Anonymous wrote:I'm a liberal. Actually, some would call me a leftist. I'm as far to the left as you can get on social, economic, and foreign policy issues. My politics are important to me and I want someone who shares my values.
But I'm "aesthetically conservative." A friend of mine put it that way and it fits me perfectly. I prefer to be traditionally feminine and I am attracted to traditionally masculine men.
I like to think I treat people equally and I can befriend people of any gender or gender expression or body type or outward appearance, but attraction is attraction and I can't form a physical relationship with a more gender-neutral-ish man. I've had relationships fail because of lack of interest on my part in the bedroom because men who share my politics tend to be too fragile, too passive, and too gender-bending. Even when they were handsome in their own ways. And their preferences have been unconventional as well, I want to be appreciated as a traditionally feminine woman. As much as I can respect others as individuals for their preferences and their sexuality, I really can't be turned on in the bedroom unless I am in my feminine and he is in his masculine. It's just the way I'm wired.
I don't think this is uncommon. I think there is more tolerance for the type of men you describe maybe in DC or other "cultured" (read: urban) locales, but not all women are into that aesthetic.