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Industry: Email Alert RSS FeedWhat do women want? The effects of gender and sexual orientation on the desirability of physical attributes in the personal ads of women
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, May, 2002 by Christine A. Smith, Shannon Stillman
Examination of personal advertisements is one way to determine what individuals want and what individuals believe others want in a partner. Researchers have examined requests for, and offers of, a number of variables, including age and race (Epel, Spanakos, Kasl-Godley, & Brownell, 1996); physical attractiveness and weight (Deaux & Hanna, 1984; Hatala & Prehodka, 1996; Koestner & Wheeler, 1988; Lynn & Shurgot, 1984); and personality traits, including masculinity and femininity (Bailey, Kim, Hills, & Linsenmeier, 1997; Child, Low, McCormick, & Cocciarella, 1996; Deaux & Hanna, 1984).
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Researchers who have compared heterosexual and homosexual relationships have suggested that the primary difference between the two is gender (Bailey et al., 1997; Deaux & Hanna, 1984). Specifically, the gender make-up of those in the relationship often profoundly affects roles and choices in the relationship (Blumstein & Schwartz, 1983). Thus, if gender of those seeking partners is a factor in mate choice, when women are seeking partners we would expect all or at least most women to value similar attributes, regardless of the partner's sex. For example researchers have found that women place less emphasis on the appearance of a partner than do men (Doosje, Rojhan, & Fischer, 1999; Feingold, 1992; Goodwin, 1991; Nell & Ashton, 1997) but offer their appearance depending on whom they are seeking as partners (Deaux & Hanna, 1984; Siever, 1994).
Deaux and Hanna (1984) theorized that gender and sexual orientation interact. The differences between heterosexual and homosexual women "... appear to be stronger in what one offers in a relationship than what one seeks" (p. 374). In personal ads, women may emphasize their own physical characteristics when they believe partners desire it. Thus, heterosexual women may be more likely than lesbians to provide their own physical characteristics in their ads. However, Heffernan (1999) found that her sample of lesbians did tend to see physical attractiveness as important in partners. Thus, we cannot assume that lesbians place little or no emphasis on partner attributes or attractiveness. Nevertheless, the pressure for lesbians to be physically attractive to acquire partners does not appear to be as great as it is for heterosexual women (Myers, Taub, Morris, & Rothblum, 1999).
Although studies have examined personal ads of heterosexuals (Child et al., 1996; Harrison & Saeed, 1977) and lesbians and gay men (Deaux & Hanna, 1984; Laner, 1978), no published research to date has examined personal ads of bisexual women or men as a group. Although Deaux and Hanna (1983) included bisexuals in their research, they classified bisexuals as heterosexual or homosexual on the basis of the sex of the partner they were seeking; for example, bisexual women seeking women were classified as lesbian. Thus, trends in bisexuals' requests for and offers of physical attributes and attractiveness in personal ads are unknown. Classifying bisexuals by partner choice (heterosexual or homosexual) fails to recognize bisexuals as possibly distinct from heterosexuals and lesbians and gay men, with their own specific cultures and desires.
To address the importance of physical characteristics to bisexual women seeking female partners through personal ads, the (small) literature on bisexual women may be relevant. Rust (1993) suggested that bisexual women are perceived by lesbians as behaving heterosexually and therefore resemble heterosexuals rather than lesbians. She found that, in her sample, lesbians were more likely to perceive bisexual women as having combined lesbian and heterosexual interests. Writers on bisexuality have suggested the existence of a valid bisexual culture and identity rather than one that combines heterosexual and homosexual interests (Hutchinson & Kaahumanu, 1991; Rust, 1993).
Where do bisexual women fall in regard to offers of and requests for physical attributes of potential partners? It may depend upon whether they request male or female partners. In the current study, we examined requests for female partners in personal ads because bisexual women appear to be more likely to mention their bisexuality when requesting female partners than when requesting male partners. This may be the result of the stigma some bisexual women find when seeking female partners, as some lesbians are reluctant to date bisexual women (Rust, 1993). Thus, bisexual women may want to make their sexual orientation clear to eliminate possible hostile responses from lesbians. Another explanation for the lack of bisexual women seeking male partners in personal ads may be that bisexual women are more likely to use personal ads to find other women than to find men. If a bisexual woman is immersed in heterosexual culture or has not yet had a female partner, she may not know where to seek women who desire female p artners. Thus, personal ads may be a method to find like-minded women.
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