A little curve, a big sway: What lesbians vs. straight men love about a woman’s body

When I first sat down to write this article, I asked myself ‘how hard could this be?’ I thought that discussing body-type preferences between lesbians and straight males would be an easy subject to tackle – that I could guess what they’d
say … I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I began my quest approaching a former teaching assistant of mine, Annie Sugar. When I posed the question about what types of women lesbians are interested versus those of straight men, I was shocked when she told me, “well that binary is all kinds of bullshit.”

Apparently I had struck a nerve that would completely change my perspective on this topic. Because who was I to assume that the body type of a woman (or anyone for that matter) would be a cut-and-dry answer?

“Lesbians are all colors of the rainbow,” Sugar said. “I know so many lesbians who are into the skinny, sporty, ‘boy-ish’ body on girls or the plumper ‘square’ shape with no waist.” 

Sugar said that while her girlfriend may be six feet tall with big breasts, there’s a lot more that’s attractive about her.

“Speaking for myself, when it comes to female partners, I tend to find the mind and personality attractive. The body type doesn’t factor in that much.”

Sugar went on to explain that she has a preference in the features of her partner.

“Personally, if I have a physical ‘type’ it’s black women, Indian women, Persian women – my girlfriend is Persian,” Sugar said. “And she could tell you about liking the curve and sway – she loves a soft body.”

Taking Sugar’s theory on what she finds attractive in a woman, I went out in search of somebody else that would talk about what’s “sexy” about a woman.

Cassie Smith, a 23-year-old student at the University of Colorado, liked the phrase “a little curve, a big sway,” because that’s what she’s attracted to in women.

“Since I don’t have curves, I’m attracted to girls that do have them,” Smith said.

Having done ballet for the greater part of 20 years, Smith has what one would call a “dancer’s” physique. She appreciates fitness and those who value it, which is why she said she prefers girls who are toned and defined, but don’t have a bulky shape.

After having talked to both Sugar and Smith, I felt like I was getting a better understanding of how lesbians’ different “types” can’t necessarily be pinned down. But when it came to straight guys, I assumed that “big boobs, nice ass” would be the general preference – apparently my preconceived assumptions were incorrect there, too.

According to a study by the University of Westminster in London, men want more than just a slender, big-breasted woman – they often prefer not only a personality, but curves, as well.

“I think it’s one of the biggest myths that has been perpetuated by some evolutionary psychologists – though not all – is that there is one ‘man,’ or ‘men’, with universal behaviors,” said University of Westminster psychologist Viren Swami in a recent article in Psychology Today.

I started wondering if I’d been wrong this whole time about what straight guys really like – which was especially surprising to me, as I’ve been seeing men since I was maybe 15.

“I think most men actually love the curve and sway [of big women],” Sugar said. “The media just lies and tells us they don’t. The media lies to them about what they’re supposed to like and lies to women about how they’re supposed to look.”

With my head spinning, I decided to ask some straight men what they really find attractive.

“I like a girl to actually have proportions,” said Chris Herron, a 23-year-old music education student at Colorado State University. “I don’t like girls to be too skinny.”

Convinced that this couldn’t possibly be the norm, I wanted to talk to at least one more straight guy and find out whether or not curves actually factored into the “attractiveness” of a woman.

After consulting a fellow journalist, Joseph Maestas, I was spinning when he told me that he thinks “curves are nice” and that he prefers them.

There it was, from the mouths of two female-loving, straight men: guys do indeed enjoy the “curve and sway” of women.

I’d assumed that women were the more accepting of the sexes – more appreciative of the female body, no matter what “type” it is. I had shared this piece of information with my favorite ballerina, and she told me that it’s a typical notion.

“I think [lesbian] women just have a lot less images being thrown at them that tell them what perfect looks like,” Smith said.

But maybe men and women – straight men and lesbians, that is – are more alike than I had ever imagined. It’s funny how much stereotypes really defined our views of normalcy.

At the end of the day, it’s impossible to pinpoint – or compare, for that matter – the exact body type everybody prefers. But for what it’s worth, I’m glad that my curves are appreciated on both ends of the spectrum.

Lauren Archuletta is a student at CU Boulder finishing up her fall internship

with Out Front. Reach Lauren by email at Lauren.ofc@gmail.com