14 female icons women love but men find unattractive

Not all female icons fit the usual standards of beauty, and while many women might think they’re amazing, there are some that men think the opposite about. These men are totally wrong, we say.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker will always be Carrie Bradshaw to millions of women. She’s the kind of woman who can make almost any look seem fashionable, and that’s one of the reasons why she’s so popular. But it seems many men don’t think so.

In 2007, Maxim magazine actually named her the world’s least attractive woman. Her long face and prominent features have also attracted criticism over the years. It seems that being a fashion icon doesn’t mean everyone can appreciate how good you look.

Madonna

Madonna has been causing controversy for decades, and it’s mostly because she refuses to play by other people’s expectations. That includes men’s expectations. She received a lot of backlash at the 2023 Grammy Awards for her appearance, and people speculated about the cosmetic procedures she may have had done.

Women have been copying her style since the 1980s, and she’s spent many years changing her look whenever she feels like it. Men might prefer for her to go for something more familiar, but this is Madonna we’re talking about. She’s not the kind of woman to let anyone box her in.

Julia Fox

Julia Fox’s choice of clothes sure is unusual. A lot of her outfits involve bizarre materials and things that seem deliberately impractical. Her makeup tends to make her look a little frightening to many men, too.

In fact, Fox has openly spoken about how men aren’t usually very enthusiastic about her fashion experiments, but she doesn’t seem to care. She has explained that her female fans appreciate her looks a lot more and that she has no desire to dress to please men.

Tilda Swinton

The thing that puts a lot of men off about Tilda Swinton’s appearance is the fact that she looks so otherworldly. But that’s also why many experimental fashion designers love her. Yes, they can’t get enough of her pale complexion and sharp features, especially since these tend to go against the Hollywood model.

A lot of women who like unconventional fashion tend to admire the way that she styles herself. She sometimes wears very little makeup as well. Her appearance might not be everyone’s favorite kind of beauty, but there’s no denying that she looks unique.

Gwendoline Christie

Gwendoline Christie had to deal with quite a few things before she became famous. Namely, men’s criticism of her height. She’s around 6 feet 3 inches tall, and she has spoken about how a few casting directors rejected her because she’s so tall. That’s apparently not what female performers are supposed to look like.

But she eventually got a break when she appeared as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones and used her height to her advantage, making her seem like such an impressive physical force. Women loved the character, and Christie later became a fashion favorite, even though many men might be intimidated by her.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, knows what it’s like for people to call her ugly. She has previously spoken about how her classmates used to make fun of her prominent nose and appearance while she was at school. But she refused to listen to them. No, Lady Gaga went all out and decided to reject the ordinary pop-star image, which is why many women like her.

She championed unconventional beauty choices, and many members of her Little Monsters fan club love her unusual style. They really like how she keeps changing her appearance. The male crowd might dislike the fact that she looks so different, but for Lady Gaga, not fitting in is part of the whole experience.

Cara Delevingne

There was a time when almost everyone seemed to be obsessed with thin and perfectly shaped eyebrows. It was then that Cara Delevingne turned up. Her thick eyebrows made her stand out, and it’s something that many women were drawn to about her.

Delevingne did say that she felt insecure about them during her early modeling career, though. Many makeup artists kept bleaching her eyebrows, but by the early 2010s, her eyebrows were the exact thing that women loved about her. Most men say they prefer women with thinner brows, however.

Kristen Stewart

It would’ve been so easy for Kristen Stewart to stick with the look that made her famous in Twilight. You know, the long brunette hair and familiar Hollywood style, it really worked for her. But Stewart decided to experiment instead.

She’s tried a shaved head and bleach-blonde cuts, as well as scruffy mullets and plenty of smudged eyeliner. This willingness to look different has made her a favorite among many women. But for men, these radical appearances aren’t their idea of red-carpet glamour.

Chloë Sevigny

During the 1990s, Chloë Sevigny was an icon for many women, although not for the reasons you might expect. She was someone who didn’t follow the rules of fashion. Yes, she mixed secondhand clothes with unusual shoes and rather strange accessories, long before influencers made it cool.

It made her stand out as a Hollywood star, even though she didn’t exactly look like one. Many women have admired her odd combinations for many years. Men, however, tend to think that her outfits look rather strange, and they don’t always get the appeal behind her choices.

Lizzo

Singer-songwriter Lizzo wasn’t always confident about her body, and she once mentioned in an interview that people bullied her for her weight at school. Later on, she became a successful singer. Lizzo openly celebrated the very figure that people used to mock.

It’s one of the main reasons she’s so beloved among women, as she has a strong message of body confidence. It has helped her attract quite a big female following. But a lot of men are used to a more traditional look for a singer, so they might find her unattractive.

Ilona Maher

Some people decided that a woman with big muscles can’t enjoy wearing lipstick, but Ilona Maher doesn’t agree with that. No, the American rugby player regularly wears makeup during matches, even when she’s tackling opponents on the field.

It hasn’t been without criticism, though. She’s said that many men have told her she looks too muscular and masculine, although a lot of female fans appreciate what she does. They really enjoy how she celebrates her athleticism without abandoning traditionally feminine ideas.

Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil has been quite open about fighting against Hollywood’s beauty rules and the expectations of men. She launched the I Weigh movement in 2018 as a way to encourage women to stop judging themselves by the number on a scale.

She’s also been critical of the assumptions that women should constantly diet and hide any signs of aging. No wonder she’s been so popular with women. But it’s this same refusal to play by beauty rules that makes some men find her unattractive.

Ashley Graham

In 2016, Ashley Graham made Sports Illustrated history after she appeared on the cover of its annual swimwear issue. She was the first size-16 cover model to do so. She’d spent years before this moment being told that she was the ‘wrong’ size for modeling.

Quite a few male clients said she was too big, although many women embraced Graham’s curvy figure. They like that she’s so willing to talk about body insecurity. Some men might feel differently about it, but Graham is happy in herself.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams might be one of the greatest tennis players in history, but that apparently doesn’t stop people from commenting on her. She’s faced a lot of criticism from people, including men, who have said she looks too masculine.

It’s kind of ironic, however. She’s also been criticized for wearing outfits that are too feminine. While her 23 Grand Slam titles have earned her a lot of respect from the female crowd, there are some men who don’t think the athletic look is attractive. But Serena Williams has never needed everyone to agree about her looks.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

13 surprising things men find unattractive

Attraction is a bit weird sometimes because, once you get past the obvious stuff, there are some little things that change how someone comes across, and not always in a good way.

13 surprising things men find unattractive