Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

Since I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing me whine about moving, I'm granting a reprieve and starting to get back into romance novel rambling. Well sort of...

Whilst reading my latest batch of craptacular offerings from TRR's editor (Two "D" reads in a row, and the latest isn't shaping up to be that great either), my mind got to wandering as it often does.

What makes a man attractive?

Now, I'm not talking sexy. Although for my money, nothing is sexier than a man who is confident. A guy who's comfortable in his own skin. In other words, a guy who doesn't try hard to be someone he's not. He knows who he is. That's sexy.

No, I'm talking about what makes you notice a guy? What feature jumps out at you and makes you take a closer look. Is it the eyes? The butt? A well-toned phyisque?

Oh sure, those are all good - but for my money it's his nose.

Swear to God, I'm not sure where I picked this up - but I got a thing for guys with prominent noses. Always have. It does have to have a nice shape to it. I'm sorry ladies, but Owen Wilson does not do it for me. The nose can't be deformed. It's got to have a nice symmetrical look to it, and naturally fall on the "big" side of the sliding nose scale.

I know, I'm weird as hell.

Let's look at some examples:

Nomar (or as the older sis calls him "Nose-Mar") Garciaparra (that's him on the left - pitcher Eric Gagne on the right). I'm willing to overlook the fact that he's married to that skank Mia Hamm. I just adore this guy. I mean, I could give a hoot about him as a baseball player - but that nose! Oh that big, beautiful nose!

Adrien Brody - I know what you're thinking, "He's goofy looking." But he's Wendy-Bait all the way. Tall - check. Skinny - check. Big nose - check, check, check. A pretty good actor too. I was indifferent on King Kong - but he's really great in the all-around underappreciated Spike Lee Joint, Summer Of Sam.

And no photo because (believe it or not) I'm not a crazy stalker - the cute sales rep that came to my office yesterday. Of Middle Eastern descent, tre' cute, from Michigan, and what a nose! Of course, he leaves 3000 miles away and had a ring on his left ring finger. And something tells me The Boyfriend would have frowned upon me throwing myself at the man. He can be so unreasonable.

I guess the point of this creepy post is that all sorts of things (even weird, bizarre things like noses) make a person attractive to the opposite (or same, if that's the way you wave your flag) sex. Romance novels like to condense it down to "tall, dark, and handsome" (lest I forget "bad boy," "rake," and "misunderstood outsider") - but as readers we have (I hope) enough imagination to mold romantic heroes to our own likes. That's not to say the author is wasting her time describing the guy - but as a reader, I take what she writes, and add a little something to it. Like say, a big nose.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hummmnnn... What doesn't work for me is probably a better question.

But let's see.... my downfalls are usually:
- dimples (like Matthew McConaughey and Josh Holloway)
- hands and forearms (I have no idea why)
- and bald heads (due to my background in swimming where guys shaved their heads to have less resistance in the water).

But really? I just love men. I love their laugh, their eyes, their legs, their chests, their stomachs.....

*Grins*
G.

Megan Frampton said...

I love big noses, too. Although Nomar's OCD makes me crazy.

I love Adrien Brody too, for all the reasons you cite.

Isabella Snow said...

Awwww... I love Owen Wilson!

Wasn't his nose broken in a sporting accident and he refused to have it set?

Or something?

I dunno.. I wasn't there.. ;)

Bookseller Chick said...

Wendy, I'm all about the nose as well. My first crush was Gabriel Byrne.

Yum.

Rosie said...

Hands...I don't care what a guy looks like if he has femmy hands then ugh!! I like strong square hands. I don't like men who are too pretty and smell like perfume either.

I have to admit Wendy, I thought I'd heard it all, but noses...well that was a new one for me.

Kristie (J) said...

LOL about Nomar. I always thought he'd be pretty cute if it wasn't for the NOSE!
For me - apart from the eyes - what I notice most about a guy are shoulders. Nice strong straight shoulders. That's why a lot of football players never did it for me. The don't really seem to have any - or if they do, they just slope right down. Now baseball or hockey players on the other hand - now that's a different story!

~ames~ said...

Oooh, Adrien. LOL I like him, and Bookseller Chick's crush, Gabriel Byrne. Looove him. :P

I like a man's eyes. Especially brown or green. I love Eric Bana's eyes.

And nice wide shoulders will catch my eye. And nice muscular arms (but not too big) will definitely hold my attention.

He's a winner if he's wearing glasses.

Shannon Stacey said...

I can forgive Nomar the nose---it suits him and I always did think he was hot---but I can't forgive the shirt.

Shannon (Red Sox fan from birth)

Wendy said...

Rosie: Ha! I was wondering who the first commentor to mention hands would be.

Ames: Love Eric Bana - although my crush didn't take hold until I saw Troy. Forget Brad Pitt - I'm all about Hector.

Bookseller Chick - Gabriel Byrne = Irish Hottie

Kristie: Yeah, shoulders do it for me too. Nice, broad shoulders....

Shannon - At least it wasn't a Yankees jersey.

Monica said...

Ahh Wendy, you know what they say about men with big noses . . . ?

It indicates the same sort of thing as as big feet. . . and big hands.

I like big noses too. Yessirreee.

Wendy said...

Monica:
Ha! I knew someone would mention that - which explains quite a bit about my big nose fixation don't ya think?