Off the top of my head, I think if a guy dresses too ostentatiously, he comes across as vain, and is NOT the guy I was talking about. But I don't think guys are good at first impressions. Because we don't judge each other very much by our looks, we don't easily form first impressions. This is why guys spend a bit of time sizing each other up, so to speak. A handshake, a few words of conversation, and we begin to develop a sense of who the guy is. If I were meeting a guy for the first time, I'd like a firm handshake, but not so firm that I think he's trying to dominate me. I'd like an assertive tone of voice, but not so assertive that there's no generosity in there. I want him to be strong, but welcoming. Not strong and dominating. It's hard to describe. I know it's sexist, but guys quickly form first impressions of women, I think. If she's beautiful and sexy, he can tell right away, and he'll form a positive impression of her. But with a guy, it would take more time, usually. That said, there have been a few times when I have formed an almost immediate NEGATIVE impression of a guy. Once I had to meet a salesman, and he was overdressed and festooned with gold chains and smelled of too much cologne and as soon as he opened his mouth, he was talking like the oiliest snake I'd ever met. Wow. He was trying WAAAY too hard to impress, and made me want to toss him out of my office immediately. Ugh.
What a guy wants in a friend is reliability, dependability, charisma, and other personality-related areas, depending on the person's needs. If there's a need for someone to have your back in a fight, then a great deal of bravery is needed. If a person needs a little extra intellectual input, then a person with an open mind is ideal. Looks are rarely a factor- someone that's not 100% attractive isn't going to be an issue, but someone with a higher status might look down on a rather unattractive feature. It's all dependent on the person who's looking at the guy. Not exactly the best description, but I hope this helps.
A very interesting thread. I have no idea on the looks, but as for personality you have to take into account the natural instinct for competition that most men have, including myself. I've seen a lot of mention here of male figures that are almost legendary icons of manliness. I doubt this is the sort of character you would be looking for if your goal is male that other males would naturally gravitate towards. Guys may admire the ultra manly chick magnets like James Bond or Han Solo, but would they really want to be friends with them and stand constantly in their shadow? No. The character you're looking for should be confident, but in a very casual sort of way. He should be amiable and charismatic and affect an air of having nothing to prove to anyone. Definitely not girly, just mellow. I think non-threatening is the key here.
I prefer the term 'every-man'. I have a few friends who fit this bill and as tedious as it is to admit, they're generally significantly more proficient around women and are generally more capable in every social situation. Surprisingly, though, I would suggest that most of them are not the typically handsome chaps. My buddies are generally athletic and irritatingly confident in groups whether you're at a work seminar or out for a few beers, however, many have receding, though well styled hair, and are slim, usually less than or round 6' tall and shop in Hollister(!!!). I'd go so far as saying they're ones for the lad's holiday, enjoying the sun and alcohol of Magaluf over adventure and experience. Not all fit this bill, though. Competitive, as suggested, is a good personal trait but what I have found recently is that they're usually reluctant to move beyond the casual forms of anything; formality is frightening or tedious. A couple of my mates are about to marry and have been rattled by the experience, more so than I would have expected from an individual who is usually so confident around others. If I were comparing my mates to celebrities, Robert Downey Jr is a good one but so is Jude Law. Moving away from the typical actor lot, Anthony Kiedis or even David Grohl, also present similar attributes. HTH
Father and son, Felipe? Delightful. Some interesting choices there, JH! I say interesting: I mean borderline ugly. Your intrestingly/quirkily featured choices leave me cold...'Oh look at the eyes! such intelligence! Oh how those craggy features bespeak a life well-lived and so on'. Dear oh dear. Where's your superficiality, man?! Unalloyed male beauty is what we're after: Effortless male comeliness. No preening required. No swaggering.
Yeah, well, this guy doesn't care about male beauty. If you can make good food and are worth his time, and you don't mind him talking about anything and everything that comes to his head, he'll take himself and his entire crew over to film in your place.
I just saw him live a couple months back. He talks about his travels and whatnot. He makes three of my favorite TV shows and wrote some of my favorite books. But, I have been a chef for going on a decade now. So I am kind of partial I guess, haha.
I'm assuming you want an idea of a character that would draw other men into his company: Someone charismatic with simple wisdoms and infectious ideas. Appearances aren't as important as the values that they portray. A guy doesn't (or at least shouldn't in my opinion) have muscles for their own sake: A well built man is physically strong and knows how to take care of themselves. For the same reason, guys might not want to hang out with body-builders because of the notion that such people are vain and narcissistic. If I had to pick one guy to hang out with it would be Tyler Durden. He has a commanding presence, a basic life outlook, lives for the moment and doesn't engage in anything extraneous. James Bond is something of a misogynist, pays too much for cars, suits and drinks and is ultimately untrustworthy because of his job. Sherlock is too self-absorbed, enigmatic, hedonistic and unpredictable, as is Tony Stark. Bruce Wayne - depending on which iteration - is too solitary, withdrawn, depressed or simply deceptive. There's no single answer to this question because different types of guys will hang out with different "alphas". You should probably look at the core values of the people you're trying to attract and build off of that. Tyler Durden appealed to a group of directionless, imasculated, "modern day" men by recapturing their sense of excitement (admittedly through physical violence) and then channeled it to destabilise a system built on extraneous fluff. I'll let you work out what your men are looking for.
Try to make a character as if he is from another world (doing things that are rarely be seen in the current period). He can be fairly handsome, a scar in certain places would be an option, like on the chin to the side would be best if on face. A relaxing aura around him is attracting people toward him as his friends may say (we are feeling that sometimes toward certain people). About his traits, you may choose from wisdom, intelligence, strength, innocent, kind, aggressive,... and try to bond these traits with events and settings that may surround that character in the plot.
although i cant speak for all the men in the world personally i would not have said Hayden Christensen maybe its because he hasn't been in anything good for a while so he wasn't at the front of my mind but he always seems to cocky for such a young person and if your going to go for someone whose cocky and charming there is no better example then will smith every man loves his bumbling yet confident charm. however men's men are usually either humble or stoic there actions speak for them. there principles need to be strong no matter what they are and there intentions should be honorable. in a time of crisis you need to know this person would be there for you no matter what. the best mans man around at the moment for pretty much all the guys i know would most defiantly be Michael fassbender and not just because he played magneto
To me, Hayden Christensen looks like a boy who prefers boys to girls But then, that could be a reason for men to like him ...
Exactly. I write fiction with a female main character. I have to be secure in my manhood to be able to use my own feminine side to help me portray her accurately. As she is mainly straight, I have to look at her male conquests through a woman's eyes. You can't do that if you're hung up on 'gay' issues. I can see the qualities in a man that make him attractive to women, or to homosexual men. Personally I don't feel lust towards men, but I can imagine how a woman or a gay man feels about a man. That's the empathy I think a writer needs to portray characters different from himself/herself.
I don't know about looks, but when it comes to popularity among men and charisma among men, and success with women, that makes me think of all the pickup artists out there. Mystery, for example. Also, there is good ole Henry Kissinger who showed us all that a nerd who has brains and POWER can be very appealing to Hollywood hotties. But no, I don't find Kissinger attractive.
