![feminine straight men and masculine gay men feminine straight men and masculine gay men](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/channing_tatum_matt_bomer_magic_mike_xxl_float_2015_la_pride_parade.jpg)
The study has been published online in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. The Horror of Femininity Perhaps a more likely reason for the success gay men have had in the worlds of beauty and design is that gay men have been willing to enter these historically more feminine realms. The study supports the idea that male attraction operates differently from female attraction, regardless of sexual orientation. For instance, gay men rated masculine gay men as significantly more likeable than feminine gay men (Skidmore, Linsenmeier, & Bailey, 2006) and, on average, wished to be more masculine than they per- ceived themselves to be (Sánchez et al., 2010). They only act out the stereotypical bad behaviors (catty, aloof, stuck-up, etc.) It seems more like a plea for attention. It seems very contrived and/or melodramatic, not how women really act. They kind of act like women, but its different somehow. Sexually dimorphic features in male faces include a broad jaw, broad forehead, and more pronounced brow ridge, while a sexually dimorphic female face has a more tapered chin, larger lips, and a narrower forehead. If youve spent time around feminine-acting gay men, do you think: They really act like women.
![feminine straight men and masculine gay men feminine straight men and masculine gay men](https://au.reachout.com/-/media/young-people/images/image-library/androgenous-moody-teen.jpg)
The study was conducted online, and included over 900 men and women. Participants viewed images of faces that were digitally manipulated to be more masculine or feminine, and then indicated which face they considered more attractive. In the current study, straight women preferred more masculine-faced men than lesbian women, while lesbians preferred slightly more masculine female faces than straight women or men. Women's preferences are more complex than men's, as indicated by earlier study, which showed that ovulation, contraceptive use, self-perceived attractiveness, and sex drive all affect face preference. The study is the first to examine the facial feature preferences of gay men and lesbian women.