Women: Do you care about brawn? (dating, wife, boyfriends, girlfriend)

[chiaroscuro]

What I mean to say is, how much does the physical presence of a man mean to you, in regards to things like protection from violence or carrying out heavy tasks..? If we were hunter-gatherers, I can imagine a frail little woman would want to couple with a big strong man so there would be a thick wall of male flesh between her and the angry lions, but how much does that mean to you nowadays?

[miu]

My previous boyfriends were about the same height as me. My ex husband was skinnier than me. My current boyfriend is 10" taller than me and I like it. He gives great hugs.

He's not musclebound, if that's what you mean by brawn. But I know that he could protect me physically if he had to. On the otherhand, I would greatly prefer that he never get into any physical confrontations over me. I hate brawl situations.

I am not attracted to men with well muscled built hard bodies. It's one thing to look and admire, and another thing to actually want to date them. I like my men built for comfort.

I'm the same way about dogs. I know a couple of people with Am Staff terriers and pit bulls, but the guys that own them seem to love how well muscled their pets are. But I prefer my dogs to be furry bundles of cuddly love. I don't want dogs that can look intimidating. While I want them to bark when strangers approach the house, I don't need them for protection or intimidation factor.

I am not a girlie feminine woman. I don't exude helplessness. In fact, sometimes I can be very intimidating myself. So I don't need a boyfriend as some form of protection. I just want him to have a personality that is equal in strength to my own so I don't push him around. And I don't want to be bullied either.

[TKramar]

Just an observation: I was watching a show on Discovery channel, and they had a powerlifter on there. He wasn't built like Mr. Olympia...he was just a big ol' farm boy with a thick neck.

Also, muscle size has nothing to do with strength. Body builders do certain exercises to make their muscles LOOK bigger...but it doesn't mean they are any stronger than the next man.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by chiaroscuro

What I mean to say is, how much does the physical presence of a man mean to you, in regards to things like protection from violence or carrying out heavy tasks..? If we were hunter-gatherers, I can imagine a frail little woman would want to couple with a big strong man so there would be a thick wall of male flesh between her and the angry lions, but how much does that mean to you nowadays?

Not much. Certainly not what you and other body builders have in mind.

[JerZ]

That's one thing I've never really cared about, personally. In fact, my first boyfriend worked out a lot and I thought it made him a little obsessive and weird. I remember one time his friend sat him down and waited for an hour for him to take a bite of a Snickers bar to prove he wasn't afraid of non-protein-shake-style food. We had to arrange things around his workout times and if he didn't get in the right set (glutes or biceps or whatever) on a given rotation he'd be a bear all that day.

A little muscle wasn't worth it to me! It was to him, though, and that's fine; I'm sure he found somebody who didn't mind it. Now as for a man who can pick up heavy things and all that, I don't know...yes and no. I want a man who would physically help me with things, but at the same time, I would feel useless if I couldn't physically help with things either. So I don't know if it's as much of a "brawn" thing as it is an "I'm there for you" thing and I feel it works both ways. (Shoveling snow, carrying in groceries, that sort of thing.)

[TKramar]

I wasn't sure how to explain this...my girlfriend tells me I have a "swimmer's body". I do have muscles, and I am strong enough. It's nothing for me to have to pick up 100 pounds at a time (like, for instance, two five gallon pails of paint..or some generators...), but my muscles are NOT all that big. They just get more solid, and more defined, when I'm actually in the process of USING them. When I'm not using them, they go back to a more..."normal"?...look.

But, anyway, in her case, she feels they come in handy when she wants a jar opened...or wants to do the spark plugs on her car...because I can generate more torque than she can. There are just certain things that require MUSCLE...and there always WILL be.

[Racelady88]

Originally Posted by chiaroscuro

What I mean to say is, how much does the physical presence of a man mean to you, in regards to things like protection from violence or carrying out heavy tasks..? If we were hunter-gatherers, I can imagine a frail little woman would want to couple with a big strong man so there would be a thick wall of male flesh between her and the angry lions, but how much does that mean to you nowadays?

Doodly squat.

Brains & personality mean a lot. Physical strength is not even on my list of things to care about in a man.

[ellie]

I prefer a man who is well-balanced. If he works out and exercises to stay in shape, I'm fine with it. I like to get a little exercise, too.

And I've found, despite the fact that women are becoming more and more equal in the workplace, etc., a single woman, unless she is built like a large man, cannot safely go certain places alone. And sometimes even two women walking alone are likely to be hassled.

So for general purposes, I like having a fair to middlin' manly man at my side when I want to go on an excursion. Same goes for other activities too.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by TKramar

...my girlfriend tells me I have a "swimmer's body".

My wife told me I have a swimmer's body.
I asked her which swimmer she thought I resembled.
She said "Shamu".

[SifuPhil]

Originally Posted by Fat Freddy

My wife told me I have a swimmer's body.
I asked her which swimmer she thought I resembled.
She said "Shamu".

Think YOU have problems...I thought this thread was about PRAWN......I was getting ready to quote Jacques Cousteau.