What do girls want? This commonly asked question draws attention from all types of media, ranging from television shows to gossip magazines. Christina Aguilera even sang a song about it. While answers to this question vary, there have been attempts to solve the mystery. The better question is: What do guys want? Although not frequently publicized, it is a question that stumps women, and apparently fashion advertisers, in today’s society. Personally, I feel my male desires are being misrepresented by the inaccurate portrayal of the “ideal” girl in men’s magazines such as ESPN The Magazine and Maxim. I am also disgusted by the way women are represented in fashion advertisements in women’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Ladies, on the probable chance that you were misinformed, it is important to know that these models are not the type of girls that guys want.

While flipping through the pages of magazines with a typically male audience such as ESPN The Magazine or Maxim, you commonly find advertisements for masculine products such as high-quality engine oil or cologne. In the advertisements, there is often a scantily clad woman accompanying a man. The women in these ads drape themselves over the man or simply stand next to the product being marketed. Female manipulation at its worst? I say it is. The women in these ads are used purely as sex symbols. The majority of women are not going to purchase oil or spray themselves with men’s cologne. Therefore, they have no purpose being depicted in these advertisements other than to make men believe that by buying the product, they will be able to associate with these girls. I’m thoroughly insulted by this, as all men should be. We don’t truly believe that by buying Castrol GTX oil we’ll all be able to date an oiled-up girl wearing an outfit that would fit my three year-old cousin. Nor would we want to.

The better question is: What do guys want? Although not frequently publicized, it is a question that stumps women, and apparently fashion advertisers, in today’s society.

Believe it or not, most men would like to date an intelligent girl who can converse and laugh aside from simply batting her eyelashes and looking cute. When do you think was the last time a guy looked at one of the airbrushed, clothing deprived models in Maxim and said “I bet you she got a 4.0 when she was in school.” Actually, it was probably around the same time the last girl said, “I’m really thrilled that guy I hooked up with last week never called me back.” This is fitting, considering that when men say they find the models in these advertisements attractive, all they’re thinking about is a one night stand, not a relationship. What I’m saying is that there are two distinct types of attraction: “lust” and “like”. “Lust” is attraction from afar and is purely physical. It is more of a fantasy than an actual desire. Guys in “lust” may seem infatuated with a girl one day and not give her a second thought the next. “Like” is a much more personal attraction. “Like” is developed through regular conversation in addition to physical attraction. It is the type of attraction that leads to a relationship, rather than a regrettable hook-up. In case it is still unclear, girls, you want to be “liked”, not “lusted” after. The truth is that most guys just want to find a respectable, wholesome girl that they can bring home to Mom.

As inaccurate as the portrayal of women in men’s magazines may be, it is equally as bad, if not worse, in women’s magazines such as Comsopolitan and Glamour. These magazines contain advertisements that show women in all the new designer clothes. The problem is that the women who model these clothes are “wearing thin” … literally. Companies must believe that skinny models make their clothes look the most appealing. Companies have the right to hire who they choose. This is a shame, considering some models, rather than working, should be out getting lunch, dinner or even better, dessert. It is also another example of how today’s advertising industry manipulates women. Women look to fashion magazines for tips on how to be more attractive to guys, yet most guys don’t find the models in these ads attractive. Some women might find these models beautiful and admire their undernourished features. Most guys, however, would be embarrassed to bring home a skeleton girlfriend to meet their parents. Personally, I would be terrified to go out with a girl that looked as if she were going to pass out from starvation. I rarely get through an entire meal at Marketplace without feeling guilty eating in front of girls who decide that a 1.8-ounce bag of Skittles is an adequate feast. Guys appreciate a girl with enough self-confidence to eat a cheeseburger on occasion. In general, men want a girl who they can hug without cracking every rib in her body.

Some critics out there may like to point out that many fashion lines have released advertisements featuring “plus-sized” models, such as America’s Next Top Model guest star, Kate Dillon. I admit that many men’s magazines and women’s fashion lines are cleaning up their acts. However, more changes need to be made. It’s time people in the advertising industry realized that their representation of the average woman is erroneous. The addition of “plus-sized” models proves that advertisement agencies recognize that the portrayal of women in the majority of their advertisements is distorted. Although progress is being made, there is still no shortage of stick-like models, like Kate Moss or Adriana Lima, in fashion magazines.

Girls’ dreams to live up to the doctored bodies of models in Maxim or to the gaunt bodies of some of the models in Glamour are unnecessary and downright unhealthy. Women wish to look a certain way in order to impress men, just as men wish to look a certain way in order to impress women. Therefore, women should know that most of the models represented in the media are not what men want. Men are looking for attractive, healthy and self-confident girls to be with. Sorry if that complicates things, ladies … but it’s what a guy wants.