I was asked how I know I'm straight. The first thing that came to mind was that when I imagine someone's hands on me I see a man's hands - big, strong hands, no nail polish. I like the way men's bodies look. I like the whiskers on their face when they skip shaving. I like the line down their back leading down to their butt. I like their chest, especially if they've got some muscles to show off. Muscles are sexy. Tall men are sexier cause I like a man who makes me feel feminine.
Women's bodies get promoted/ used to sell cars, beer, clothes, etc. So women are seen as sexy because our bodies can sell cars to men. Watching these ads I don't think they are selling products as much as they are peddling sex and selling women's bodies as something sexual. That doesn't mean men are not sexy. It just means the advertisers are still mainly selling to men rather than considering women, couples and families as their target market.
Also, because female nudity is more common people do feel more shocked and intimidated about male nudity. We are accustomed to female bodies both fully nude or mostly revealed. It's silly to me how often a woman's breasts are shown and how they won't even show a male butt, that is somehow more perverted. I have always found that really annoying. Not as discrimination but for how it makes women's bodies seem a sexual tool versus someone who is a real person, a wife, a Mother. There is a respect for male nudity which isn't there for female nudity.
Just as breastfeeding is far too shocking to be done in public (according to some) male nudity is seen as unnatural. Why is the natural purpose for breasts shocking and yet they can be shown fully nude as a sexual thing in movies and advertising? Why don't we see a male butt exposed in any ads in magazines, on billboards and websites? Why are the erotic photos of men usually geared to gay men, not women?
Men's bodies are not ugly, but they are still covered up. Look at the way young men and women dress. The men wear long shorts down to their knees and shirts which cover them just as well. Meanwhile the woman they are with is likely wearing far less. Why? Are men the new nuns? Are we ashamed of the male body?
It's not that I want to see more male nudity. I just would like to see less female nudity. Both men and women should have a respect for their bodies and neither should be used to sell products. I do find the male body attractive but that has it's place. I'd be less likely to buy a car which was sold in an ad where men are leaning over it half dressed. I'd wonder what they were doing and think they should have focused on the features of the car rather than the hunky guy that doesn't come with it.
