this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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Context, I'm 30 now and i will find women my age and up attractive, but 15 years ago a 35 year old women would never have been attractive to me.

As I've aged younger women are less and less attractive (thankfully)

But when I'm 60 will 60 year old women be attractive to me?

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[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 251 points 11 months ago (9 children)

It's personal preference, but basically edge limits that increase over time, like at 15 you're looking at +-6 months, at 20 it might be + or - 1 or 2 years. At 30 you're probably at looking at 5 years either side of 30.

Once you hit 500 the attraction window is so large it becomes mostly irrelevant, and you're judging more on aristocrical lineage and/or aristocrical diet.

It's only a few more years til 1000 (which usually turns out to be a very dull party with no surprise guests) and by that point you're lucky to find anyone attractive.

There's obviously the old 'hurr durr he's over 2000 so he must be gay now' stereotype, but as far as I can tell, attraction isn't cyclical.

Hope that helps!

[–] IndiBrony@lemmy.world 53 points 11 months ago (2 children)

We're generally talking humans here, not Time Lords.

Makes it weird that the Doctor generally travels with people 1-2% of his age. Bloody cradle snatcher!

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

They are kind of stuck. They have to find companions who don't have children or responsibilities. The best majority of the people who land in those categories are younger folks.

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[–] grooving@lemmy.studio 29 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Im 6 million years old now, and im attracted to literal planets.

I remember at 2000 the hur due jokes. But honestly everyone's giblets are so shriveled at that age (unless enhanced through mummification etc) that gender becomes irrelevant. Kind of comes down to who has the best stories at that point.

[–] MrFunnyMoustache@lemmy.one 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Wait till you're a billion years old, I'm exclusively attracted to supermassive black holes now...

[–] zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's hard not to be gravitationally attracted to them.

[–] MrFunnyMoustache@lemmy.one 9 points 11 months ago

The problem is that they don't get hints at all... they are too dense.

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[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wow, how old are you ( if you don't mind me asking)?

[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 42 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do you want to know how old I am, or which aristocrats I've eaten 😘

[–] Galapagon@sh.itjust.works 8 points 11 months ago

Can I come to your party,? Maybe drink some of your blood? Idk #justsillythings?

[–] Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

Cool to see the edge cases for Elves and Vampires. What would be practical limits for humans?

[–] Hackerman_uwu@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

Thanks for chiming in Laszlo.

[–] morgan_423@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Be really careful, I couldn't tell which one exactly from your post, but as time goes on, you're going to have to watch out either for people trying to drive a wooden stake through your heart, or chop your head off with a sword to steal your power. Just wanted to toss out a helpful FYI.

[–] BravoVictor@programming.dev 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That first paragraph..z then you really took off. lol

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[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 215 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] thomasloven@lemmy.world 24 points 11 months ago

As soon as I saw this post I jumped on xkcd. Glad I checked the comments before replying, or I would have made quite the fool of myself.

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 12 points 11 months ago

Alt text:

The full analysis is of course much more complicated, but I can't stay to talk about it because I have a date.

[–] TIN@feddit.uk 79 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I feel like there is a window that moves with you as you age. At 47 I find women attractive up to their early 50s, and down into their 30s.

I mean dating attractive here. I'm not going to try and claim that a hot twenty something on the telly does nothing for me

[–] antricfer@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm 55 I find young women very attractive but I wouldn't have sex with them. Sex changes as you get older. It slows down and it's more psychological than physical.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 9 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Then again, I would not kick out 20 something yo out of my bed if she was already there...

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 17 points 11 months ago (9 children)

Good thing that won’t be an issue.

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[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 9 points 11 months ago

I was starting to question myself here lol everyone acting like a hot 20 year old is no longer hot when you're older meanwhile I see someone I consider attractive they're always attractive, I just won't approach them if they're young.

The only way this doesn't work is "upward" for me. 40s weren't attractive when I was younger but they are now, but a hot 20 year old will always be hot to me (I think).

[–] shadowSprite@lemmy.world 65 points 11 months ago

One of the men I've most respected and most trusted in my life told me once (at the time a teenager) that when he was in his 20s, women in their 20s were so hot and seeing a barely clothed young woman was so hot. But he said that now that he was in his 40s, women in his 40s were so hot and whenever he looked at a woman in her 20s all he could think of was that she could be his daughter and that he just felt protective and there was nothing hot or attractive about her.

I'm a woman, but when I was in my teens and early 20s guys in their teens and early 20s seemed so attractive and anyone older was not it. Now that I'm in my early 30s I'm so attracted to men in their 30s and I look at teens and guys in their early 20s and they just seem like babies to me. I actually deal with a lot of young guys with my work and they're all cool people and I love talking to them, but dating them? Ugh, no thank you. They were in elementary school (or younger) when I was graduating high school. So yeah, I think for a lot of people your goalposts move as you move, and that's not a bad thing. I also am curious as to whether I'll someday find 60 or 70 year old men hot, but I've got a long ways to go.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 43 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm 30 now and i will find women my age and up attractive, but 15 years ago a 35 year old women would never have been attractive to me.

Lmao when I was 15 I was spanking the monkey to MILF porn. Thank you Deauxma and Nina Hartley.

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 23 points 11 months ago

Yeah but in the porn world, a MILF is just a 22 year old.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 42 points 11 months ago (2 children)

That's what I hear happens. I'm sure the effect must stop working at some point, but so far I'm cruising.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 29 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Yeah i appreciate that women my age stay attractive.

I wonder what is the driving factor though.

Familiarity with the look, perhaps.

[–] oce@jlai.lu 24 points 11 months ago

I think it's rather similar level of maturity and points of interest. Like I may find college students physically attractive, but there's quite a maturity gap between students and people who have been working full time for a couple of years that can be off-putting to me.

[–] Slotos@feddit.nl 6 points 11 months ago

Self-conditioning.

You like people you can have a meaningful interactions with, you are more likely to find sexual partners in that group, you fantasize about current or prospective partners, you end up building an attractiveness pattern that matches a certain age group.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Got to be an interaction with our wiring and social constructs. We're mainly wired to get along with our tribe, after all. Makes sense for sexual preferences to naturally hew to social mores.

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

β€œThat's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.”

[–] Bell@lemmy.world 42 points 11 months ago

Consider that "attractive" won't always be skewed so heavily towards appearance. As I've gotten older attitude and personality matters at least as much as physical appearance. When I was 25 I was probably 90/10 (appearance/personality), now (55) I'm probably 40/60.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 28 points 11 months ago

I'm a lady, not a man. But yes as I have gotten older, my taste has too, I don't know if that goes on forever but mid-50s and (sorry) 30 year old guys look like people who would be dating my kids, they look like kids to me.

Certainly not MOST 50-60 year old guys look good to me but the ones who do, they sure do. Take care of your body, don't get fat, do some exercise. You can look good at 30 without care but not 50, not 60.

[–] Chev@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So far what I learned, is that many factors play into attraction. Looks are one. A big factor for me is also seeing someone as an equal. Fuck dates are fine with much younger or older ones but dating and a relationship, nop. I want to take the other one serious, I want to be in about the same stage of life experience, to have similar goals and similar pop culture references (tv shows, music, games that we played as kids). Seeing someone as an equal comes with similar age for me.

[–] oce@jlai.lu 5 points 11 months ago

Similar cultural references criteria would prevent dating someone who grew up in a different culture.

[–] pickleprattle@midwest.social 13 points 11 months ago

Being in my 40s, I am relieved to say that I keep finding women attractive that are my age, and I look at people in their 20s as, well, kids. Even in my porn, I keep looking for women more my age.

That's true physically, but also emotionally. There is a humbling nearly all decent people seem to go through in their late 20s to 30s that at this point is a necessary point of bonding for me.

[–] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 9 points 11 months ago

There isn't a limit, your tastes on what you consider "attractive" will change over time. When one is young one only thinks on reproduction, and the older one gets, the more prevalent just having someone who you enjoy keeping you company.

[–] olympicyes@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

When I was 15 I was really concerned that I’d always be attracted to 14 year old girls. I’m in my 40s now and 30 year olds look like babies to me.

[–] itsathursday@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I’d imagine you accept what is realistically available to you. You’d not really have anything in common with people outside a certain window so as you age these β€œolder” people are just your peers from a similar vintage so to speak so a lot of things make sense and are common between you and each year they just happen to be a year older…

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[–] downdaemon@lemmy.ml 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

just turned 40, i can def tell when someone in their 20s is hot, but I'd be really unlikely to date them. But, for example, meeting some rando at a bar and hooking up is different, as long as everyone is on board with the situation and consents. I've started finding older women attractive more than I would have when I was younger, it's just hard to meet people at this age and covid wasted my late 30s doing nothing

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 7 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Xaviera Hollander said that a man isn't old until there are no women his own age he finds attractive.

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[–] Marin_Rider@aussie.zone 6 points 11 months ago

its normal. my tastes have changed as I've aged. luckily my partner didn't stay in her 20s either lol

[–] Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago

Yeah. Don’t worry. Everything is gonna be irie. When you’re eighty there’s gonna be some sweet seventy six year old that’ll catch your eye. It’s how it is.

[–] Rubezahl@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have heard that you should divide by two and add 7.

I am 40, so that would mean I should be attracted to 27 year olds and up. Generally, it checks out. Caveats may apply, as people are, you know, different.

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[–] Jarix@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

At any age you are, there is a difference between the age you feel and the age your peers look to you.

If you dont spend time around a variety of people you are unlikely to readjust your mental image of what the age you feel looks like.

How many new people do you spend time with on a regular basis.

How do you spend your time?

When we are younger we are constantly put into a situation where you are surrounded by people your own age that you see every week multiple times(typically school and other group based hobbies like sports) but also people who are 1 to 5 years your junior and senior who you may not talk with much but they are still a part of what you encounter all the time.

As you get older this environment shifts. Post highschool students start to see their classmates diversify in age. They are still your peers but age isnt no longer (as much) the defining factor of who you will engage with and work with, but its usually not suddenly all your classmates are now more than a few years older or younger than you.

This starts to expand but also stunt your change in what your perceptionnof what you see around you and who you see as a reflection of what people your age look like.

And those who dont continue education are typically just entering a workforce and now have a lot less people like them around them. Age at work places are much more varied, but its also different depending on the field you work in.

Life starts to get weird in your 20s because its not the same as your experience of the people you see as your own age(among other things).

But we also typically have stopped growing taller by this point. Which i think adds a lot.

So when you as a 20 something now start getting to know people who could be or almost be your parents you have been trained to recognize age as a qualifier, and at 14 you probably should see age as a good indicator of people who are likely to be people you can relate to.

Its easier to see differences than similarities. They jump out at you. Like boiling a frog you dont know that things are changing so you dont react the same way as if you are suddenly hit with it.

Of course this isnt everyones experience, but it does happen enough that its worth giving some thought to.

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