Men engaging in extreme beautification trends ('looksmaxing') often focus on traits that other men find formidable, such as a strong jawline. This intrasexual competition strategy may not align with what women actually find most attractive, which can be a slightly more feminized face on a masculine body.

Men's pursuit of extreme muscularity and masculinized features is often a failure of cross-sex mind reading. They are coding for formidability and respect from other men, whereas research suggests women often prefer a more neutral or even slightly feminized face combined with a masculinized body.

Much of female fashion and beauty effort is a form of intrasexual competition. It signals status to other women and serves a "mate guarding" function, as studies show men are often less discerning about the nuanced differences in high-status attire.

Men often admire extremely lean physiques in other men because they represent a high-status signal of discipline and difficulty. This creates a perception gap, as women may view the same physique as less formidable or as a sign of an unhealthy obsession with looks.

Women's preference for less lean, slightly "softer" male physiques may be an evolutionary adaptation. This physique signals "formidability"—the ability to win a fight and protect—which is valued over the aesthetic of being extremely "shredded."

The concept of a universal "mating market" is flawed because attractiveness is highly subjective. As people get to know each other, their agreement on who is desirable drops to a mere 53%, barely better than chance. One person's '10' is unlikely to be someone else's.

Research indicates women's ideal male body fat percentage is around 13-15%, which is lean but not "shredded." This contrasts with the bodybuilding ideal of sub-10% body fat, suggesting men's aesthetic goals are misaligned with female preferences.

The "swag gap" critique, where women lament their male partners' lack of style, is a form of failed cross-sex mind reading. It applies female standards of appearance-based status to men, who often signal high status through other means, including indifference to appearance.

Many cultural depictions of female heterosexuality, especially from feminist perspectives, erase sexual desire. They describe attraction to men primarily in terms of non-sexual qualities like status, security, and kindness, ignoring the core biological drive.