair can do wonders.”
—Austin
“I agree with Austin, and not just because he made up the phrase ‘fancy armpit.’ But as far as all that grooming goes, yeah, it does do wonders. A wise man once said to a lady, ‘If I wanted to see Chewbacca, I would have watched Star Wars.’”
—Gabe
“Anything that makes your skin smooth and soft: lotions, creams, waxing. Bikini waxing is one of the greatest accomplishments of this century.”
—Anthony
“Mostly waxing, shaving and threading all the special areas. Well-groomed hands and especially your feet, ’cause she could look good, but if she has razor-sharp heels without shoes on, that’s nasty. If you can’t take care of your feet, you can’t expect to be sexy.”
—Mario
“Any girl who can be ready to leave the house with less than 30 minutes of primping time. I usually find a girl who looks good in jeans, a T-shirt, minimal makeup and a decent haircut way more attractive than one who regularly gets done up to the nines and slathers on the greasepaint.”
—Dan
“Hair, clothing style and the perfect makeup—not too much. Funky and experimental but not cheesy. You put a great body and face in a clown suit and it goes from a 10 to a 7.”
—Brendan
“I had no personal opinion on women’s grooming habits until I started dating a girl who taught me that one should only expect what they themselves are willing to maintain, meaning that I couldn’t really complain about a woman’s jungle-like nether regions if my own looked like Brillo pad factory. I appreciate a girl who keeps basic grooming habits, clean hair grooming on all body parts, makeup if necessary, but, as I sometimes allow myself to go a few days, I would expect her to be able to do the same as well.”
—Todd
“We like you to look pretty, smell nice and be...girly. The hair; the clothes; the soft, smooth, inviting skin; the shaving and waxing; the (light) makeup; the fruity scents—these somehow make women even more delicious. In a general way, we get it, and we know it’s for us, so keep it up. That said, there’s no need to go overboard. I also quite enjoy the flip side. I particularly appreciate a girl who looks great in workout gear, a ponytail and no makeup, without even trying and without even expecting to look good. This can often be sexier than when she takes two hours to get dolled up, usually focusing on details we will never notice.”
—Danny
“I love it when a girl smells like she just got out of the shower. A real clean, natural smell. Not overly perfumed, you know?”
—Jake
“I feel that good hygiene (washing, brushing teeth, etc.) is more important to me than the countless hours a girl takes to beautify herself (makeup, hair, nails, etc.). I mean, really, who wants to take a bite out of a nice, shiny, red apple if it’s rotten at the core? I’ve had the misfortune of taking a bite out of a couple of those apples.”
—Brian
“Take care of your feet. Beautifully manicured toes and soft feet are a turn-on.”
—Matt
The bonus round:
Now for the fun (and hopefully constructive) part! We asked our panel of guys the flip side of that question.
Which female grooming habits annoy?
“Ladies, stop going so far with the waxed eyebrows! If you have to draw them in, you’ve done too much waxing.”
—Ed
“Makeup: if they end up looking like a clown...Ding! Ding! Ding! Too much.”
—Ben
“Try to keep it mostly natural. Pluck the eyebrows, but not so much that you have to draw them back on. Wear makeup, but not so much that insects get caught in it like a spider web.”
—Austin
“Constant primping. Always checking and reapplying makeup, fussing with hair and checking the mirror are a huge annoyance. And too much makeup is disgusting as well. If you hug me and leave face makeup on my shoulder, I quietly and secretly hate you and will find ways not to hug you again.”
—Anthony
“I agree with all the makeup statements. Too much can make someone unattractive. Anyway, sometimes women don’t really need make up at all.”
—Mario
“Septum piercings. Nothing spoils a pretty face like a nasal adornment that makes a girl look like she’s got some big ol’ boogers hanging out of her nostrils.”
—Dan
“If you don’t smell good, you can permanently wreck a certain guy, even if you are Jennifer Lopez or Carmen Electra. You stink once, and even for two seconds, it’s over.”
—Brendan
“What I find annoying is excessive anything, like tanning, makeup, clothing. There’s acceptable and then there’s the outrageous. When people cross that line is what I find annoying, like when people tan way too much and wear too much makeup. It’s like, how can you not know your skin looks orange and like a handbag? How can you think that is attractive?”
—Todd
“Over-grooming of the eyebrows is weird and can look tacky. Do fake boobs and collagen count as grooming habits? Unappealing. Also, we can tolerate your marathon dress-up sessions before going out, but if you’re constantly—and I say constantly, not occasionally—checking yourself out and doing maintenance, continuously sweating over how your look, you are sure to annoy.”
—Danny
“I don’t like too much perfume or when a girl over-moisturizes her hands. It’s so nasty to hold a girl’s hand and it feels, like, slippery. I don’t like fake, long nails. Clean, nice nails are always attractive but they don’t have to be long. Also, if a girl doesn’t have clean ears, you know she isn’t clean elsewhere, you dig?”
—Jake
“Not much annoys other than the time it takes if we’re supposed to be somewhere or if she has to get ‘done up’ for every little thing that involves leaving the house.”
—Brian
“Orange spray-on tan looks fake. I’d rather have a chick with clear, pale skin.”
—Matt
The bottom line:
Guys don’t like clowns and orange skin. But, seriously, it seems that guys aren’t just visual creatures but sensual creatures as well. They love the feel and smell of a woman and anything that makes her feel and smell even better. Unsurprisingly, guys are all about the basics and less about the details, with good hygiene being key. What they don’t like: anything fussy and anything that makes you seem less like yourself. When you think about it, that’s a good thing! To quote Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary, “I like you very much, just as you are.”
