Letters to the Editor
Amerigo
Published Letters: 955 Editor's Choice: 60
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Bare necessities...
[Read the article: If Britney Spears shouldn't be naked in front of her kids, what about me?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It all depends. Nudity is nothing to get hung up about as long as it occurs naturally, like getting out of the shower to answer the phone. If, on the other hand, you are going around saying "look at me, I am naked, NAKED, NAKED! Pay attention, now, I am naked--this is what a naked adult looks like" then you will probably embarrass your kids and in the long run they will have less respect for you.
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Estrogen and more
[Read the article: Bronzer gods]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am sure that the estrogen thing is true. As a heterosexual male I have actually often noted to myself that a female is brimming with estrogen when she displays all the characteristics of sexual attractiveness at the same time. It is even possible to identify a high estrogen female from the rear view just by the curve of her waist and the way she walks, without even seeing her face.
The high estrogen female has full lips, bright eyes, a waist that goes in and hips that go out (the wavy frame of a dame, like which there is nothing).
The primary purpose of makeup is to enhance female attractiveness to men and it has been going on at least since the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks. Eye makeup makes the eyes look larger and mimics the effect of dilated pupils, which are an indication of sexual arousal. The ancients used belladonna drops for this purpose.
Similarly adding color to the lips mimics sexual arousal, similar to genital swelling in female orangutans and similar species, which some would agree are not unrelated to humans.
In Jane Austen's day females used rouge on their cheeks to an extraordinary degree, and if you look at pictures of that era you feel like you are looking at the mating behavior of an exotic species.
(Check this picture: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0470008296/ref=sib_dp_pt/105-9563412-0758860#reader-link)
Of course makeup always works better in dim light, which is why personal ads invariable express a preference for candlelit dinners, and explains why discos and night clubs have dim lighting.
So although footballers may put stuff on their faces as a kind of warpaint, or wear tatoos for that matter, to make them look fearsome, men who are not on television or needing to cover up vitiligo like Michael Jackson are unlikely to ever wear makeup in a big way.
Of course women are not always aware of why they wear makeup and it may just become a habit or something that they copy from other women, but we men always see right through it and just go for the estrogen.
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To fetboy
[Read the article: Bronzer gods]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You say:
Nothing turns me off quicker than stupidity, and nothing turn me on more than a delightful personality, stimulating conversation, and creative intellect.
Wikipedia says:
Sexual fetishism is the attribution of attractive sexual qualities to (a) specific part(s) of the human body and/or (b) non-living objects as an overwhelming alternative to the sexuality of a man or a woman, or as an enhancing element to a relationship.
I think sexualizing what you find between a woman's ears comes into that category. But I think you are in a minority, because I have never seen a case of a pretty woman with no sense being unable to get laid. You don't hear a lot of guys saying they are sick of dumb blondes.
Of COURSE intelligence is something one values in a partner, but it is not of overwhelming sexual importance to most people. My current girlfriend is not particularly smart, but has many endearing qualities like her good humor, her love for her family and her puppy... and lots of estrogen, but I think one intellectual per household is quite enough.
I should say, perhaps, in further explanation, that though it is true that I often remark on estrogen-rich women, I have been familiar with the estrogen theory for many years, and frankly I don't believe that healthy men do not notice those women who are giving off estrogen fumes unless they are carrying a book. I really don't.
You say that I am a bit like BS69. I would say that you are more like him than I, because your fetishization of intelligence acts as a barrier to appreciating the excellent qualities of many good women who are not brainy. In his case it is possession of two X chromosomes that rules out potential partners.
Still, each to his own taste, and if you get your jollies gazing at your pinup of Sandra Day O'Connor, then good for you.
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To Brightstar69
[Read the article: Bronzer gods]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Please disregard the anonymous advice above that you should make an early appointment with a mental health professional.
Just because you are scared of women, it does not mean that you are crazy. Many members of Salon's corps of Red Guards want to have everyone who has a different opinion sent to re-education camps. All you need is to meet one good woman who will see through all your bullshit and love anyway, and then you will be putty in her hands and too busy washing dishes to write to Salon.