Mens Health Australia May 2017

MAY 2017^53

SEX

EXAMPLES

Michonne The Walking Dead

Daenerys Game of Thrones

Maeve MillayWestworld

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

She takes no prisoners and

suffers no fools. The odds are

against her, but she’ll rise from

the ashes anyway and destroy

anyone who gets in her way.

Men who cross her may be

bur ned ali ve, s t abb ed or have

their fingers snapped for sport

(“Don’t be a baby. I only sprain.

Next one I break”). Accessories

include scalpels, arrows,

Japanese swords and dragons.

WHAT THE ATTRACTION MEANS

In your workplace you’re

probably giving the orders, not

taking them. There’s a link

between men who openly like

being dominated and high

social status, according to

German research. It’s called

“disinhibition”, which means the

more powerful you are in your

daily life, the less inhibited you

feel. Biological anthropologist

D r H elen F isher says men w ho

like powerful women “are

looking for someone who’s

well educated, financially

independent, and intellectually

gifted”. In other words, a

fearless, assertive woman who

hopefully won’t disembowel

you if you cross her.

EXAMPLES

Selina Meyer Veep

Amy Schumer

Inside Amy Schumer

Every characterGirls

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

She can’t hold down a job,

drinks heavily and curses like a

sailor. Interests include drugs,

ED visits and having regrettable

sex. Even in a position of

au thor i t y, she’ll manage to

screw up. (Questionable tweet?

It was Chinese hackers!) She’s

definitely not a girl you bring

home to Mum, but she might

need saving by the right guy.

WHAT THE ATTRACTION MEANS

You love spontaneity, especially

when you’re not the instigator.

“Everything about her is

sexy and dramatic and

unpredictable, and you’re just

along for the ride,” says Dr Ian

Kerner, author of She Comes

First. You may also have a

saviour complex, says

psychologist Dr David Frederick,

who researches long-term

relationships. “Some men see

the train wreck as a damsel in

distress, and they want to come

to the rescue,” he says. A

downside: “Men will stay in a

bad marriage a long time if they

feel needed,” Fisher says. “It

plays right into one of their basic

primordial needs.”

EXAMPLES

Marge Simpson

The Simpsons

Carmela Soprano

The Sopranos

Skyler WhiteBreaking Bad

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

No matter how badly her man

behaves, she’ll persevere with a

smile and clean up the mess.

He’s a mob boss who works out

of a strip club? No problem! He’s

been secretly cooking meth to

pay the bills? Fine! She may

threaten to leave him but she’ll

never follow through, because

only she understands that he’s a

harmless larrikin on the inside.

W H A T T H E A T T R A C T I O N M E A N S

You’re not a fan of relationship

c on fl ic t. I n fac t , your idea of the

perfect woman is somebody

who will acquiesce to pretty

much any thing. I f your ear l y

bond with your mother was

weak, you might avoid conflict

and s tr uggle to deal w i th s tress ,

says Dr Jessica Salvatore, a

psychology professor at Virginia

Commonwealth University.

“Picking a romantic partner who

never complains makes this

easier,” she says. But Dr Michael

Bennett, psychiatrist and the

co-author of F*ck Love, warns

that such a caretaker tends to

become focused on the

neediest family member, and

“you’ll be left out in the cold”.

EXAMPLES

Liz Lemon 30 Rock

Abby Sciuto NCIS

Jess DayNew Girl

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

She’s quirky, neurotic, awkward,

smarter than everyone around

her and prone to acts of

weirdness. In a word,

“adorkable”. When her librarian

glasses come off, she doesn’t

tur n sex y – she pu ts on py jamas

and binges on Dr Who. She’s

not afraid to give herself a high-

five, but she’s insecure about

everything else. You may be the

only two people in the universe

who appreciate each other.

WHAT THE ATTRACTION MEANS

You might think you’re a weirdo,

but fancying a woman who has

a deep knowledge of Star Wars

trivia isn’t unique. You’re actually

in the majority: more men than

women tend to be attracted to

non-conformists, say

researchers from the University

of Queensland. Kerner suspects

that we like cu te nerds b e c ause

of their vulnerability. Sure, Liz

Lemon is smart but she’s not

threatening. “She seems more

approachable,” Kerner says.

On the other hand, a 2015 study

found that while men may prefer

brainy women from afar, in reality

they shy away from a par tner

who can outsmart them.

1

THE ARSE-KICKING

ALPHA FEMALE 2

THE

TRAIN WRECK 3

THE LONG SUFFERING

CARETAKER 4

THE

SEXY NERD