DARE TO ASK: Let's talk about men's derrieres

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

When a woman makes a comment about a guy's butt, what is she attracted to?

Peter, 33, Lehigh Valley, Pa.

Replies

Ah, these are the eternal mysteries.

Stephanie, 23, Norman, Okla.

It's probably the most attractive male body part, other than face and hands, for me.

L.K., 22, female, Laurel, Md.

My thinking is that it's a way in which women can "get back" at men for their remarks about our body parts. I do tend to look at the front side myself.

Cindy, 42, Venezuela

I can't say why a man's huge pecs and butt are so great to look at, but they are. Some women may not tell you this: A guy with a great body is a real head-turner.

Lynn, Lexington, Ky.

It's because they look good. And yes, I do think about squeezing them. But . . . a guy's butt is one of the last things I associate with sex. Hands and eyes are sexier.

Amber, Barrow, Alaska

It's definitely a turn-on, and on some level I am thinking about how it would feel if we were intimate. It's lovely to be able to run my hand down a man's back and reach something firm. And it adds to the sensation of being close to each other because I can pull him close with a body part of his that is firm and delightful to the touch. To add to this, a firm body is attractive. I like to feel a firm body next to mine, to feel the contours of a man's body. A great butt is a fine addition!

B.L., 22, Oakland, Calif.

Experts say

We're writing about men's butts and we cannot lie.

And though we are secure in our manhood, let's stop the tinge of discomfort we feel right about now and cheekily quote someone else, some females, thank-you-very-much.

"One is a cultural answer: the buttocks have often been considered in many cultures to be highly related to sexual attraction," says Jennifer Bass, spokeswoman for the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

"Another is biological: evolutionary psychologists will talk about the shape [of the buttocks] and how it can represent a man's fertility. . . . It's the idea that they'll have some good genes, so it has to do with the kind of offspring you'll create."

And from a sexual perspective, "There's the idea that the buttocks are erotic areas, that touching them is arousing."

Heather Rupp, a post-doctoral fellow at Kinsey who studies what women find attractive in men, said most females eye a man's face rather than his body.

However, women gauging men's masculinity (and therefore their testosterone levels for reproduction) may be attracted to males with more definitive muscles, she said.

"And remember, it's [the buttocks] a big ol' muscle, I think the biggest in the body. So they may be gauging the overall masculinity of a man by his buttocks."

They don't call it the gluteus maximus for nothing.

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers.