These new superhuman men apparently notice a woman's eyes and smile before her breasts. Our own internal study of the office males concludes otherwise.
A new study has announced that there has been a shift in the physical traits men notice first on a woman upon meeting her. Apparently, his gaze goes from top to bottom as he first notices a woman's eyes, then smile, then (shocker) boobs. Okay, whatever. That part's fine.
(Check out this handy list they made).
But, then the study uses these findings to conclude that,
The study almost crushes the common stereotype that the first thing men look at is a woman’s chest.
The Daily Mail echoes that finding, stating,
The results show that the stereotypical guy with eyes for only one thing seems to be disappearing, and a more soulful modern man is taking his place.
What stereotype is this? That men are drawn to breasts? That's not a stereotype-that's an evolutionary adaptation to help men identify the most fit mates, and to strengthen the bond between couples. Don't believe us? Look here. It's no secret that men notice breasts. And yes, maybe this study found that they notice them "third," but that hardly indicates a shift in men's interests and motivations.
The issue we take with this study is that it seems to identify a new species of men who are doing this because they've evolved from primitive, sex hungry ape-men into 'soulful, modern men,' who presumably care less about a woman's body than they do about her mind. We're calling bullshit.
What the study doesn't take into account is that men notice women in a variety of situations. One situation, which would corroborate the study's results, is when he meets her formally. Both parties shake hands and blurt out their names. Of course the first thing he notices would be her eyes. After all, when you meet someone, you don't stare right at her chest while you shake her hand and introduce yourself, despite everything in your being telling you to check out those titties. No, you look at her eyes first, then notice her smile because it says a lot about her impression of you and her mood. Then, you take that fleeting second when she looks away to notice her breasts and a host of other physical characteristics like her stature, her style, her hair, etc. That social script we all follow is hardly revolutionary.
But what about when a man notices a woman from across the room? Or at a bar? Or driving in her car? Most men we talked to when researching this article unequivocally said the first thing they notice is her body.
What's more, Murine, an eye drops manufacturer, commissioned the study. Sounds like a marketing scheme, no? "Ladies, clinical studies show the first thing a man notices about you are your eyes. Make sure they're sparkling with Murine brand eye drops." It's pretty important to note the context under which this study occurred. Would the results have been different if the commissioner was say, a body lotion company?
We're not saying the study's findings are wrong, but we're saying this: No stereotypes have been 'shattered.' Men look at tits, and that's common knowledge. Whether he notices them first or third says nothing about his intentions, interests, or evolution from primitive man to sophisticated gentleman.
What do you notice first about a woman? Do you think it depends on the context? We're all ears.
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