Why do many women like tall men with little muscle mass, but not shorter men with lots of muscle and strength?

Question

Recently I got into a discussion with a young lady on this site about her preferences in men. She says she likes tall men with "minimal" muscle because this makes her feel "protected". Seeing how this is kind of like saying one loves black people because they are racist, I tried to understand here views. She said she doesn't like short muscular men because they are "gross", and when I pointed out to her that a shorter muscular man would be able to protect her far more than a skinny tall man with little muscle mass, she just started blurting out insults and saying random stuff. I concluded she was completely retarded, but, still, is anyone able to understand this seemingly contradictory preference?

becca123 · Accepted Answer

First I am sorry someone treated you so poorly for your opinion; that is wrong.

K, so I like tall (as in 6'2 or more) because I am tall. My current BF is 6'3" but he is solid packed, lean muscled and trim (works out, etc). I ASSUME that is what she meant? Not string bean skinny and tall, just trim and toned but taller. For me, it is a good feeling (I am 5'9") to feel his arms around me and his chin on my head in a hug, makes me feel enveloped, safe and secure. That is not to say that shorter, more muscular men can't be hot because heck yes, they can be, but for a lot (not all) of taller girls the secure feeling just comes from height and feeling "surrounded" by her man. Nothing gross about shorter, muscled men at all; just a personal preference like some guys only like blondes. And really, it is all about individual perception. We don't honestly need some big muscled guy to protect us walking down the street, but it is perceived feeling of security for me with a taller guy.

For the record, I have dated several guys shorter than me before and would consider it in the future as well, but my preference is taller. Again, no different than a guy who likes a girl with large breasts, or who is petite, or brunette, or whatever. Everyone has their preferences physically.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I'm a short girl, for me you'd be more than ok if you're good-looking, fun and smart :D
Don't do the operation, work on your self-confidence and go for shorter girls. If you live in a country where girls are all tall, you can still try Asia or so! Some people are going to be annoying to you because of you're height, but let me tell you, don't let that drag you down. One of the most confident guys I've been with (and he was awesome in bed... well I masturbated thinking about him this morning) was a guy about your height. His face is even ugly, but his body is really awesome because he works out. But he's fun, confident in bed, smart...

chipp2015 · Accepted Answer

I'm relatively tall for a girl, so I would prefer a taller guy. It honestly depends on the height of the girl. Many girls like taller men because we can wear heels when going on dates. Some girls are too obtuse to look past physical appearance though. You're not "gross" if you're short and muscular. Honestly I don't understand why the girl you were talking to would rather have a less muscular man to protect her, but that's just me. I hope this helps some.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Downward strikes are stronger therefore taller men would have an advantage. That's why women "feel" protected by taller men. They don't consciously think about it it's just engrained in thier DNA (but that doesn't mean that's set in stone and impossible to change) I put "feel" in quotes because that's what important. Yes the short strong man may be stronger but he doesn't give some women the feeling of protection. I'm extremely thin but I've had girls bump into me at clubs and get weak in the knees because I seem strong protective and dominant in my composure. I've done it better than some guys that are just as tall and more muscular than me. It's all mentality not body. Also it's two fold. A big muscular guy makes her feel protected yes but he also can scare a girl. Third we've got aesthetics. This one is always interesting because bodybuilder swear they know more about aesthetics than normal people but find me a body builder that's also a good painter or interior decorator or architect. It's tough to find. Why? Because muscular isn't synonymous with attractive no matter what all the magazines coercing you into buying supplements and equipment tell you.

kheserthorpe · Accepted Answer

Sure. Because as a tall man with minimal muscle mass, I can tell you there are plenty of girls who would prefer an average height but more muscular guy.

I think in the ideal world most women would like most of tall (not all girls though and this is a little culturally dependent) muscular (to varying levels) funny, charismatic, rich, successful, admired, humanitarian, artist, singer, magically also laid back, emotionally resilient etc etc.

But that guy's not single... so...

They go for what they prioritize. Some girls like muscular guys who can dance well. Guess what, I have zero chance with those girls! Some girls like tall slim guys who are pretty smart. I'm in with them!

Some girls think tall guys are 'too tall' for them. It's a plus overall, but not always. just like a majority of girls like muscular, but a distinct minority like slimmer. Thankfully, since I can barely build muscle.

Just be the best version of you that you can, and you'll be better than 75-90% of men out there, and when women who prioritize the strengths YOU have see you, they'll be all over you

CootiesInfection · Answer

women say they don't want buff guys but they're just deluded. i heard a girl who said she hates muscle bound guys and she loves skinny guys, and her example of a skinny guy was channing tatum. channing tatum isn't fucking skinny lmao. dudes would be stupid to take women's advice on women for ANYTHING because they're always saying shit they don't really mean. they want a nice guy, they want a skinny guy, blah blah blah, its all lies, they want a muscular guy they can pretend is skinny for his build and they want an assertive guy they can pretend is nice for his confidence level. most of what they say to guys about what they want is just to placate themselves and convince themselves they're not shallow.

Levin · Answer

4 things.

1. I'm tall and skinny. I like looking down at women, it makes me feel masculine. They likely are made to feel feminine.

2. Women's preferences make no rational sense.

3. Lots of women tell me they like broad men. Others point out they like this characteristic, as well as a tall men, and yet their significant other is neither of those things. See point 2. I'm guessing you're 'attracted' to women who are very vocal about not liking men with your characteristics, because you seem quite insecure about it. Have an insecurity, and someone will invariably knead it. Is it the person kneading it at fault, or the fact that we need validation to begin with?

4. All women are different and have different preferences.

ccp16 · Answer

First off, she sounds like an idiot. And maybe not the tall lanky guys, but I myself am a tall guy with little muscle mass and I have to say I much prefer it to the alternative. I am 6'2 220lb. I know lots of friends who go to the gym religiously and pure muscle, but they may be 5'7 lets say. In just about any contest besides weight lifting, I can still best them. Moving heavy stuff, wrestling what ever, I have to carry around all this weight so I am just naturally stronger. So guys who are tall and not muscular per say CAN be great at protecting her. plus on the street, just being such a big guy is a deterrent to any problems, which is better than having to actually fight.

I don't mean this in anyway to attack shorter dudes, I just wanted to try and rationalize this thought process this girl had. Although she was being dumb about it, I do think many women feel the same deep down.

Anonymous · Answer

I'm a pretty tall girl, 5'8", and my boyfriend is several inches shorter than me BUT very muscular with broad shoulders. Because he's so strong he makes me feel very safe and protected! I also think he's really sexy, and I don't care at all about how tall he is. From what you've said, you're taller than my boyfriend, so don't worry about your height! That one girl clearly had a very strong opinion, but there are plenty of other women out there who like men to be strong and don't care much about height.

musicbrain5 · Answer

Well I'm really, really tall myself so I do prefer a tall guy as well. Tall guys can be quite muscular too though. My husband is since lifts and that's just his body type. A short guy, even a muscly short guy has never shown interest in me even if I showed interest in them. They're definitely not gross though, WTF is that about?

Anonymous · Answer

Tall and lean men just get me going. I can't really explain why. They're just my preference. I love hugging my boyfriend and him being taller than me. I love tiptoe-ing to kiss him. I love running my hands along his defined abs. He's tall and lean and I love it.

spuitkaas · Answer

Honestly, I just love tall men. I actually feel a little awkward if someone is smaller or the same height as me. I don't really care about the "secure" feeling. For me it's a little bit of an unexplainable preference. Luckily, most guys are taller than me since I'm 5'7.

CommieDearest · Answer

Well that doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Don't worry about it. I'm with that girl preference wise but I don't think short guys are gross, they just don't appeal to me because I'm tall.

Diego9O · Answer

Sorry to say this, if you don´t accept who you are, if you don´t love your body, your height you never will even if magically you become taller. Yes, women's tend to like tall guys and they always end up not with the tall one, but with that shows more confidence.

Watermelonoma · Answer

Keep in mind that women are just as picky about looks as men are, if not moreso... so they will have these sort of sticking points that may not make much sense... and they'll normally just explain it away to preference and nothing more. Just gotta live with the reality of it my friend

existing_not_living · Answer

Wow, seriously? Could you NOT use the word retarded? I'm sure there are plenty of other substitute words that you could have used.

Blondiee2014 · Answer

You have already seen the answer multiple times bro. They just find taller men more attractive. They feel more protected.
And a tall guy with muscles is obviously more ideal than a short guy with muscles.

1GuyOpinion · Answer

You can't alway get what you want. Even if you get the surgery, there will still be guy that are taller, more attractive than you. I doubt height is the only thing preventing you from being "sexy" to all the girls anyway.

Anonymous · Answer

Well... she doesn't speak for every girl. Some would prefer the tall guy and some the short one and some neither or both. You can't really explain preference. Why do some guys like obese girls with big boobs over slim girls with smaller ones? (rhetorical question.) Remember attraction is subjective.

lanternhill · Answer

I don't understand your comparison to racism - but basically for me at least I don't feel as attracted to short guys because their body proportions are different. That's pretty much it.

Illusive_Man · Answer

So basically you're going to make this an "Us versus them" sort of scenario ain't it? "I concluded she was completely retarded"  oh boy.

PeterPan11 · Answer

lots of reasons. i believe that it is a biological thing. in the past tall men are more likely to be fit and strong and more likely to survive. so tall men were the better choice to pass on genes.

MakeitOrDieTrying · Answer

You're only 18 but learn this now young man. For the majority of girls, they find height to be one of the most, if not the MOST important traits. Muscle is something we men care more about than they do, just like dick size.

Anonymous · Answer

Women prefer "tall men with little muscle mass" to "shorter men with lots of muscle and strength" because women often like taller men. Sometimes it doesn't have anything to do with muscle mass at all. Personally, I don't like muscular men, though I usually prefer men closer to my height. I'm 5'6", so I'd prefer a guy who's around 5'9". I don't like guys who are too tall because it's kind of a turn-off.

Anonymous · Answer

You can build muscle, you can't build height. Plus, when a girl stands next to a taller guy, she feels protected.

Why do many women like tall men with little muscle mass, but not shorter men with lots of muscle and strength?

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