This is something beyond comprehension, despite coming from my own mind - something I have not been able to find a clear answer to over the years, and I am explaining this with an example or two. If you recall, Kiara Advani across the first handful of movies she did, including some where she just about appeared rather than owning a role - MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, being one of them. There was something outright appealing about her, not that she does not engage attention these days. Even later on, as long as her choice of costumes did not include metallic-hued swimsuits, she was constantly up there, in a small list that every man out there carries in his mind, a list of women that really attract them, women who might look like goddesses to them, and those who are constantly in their web of fantasies. Somehow, as soon as she started dropping the weight, the curves went away, the costumes became tighter and more compact; those unscripted moments of being attracted to her fell to nearly negligible levels. This is not about an Indian man finding more "clothed" women attractive, and neither do I have an agenda against bolder, provocative dressing, but I share it just the way it works in my mind.
Coincidentally, and well beyond my control, something similar happened with Disha Patani, who made a serious splash when she appeared in MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Her smile was so refreshing; she had those "what if I could have a girlfriend like her..." vibes, and this effect was strong even as she did a few more titles. And then again, my weird-stupid mind acted up again as she progressed into fitness, a bit of freaky dressing, and she became more contemporary and ultra-cosmopolitan - that organic, uninfluenced appeal, a blend of instantly finding someone attractive and lust, just waned.
Nowadays, when Disha Patani appears, people on Instagram are comparing her with prime Angelina Jolie, but perhaps for me, that typical 90s guy, the appeal went away too soon. This is not about arguing for cerebral attraction, and it isn't about finding modesty more appealing, or using weird terms like "skin-show," which never made sense to me. This cannot be psychologically traced back to being a case of the "revelation kills the curiosity...", and so I am putting it out there as a genuine query - does it happen to you, as a young adult, man, or someone in his 40s? That typical teenager wouldn't get it.
For me, the prime, exceedingly attractive Kiara was in Lust, Stories, and nowadays, with all the bikini shots, the intricately chiseled midsection, and a near-flawless appearance by global standards for looking good, she still does not have the same impact on me... why?
Is this another outcome of a constantly served, quickly serviced, impatient mind being bombarded with too much digital content? Perhaps the constant Instagram feeds and uncontrolled celeb presence in the media are killing the charm. While these reasons would make sense, I doubt they are entirely responsible. I think becoming more contemporary is akin to becoming more run-of-the-mill. Becoming a certain type, fitting a mold you have been told is perfect, becomes a goal, and the individuality is overtaken by a quest to outperform what a million others have already done or are trying to do.
My version of beauty is perhaps not that elite or defined. It is flawed and begs not to be categorized & sub-categorized into a hierarchy of measurements. While a grey area when making decisions should be diagnosed and dealt with, someone's beauty/attractiveness should be impossible to define in a couple of sentences...remove this challenge, and you have lost me!
A study led by University of Maryland psychologist Kurt Gray found
that showing more skin can change how people perceive someone’s mind.
Across six experiments involving both men and women, participants
tended to see people in revealing clothing as less capable of
planning, acting and exercising self-control — qualities the
researchers described as “agency.” At the same time, they viewed
these people as having greater “experience,” meaning a greater
capacity to feel emotions, sensations and physical experiences.
The effect was not limited to completely naked people: simply
directing attention toward someone’s body or attractiveness could
produce a similar shift in perception. The researchers also found
that people shown with more skin could be seen as less morally
responsible but more deserving of protection. In one experiment,
participants were less willing to give shirtless male subjects
uncomfortable electric shocks. The findings therefore suggest that
revealing clothing does not simply turn people into objects; instead,
it may cause observers to attribute a different balance of mental
qualities to them. The researchers noted that this could have
consequences in settings such as work or academic environments,
where perceived competence and leadership matter.
A 2013 survey reported that men were not necessarily more likely
to approach women wearing revealing clothes. Conducted by the
British money-saving website VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, the survey
found that 45 percent of male respondents said they were more
likely to approach a woman who was dressed nicely, compared with
31 percent who said they were more attracted to a woman wearing
revealing clothing. The remaining respondents said that clothing
did not matter to them as long as they were attracted to the
woman. The report therefore challenged the assumption that
showing more skin automatically makes a woman more appealing to
men. It suggested instead that reserved or conventionally
well-dressed clothing could make some women more approachable.
However, the findings should be read in context: this was a
consumer survey rather than a peer-reviewed scientific study,
and the results describe the preferences reported by its
respondents rather than establishing a universal rule about
men's attraction or women's clothing choices.
This Medium essay argues that a woman does not need to reveal much
skin to attract attention. The writer suggests that attraction can
also come from qualities such as confidence, posture, the way
clothing moves, voice and overall presence. Rather than seeing
modest clothing as something that reduces attraction, the article
presents it as potentially creating a sense of mystery. Its central
idea is that what is not immediately visible can leave room for
imagination, which the writer believes may sometimes make attraction
stronger than direct visual exposure. The piece also connects
modesty with the way a woman carries herself, arguing that dignity
and grace can influence how she is perceived. It is essentially a
personal and reflective argument about attraction, rather than a
presentation of scientific evidence or a study of men's preferences.
Its broader message is that physical attraction can involve more
than the amount of skin someone shows, with presence, behaviour and
perceived mystery also playing a role.
In this essay, Andrea Brooks explores why some men may find
curvier women attractive. She suggests that fuller hips, thighs
and breasts can be associated with femininity, health and
vitality, and discusses the idea that attraction to certain body
proportions may have evolutionary roots. The article refers to
the often-cited waist-to-hip ratio of around 0.7, arguing that
this proportion can emphasize curves that some men find
attractive. Brooks also stresses the importance of culture in
shaping ideas about the female body. She points to African,
Latin American and Caribbean cultures where fuller figures have
historically been celebrated, while also noting examples from
Renaissance art and early Hollywood in which more voluptuous
women were presented as ideals of beauty. The broader argument
is that attraction to body shape is not simply a matter of
individual preference: perceptions of femininity, health,
fertility and beauty can intersect with cultural ideas about
what an attractive female body looks like.
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