TresSugar

Men Get Dumber Speaking to Attractive Women

TresSugar — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:00:00 -0700

In news that will surprise absolutely no one, researchers have found that men get so flummoxed when speaking to attractive women - using up most of their cognitive abilities trying to impress them - that they sometimes forget basic personal information like their own addresses!

Research showed that if (presumably straight) men spent even a few minutes with an attractive woman, they didn’t perform as well on tests that measure brain function than they did after speaking to someone they didn’t find attractive. Women didn’t seem to have this reaction in the presence of men they considered handsome.

Although psychologist Dr. George Fieldman of the British Psychological Society had a genetic/evolutionary explanation for this reaction, that men are “programmed to think about ways to pass on their genes,” I wonder how the study would have worked if they had gay men talking to men they found attractive. Would they be so flustered by their attraction they performed poorly on cognitive tests, too? Would researchers be able to argue that their distraction was “reproductively focused”?

Maybe men are just horndogs? (That's my unscientific conclusion.) What do you think?

Rule #4 For Jump-Starting Your Summer Fun!

DearSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0700

Summertime is meant for the beach and warm weather attire. If I had it my way, I'd live in a sundress and flip-flops all year round - there's just something sexy about spaghetti straps and short skirts that always makes me feel beautiful. And we all know that when you feel beautiful from the inside out, you automatically become more approachable and open to meeting new people.

So ladies, for rule number four for jump-starting your Summer fun, I suggest you shed some of those clothes and show a little skin - tis' the season!

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Not Fake: Hungary Crowns Miss Plastic Surgery

TresSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Perky contestants vied for the crown of Miss Plastic Hungary this week. Only women who have gone under the knife were invited to participate in the artificial-beauty pageant held in Budapest. Botox wouldn't qualify you, but one contestant's surgically adjusted toes did get her included. Reka Urban, 22, won the (plastic?) crown, and she received an apartment in Budapest as her prize. Check out this video from the contest, and tell me what you make of such an unabashedly fake beauty pageant!

Edward vs. Jacob: Which Guy Is More Your Type?

TresSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:46:39 -0800

You don't need to be a fan of Twilight to understand the difference between the two leading men (can we call vampires and werewolves men?). On the one hand, there's Edward - think of him as the sophisticated older man type. In fact, he's 108. If you go for introverted, devoted, and beautiful men, Edward's your type of guy. Then we have Jacob, the good-natured hunk. Jacob's the extrovert with a sense of humor who knows how to have fun. Which type of guy would you rather date: the mysterious guy or the outgoing guy?

Hump Day: Sex Makes Her Uncomfortable

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:30:23 -0800

Welcome to Hump Day, TrèsSugar's sex advice column. If you have questions about sex, send them to TrèsSugar, and our friend Dr. Charlie Glickman from Good Vibrations will offer his sound advice!

Today's Question:
I'm 24 and in my first relationship. I really like the guy, we've been going out for six months, but I get nervous whenever he slips his hand under my underwear. He gets the hint and stops. I don't mind him doing other things (we haven't slept together yet), but I wish I wasn't such a prude. I don't know what he expects and I worry that he will be grossed out, as I only shave/wax the bikini line but not the whole thing. What if he thinks it is ugly? I also don't know what I should expect; he knows I'm a virgin, but I don't know how to speak to him about why I get uncomfortable, and I don't know how to overcome it! I also have a few stretch marks and worry that he will be grossed out by them. Please help?

To read Dr. Glickman's response, read more.

Thank you for sharing this challenging situation. I know that it can be scary to talk about things like this, but these are all really common thoughts.

One of the things that can help when you’re on the edge of your comfort zone is to take it very slowly. It’ll probably help to tell your guy about your discomfort, even if you can’t tell him why it’s there. You could simply say "I have a lot of discomfort around sex." You also might want to do a little solo exploration. It takes the pressure off because there aren’t any partner expectations. Check out the wonderful book Becoming Orgasmic. If you’re looking for tips or ideas for techniques, Tickle Your Fancy is full of suggestions. Once you know a bit more about what you like or dislike, you and your boyfriend might be able to find something that you both like to do.

It’s worth mentioning that vulvas come in all different shapes. (The vulva is the external female anatomy. The vagina is the inside part.) There’s a long history of negative attitudes towards the vulva, but each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. A lot of women have the idea that there’s something wrong with their vulvas because they don’t look like what we see in porn or because they have hair, and I think that’s unfortunate. I strongly recommend getting to know your parts and Scarleteen has a great site about that. It’s geared towards teens, but there's lots of amazing info about sex, bodies, and pleasure.

Another option would be to explore some of these concerns with a therapist. When you have an itch on your back, you need someone else to scratch it. Therapists help us by reaching the spots we can’t reach on our own. Lastly, depending on where you are, you could join a body-image support group. While they tend not to focus on sexuality, they can be an incredibly helpful way to work through our concerns about our bodies and how we (or other people) feel about them.

Working through these challenges isn’t always easy, but it can be very rewarding. Whatever route you choose, I hope you find the pleasure and joy that you deserve.

At Last - The Miss Plastic Hungary Beauty Contest

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0700

"Ever had plastic surgery to become beautiful? Are you proud of your body? Would you like to put yourself to the test?"

If so, asks this website, perhaps you should enter the Miss Plastic Hungary beauty pageant where women age 18 – 30 (if you’re above 30 you’re in the “dame” category) can compete against other women who have gone under the knife.

In this Bizarro World contest, unlike in other beauty contests, having gone under the knife is not grounds for disqualification - it’s a contest requirement. Botox, by the way, doesn’t count. "The entry requirement," says Reka Bodis, press director of the pageant, "is a surgical procedure done under general or local anesthesia." It's quite “natural,” she continues, to stage such a contest now that so many beautiful women get plastic surgery and prices are more affordable. Hungary is a tourist destination for many in the UK, where plastic surgery prices can be prohibitively expensive.

The contest is open to non-Hungarian contestants as well as Hungarian beauties and debuts October 9.

Say What? The Brits Know the Truth About Beauty

TresSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

“The English at heart know that beauty is a cheat; it is an unfair advantage, a distraction from the real qualities that you want in a girl: the ability to fry a breakfast with a hangover, have sex in the rain without complaining, flatten an intruder with a left hook, sink a pint, tell a joke, take a joke, be a brick, be a mate, be a mum."

- Reporting from the south of France, British columnist AA Gill explains that while French women might have the chic, unattainable beauty thing down, English women know that a free spirit is a beautiful thing, too. Perhaps the male writer's extensive musings on the differences between women is just another way to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Have You Ever Gotten Into a Brawl With Another Woman?

TresSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

First, a rumored bar fight involving Mischa Barton, and now Miss England? Whatever happened to sweet and demure?

Rachel Christie, the reigning Miss England, has to give up her crown and withdraw from the Miss World competition which will be held in South Africa next month because of an alleged bar brawl earlier in the week with another beauty queen, one Sara Beverley Jones (Miss Manchester).

As someone who has thrown a punch (or two) back in the day, I'm no one to judge, so I shall refrain. Did you get into physical fights with other girls when you were younger, or have you ever gotten into a brawl with another woman?

Are You Less Likely to Buy From Someone Beautiful?

TresSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

A recent study out of Australia concludes that young women are less likely to buy something if they think the sales people in the store are more beautiful than they.

Because women are "biologically competitive," says Bianca Price of the University of South Australia, these tentative shoppers perceive beautiful women as "direct social threats" even if the product has nothing to do with beauty. In the end, they would rather buy from someone "unattractive." (I wonder if this study informed the "unattractive" sales staff that they were part of some unflattering research!)

This conclusion, she continues, may contradict the success certain brands have when they get beautiful celebrities to endorse their product, but according to Price, "[w]omen may not consider celebrities a direct social threat, but they might consider the girl at their local shopping center to be one.”

So let me get this straight - women are biologically determined to be competitive with each other; women are so intimidated by beautiful women that they won't buy something from them; and if you're shopping, you're a woman, but if you're part of the sales staff, you're a "girl." I'm not buying it!

Scientists: Women Getting More Beautiful, Men Remain Same

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

A cadre of scientists has determined that evolution is driving women to become more beautiful while "men remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors."

Scientists claim that attractive couples (based on ”objective assessments of physical attractiveness”) tend to have more children and those children are more likely to be female. Those adult daughters may marry and mate with attractive men, have lots of daughters . . . and so on and so on. Over generations, the scientists conclude, women have become steadily more aesthetically pleasing.

What do nonscientists think of these findings? If the comments section of this article is any indication - not much! Responding to the claim that women are getting more beautiful, Elizabeth Payne wrote, "Not where I'm living they aint......!!!!" What does Graham Mitchell think? "Women are getting more beautiful? Yes. And alcohol is getting stronger." Ha!

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