A scene from the popular Japanese drama “Last Cinderella”.
“Ikemen da yo!!!!” is a pretty common thing to hear among Japanese girls.
“Ikemen” basically just means “really hot”, but more specifically the type of good looks you have to work for (think well-coiffed hair, fashionable clothes, perhaps even male makeup…)
Since Japanese girls seem to be ignoring geeky guys, you’d think this growing crowd of increasingly image-conscious men would have admirers flocking to them, to but Ameba News has a different take on the story.
From Ameba News:
77.5% of women said that guys who are “too pretty” are no good
The Last Cinderella – a Fuji Television romantic drama starring Shinohara Ryoko, Fujiki Naohito and Miura Hamruma airing since April. The last episode was broadcast on June 20 when it got its highest viewer ratting, 17.8%, to date (according to Video Research Ltd’s survey of the Kanto region). You could probably say that it got a strong female following.
But why did this drama in particular cause women’s hearts to beat so fast? Could it be because of the situation which brought together two “superior ikemen”, Fujiki and Miura? This is something the character played by Shinohara in the drama experiences and which the viewer only gets to see through the TV screen. The imaginations of many female internet users, however, went wild wondering “What if I met those two…” and you could hear their voices rise on Twitter as the final episode approached.
Women like pretty guys after all, don’t they? No, actually, it doesn’t seem that they do! Just look at the results of the following survey conducted among women. The results are very interesting.
【Can Women Agree With The Statement “Guys Who Are Too Hot Are No Good”? 】
Agree: 77.5%
Disagree: 22.5%
(according to an anonymous, all-women’s survey done by GIRL’S TALK which asked 414 women)
You can see that almost 80% of women surveyed thought that guys who were too much too hansom were no good. When asked about this in more detail, they received the following answers.
“I would have doubts about whether he spends too much time on his looks and then wouldn’t have any free time.” (24, work in advertisement)
“Because guys who are too ikemen have definitely always attracted girls just for their face, but their personality will, in the end, not quite match. Some of them just don’t have any sense of humor. I think it’s better to be with someone interesting.” (26, works in clothing)
“When I was in Uni, there was a guy in one of my lectures who was so hot he could definitely instantly become an actor. He was not popular at all though. For some reason, the other guys didn’t like him. There isn’t much appeal to a guy who isn’t liked by other guys, right? I think the reason they didn’t like him wasn’t because he was so handsome but because he acted like a handsome person and was really self-centered.” (27, works in a food business)
“A guy’s hotness is only a factor of their appearance until the end of their 20s. People would laugh like it was a joke if you said “X, a 34 year old hotty”. Instead, I think it’s more important to have a “face with character” as you grow older than be a pretty boy.” (32, certified accountant)
There were a lot of answers which agreed that “it’s not just a guy’s face [which matters]”. Being a “pretty boy” is an advantage for the eyes, but it can also be a weakness if it doesn’t match what’s inside.
Comments from Ameba News:
露木さん：
Come on, women always say this despite the fact that if any of these women actually met an ikemen they’d be all shrieking and getting turned on.
アマテラスさん：
Recently I’ve been hearing the words “way too beautiful” or “way too handsome” (“way too”) a lot, but ironically I want to see an out of shape guy or an ugly girl
サラミさん：
Definitely, if someone is too good looking
タクヤさん：
On the other hand, that just means that a pretty guy with a good sense of humor who everybody likes is the best.
satomimさん：
Too pretty? I like hot guys☆☆☆
vigbomnさん：
I think it’s more important to find someone with a face you like than someone who’s hot. Even someone who is conventionally hot can have a face which some people personally don’t like.
るーるりさん：
I only have the image “pretty guy” = “show-offy guy” in my mind
【恋】さん：
So that means that ugly guys are the way to go?
パッツン男子たかぴょん＠はんなりさん：
I’ll only say anything’s good for a short while
雨さん：
I prefer guys with character over hot guys. Guys are attracted to girls who seem a bit disillusioned though (・∀・)
Comments from 2ch.net:
アメリカンショートヘアさん：
But ugly guys are even worse
ブリティッシュショートヘアさん：
Isn’t it okay if it is not too much?
アビシニアンさん：
But could you even seduce a hot guy who is too hot?
コラットさん：
Is the reason I can’t get girls because I’m too hot?
ベンガルヤマネコさん：
Are the times catching up?
バーマンさん：
It’s because 77% of girls in this world can’t get a hot guy as a partner.
They would be really happy if by some chance a really hot guy liked them.
ジャガーさん：
This is just confirming that hot guys are more exceptional.
エキゾチックショートヘアさん：
Though that might be true, it doesn’t mean that ugly guys are attractive.
ラ・パーマさん：
(* only limited to rich men)
カナダオオヤマネコさん：
Only theoretically
