The Definition of "Dark features" in a Man

[Blacklotus]

Hello lovely people of INTJ forum,

This topic is directed to all the ladies out there or anyone with an opinion. So on the bequest of ,paperclip, I have decided to ask everyone, "What do dark features mean to you?" Especially in relation to the common descriptor of Tall, Dark and Handsome?

Describe your preference based on past experience or your fantasy of the "Dark" man/men

Secondly, bonus points goes to anyone who wants to link this attraction to biological features of men that are considered attractive in society eg. symmetrical face, chiseled jawline, broad forehead. Probably quoting any papers out there, psych or socio etc.
In other words describe scientifically the "Dark" man

Thirdly, Now since lurking through this forum, I've noticed that everyone has a unique physical ideal for their man. Maybe you can enlighten us with how you have come across this preference? Example: Some prefer effeminate men-is this due to past friendship with an effeminate boy? Some like blonds. You get the drift.

[Sonyab]

I don't believe in tall, dark and handsome. However, I also am not partial to blond or fair colored men. I am NDN and I will tend to "notice" NDN men quickly. Brown/Black Hair, Brown eyes, Brown skin. However, this is only my visual response and preference. I think attraction is too random of an event to really quantify. I have become instantly attracted to a man more often because of something he says or the way he looks at me or some other offbeat kinda reason. The only real odd preference I have is that I am partial to men named David. The first boy I had a crush on was named David and the first man I loved was named David. You tend to get a second look from me regardless of anything else if you are named David.

[Kricket]

When I think tall, dark and handsome I imagine a Spanish man with black hair, thicker eyebrows, bedroom brown eyes and olive skin. No idea why. I associate those features with "manly" men who can also be alluring and gentle. If I really reach, I could imagine that men of this type would "stamp" their children with that look pretty well... is that an attractive genetic feat? Sadly it is too close to dinner for me to find any scientific evidence of this, and my color genetics knowledge is limited to equines...

I don't prefer a particular type of man, but I like for a man to have a type and fit it well. Random analogy: in Lord of the Rings, I liked Aragorn because he was so rugged, and Legolas because he was so refined. I like men who are confident enough to be what comes naturally.

[masterpeach]

Dark? Well, I prefer Nordic types, but I love men who have a "dark streak".

[Mogura]

I'm tall, dark, and ugly. Two out of three ain't bad...

[Dru]

i positively swoon over tall, dark and handsome. i like tall men in general, and handsome is a given, but having dark hair and dark eyes (though that's not something i would stipulate) as a major bonus. it almost automatically makes someone more attractive to me. it's interesting to note that all the men i find especially attractive fit that criteria. hugh jackman, paul rudd, jeffrey dean morgan, colin farrell. they all also have a magnificent amount of body hair. mmm. sexay.

[Ilara]

My understanding is that the "dark" in TD&H refers to hair, eyes, and weather-coloured skin (bronzed by sun). I could easily see a Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, or African man pulling off the TD&H look. I can see where Kricket is coming from on the Spaniard idea quite well.

As for type... well, I've never really had a type. I just like a man to be in good shape and aesthetic in his own way. There's no real common thread in the men I've liked (blond, blue-eyed, moderate height and build; dark-haired, dark-eyed, shortish with glasses and moderate build; half-Korean with dyed-blond hair, moderate height and athletic build; and dark-haired, green-eyed, very tall with trim build). Only my current boyfriend, who is the dark-haired, green-eyed, very tall with trim build one, even begins to fit the TD&H stereotype as I understand it--and with green eyes, he still doesn't quite fit.

I can sort of see the appeal of the TD&H thing from an aesthetic perspective. Tall has always been considered attractive, handsome speaks for itself, and the "dark" part would mean a nice rich colour palette that could be associated with traditional masculinity.

[LifesEcstasy]

Erm....my ideal is small, dark and handsome.

Well it's pretty obvious dark eye colour, dark hair and coloured skin for me thanks. I can't explain why I am attracted to androgynous men. There is nothing glaringly obvious in my life to point to that. I grew up around macho types, I lived most of my life in a macho society etc...It's not like I was hanging out with the only gay in village as a child or anything.

Why does there have to be a reason anyway? Isn't there such a thing as preference? Or are we all INTJs because someone forgot to teach us how to be extroverts as kids? Ridiculous.

[Margot]

Re: tall, dark, handsome. As others have said, tall is straightforward. Handsome is a matter of specific preferences, though the general consensus for this image would be that the person is attractive. I associate "dark" with either an exotic look, or someone with an unconventional appearance who seems to have a sort of detached, brooding demeanor (they wouldn't have to be exotic-looking, but having dark hair tends to help the stereotypical image). It also reminds me of the dark triad (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) personality traits that have had some exposure in ev psych.

As for my own type, I don't really have one. Tall is good, but as long as they're taller than me I don't care about the exact number. Not that difficult for the average guy considering my own height. If I'm attracted to someone, I will probably find them handsome despite the presence or lack of traditionally "desirable" features, so that's a non-issue. Dark eyes/hair/skin can be appealing, but same goes for fair. Shrug. These sort of things take a back-seat very quickly once I start getting to know someone and picking their brain.

[deacon]

seriously i think this guy set the bar.

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i am not so tall (5'11), dark (eyes/ hair but white skin, intj-ish demeanor) and handsome (no questions asked).

[catzmeow]

Yummy...

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[Ilara]

^Of the men above, the top guy is better. He has nice smile lines around his eyes. I like smile lines quite a lot.

The man below's tie is working against him. Skinny ties make me think cheese and dramatic flair, like Jean-Marc Genereux.

Meaning no offense to your tastes, of course, catzmeow. XD

I wouldn't have imagined that either of them is tanned enough to qualify, though. I always thought that TD&H included tanned/weathered skin from being manly and outdoors or what have you.

I know! I'll do a Google image search of "Tall, Dark, and Handsome" and see what comes up! (A very scientific approach, I know XD)

--EDIT--

What comes up:

-Lots of white men with dark hair and eyes, quite a few of them very pale-skinned (I stand corrected)
-A few black or latino men with dark hair and eyes, most of them shirtless
-Some blonde women (one of whom is a body builder...)
-Flowers
-A horse

I therefore conclude that of the things that fit the TD&H profile according to t3h 1nternetz, I like the flowers and horses best :laugh:

[katrin]

I think the skinny tie is historically accurate, Ilara. The pic is Don Draper from the Mad Men TV show set in the 1960s. :)

I don't really prefer "suits" whether they are TDH or not. I also don't notice things like chiseled jawlines. Jon Hamm is okay. Meh. I tend to like softer or more casual styles on guys.

Something like 20 of the 25 guys I've dated have had some shade of brown hair. I think that's just coincidence, since brown hair is more common. I haven't dated any blonds, though. I'm also the only one of my friends who doesn't get gaga over Alexander Skarsgaard on True Blood. Maybe I do have a preference for dark hair, although I wouldn't turn down a date with someone just because he was blond. Before INTJf, I never really thought about a lot of this stuff! LOL.

[paperclip]

Hey Blacklotus, I hope you are getting some satisfying answers. When I think of ''dark features'' I think of the dark-ish thick skin popular among Arab, Latin...Mediterranean men. I also think of dark or at least penetrating eye color and dark hair. Its funny, I might consider someone with blue eyes, dark hair, and thick skin as having ''dark features''.

Height is of little importance, I am 5 foot myself. Thick hair and rough skin read as higher testosterone to me. I have found that men with ''dark features'' ie more hair, oily skin, square-ish jawlines have better muscle tone and higher sex drives than their thin skinned delicate faced counterparts. (but this may be a result of my own bias of course ... )
As you have read here on the forum making generalizations about gender, sex drives, effeminate or masculine features can sometimes be fodder for flaming. :p

-- additionally:
I have always found "dark features" attractive in men. My attraction has not changed nor has it been influenced by any friends etc.

[invicta]

Dark features (hair and eyes) change handsome to strikingly handsome.

[Blacklotus]

Thank you all for submitting your viewpoints, opinions and pictures.
It has been enlightening and a pleasure to read the replies.
Maybe more of the male portion of this forum may find this an interesting read.

[khadi]

As others have said, traits that indicate a high level of testosterone. Strong jaw, deepset eyes, heavy brow.

Also, not happy-looking. A "darkness" of personality.

[Blacklotus]

Well, i'm interested out of curiosity and to see if there is a consensus among the women of this forum on this attribute and get a better understanding of it in general.
Plus on the more humorous side, since i'm a bit egocentric I now know how I rate myself :-)

[INTJoe]

As others have said, traits that indicate a high level of testosterone. Strong jaw, deepset eyes, heavy brow.


Wow, I didn't realize women put this much thought into it. Are there studies that show a link between strong jaw, deepset eyes, and "heavy brow" and testosterone level?

As a man, I've never thought or cared about this stuff. lol.

I am NOT TD&H. I am fairly tall, very pale, and moderately handsome if I'm trying. I do not have oily skin (lol?), nor rough skin, but I have a good amount of body hair and it's extremely thick.

I have no idea what my testosterone level is. As an INTJ I'd say it's mostly subdued unless I am around something I'm passionate about (a woman or playing baseball, hockey, etc.) then it can certainly spike.

[LifesEcstasy]

As others have said, traits that indicate a high level of testosterone. Strong jaw, deepset eyes, heavy brow.


Not to discount Khadi's POV, because that's obviously what she likes in 'dark'. But it's a new one on me. I don't rate dark as having anything to do with testosterone levels in a man. Here's my version of small, dark & handsome. While obviously male, I don't think testosterone leaks out of his pores somehow...:laugh:

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[INTJoe]

Do women notice leg:torso ratio when judging a man?

Supposedly the ideal leg:torso (well, torso and head) ratio for a man is about 1:1, whereas the ratio for an ideal woman is about 1.4:1

As a man, I would say that proportionately short-legged women look funny to me and are not attractive.

So do you women notice a man with a long torso as being attractive? I'm about 71.5" tall but my hip bone is about 41" off the ground. I've got a short torso and shortish arms. My wife is 3 inches shorter than me but has the exact same leg length.

[LifesEcstasy]

I prefer a guy with longer legs proportionally. Lets just face it, I prefer a guy who's only one eyebrow plucking session short of being a woman...lol! Ok, ok so I like longer legs, short torso, small hips but shoulders wide in proportion to hips so he has a V.

[INTJoe]

The V shape is certainly not womanly though.

[LifesEcstasy]

The V shape is certainly not womanly though.

Yes and breasts are a real turn-off...:p

[8iii8]

Supposedly the ideal leg:torso (well, torso and head) ratio for a man is about 1:1, whereas the ratio for an ideal woman is about 1.4:1

As a man, I would say that proportionately short-legged women look funny to me and are not attractive.

I would find them funny looking as well. I like long legs, but then again I am 6'2 so its not easy to find a tall attractive woman with long legs. It's most likely the similarity, then the rarity that attracts me.

Interesting to find a consensus on TD&H as being attractive. I have been called such a few years ago and I curse that day. Have been vain ever since. It got to my head, especially in my late teens. I've matured more past it now but still can't help but be vain. I have to make a conscious effort to not check myself when I see my reflection. It's a habit I'm working on to be less vain.

[INTJoe]

I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you aren't outwardly being a douche about it I don't think you're hurting anyone.

Britney Spears and Hayden Panatiere are examples of girls with proportionally short legs who look sort of funny to me. Obviously they're both "hot" but not nearly as much as if they were longer-legged.

OK I've derailed this thread way too much.

[Samoan Corleone]

Well, at least I've got the dark part down.

When I think tall, dark and handsome I imagine a Spanish man with black hair, thicker eyebrows, bedroom brown eyes and olive skin.

Javier Bardem, when he's not donning his ugly-as-shit Anton Chigurgh haircut.