Women want men with ‘muscles and money’ finds Tube Crush

Women are often said to be the less shallow sex when it comes to what they find attractive.

But a study of an online gallery of ‘hot male commuters’ has found that the fairer sex are just as superficial as men – as they find muscles and money the sexiest male attributes.

The study based its findings on a website called Tube Crush, where women secretly take pictures of the capital’s attractive men on the London Underground.

Site users can then post comments underneath the picture – and allow other users of the site to add their thoughts on the image.  

The authors say despite women’s advancement in society the findings suggest they have not moved on in what they find attractive beyond ‘money and strength’.

Signs that the man is wealthy – such as a flashy watch or an expensive suit – were considered highly attractive by site users, as were powerful arm and chest muscles.

But the classic image of the ‘new man’ – a man holding a baby – or skinnier or nerdier types of man were far less represented. 

It has proved exceedingly popular since it was set up in 2011 and has 11,000 likes on Facebook and nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter. 

Guidelines for photos to be used on the site include that they must be recognisable as having been taken on a London Underground train, must not appear on any other website and must be unsolicited. 

Examples of captions used with wordplay and double entendre included ‘a suit-able boyfriend’ and ‘spotted on the District line, quite frankly it should have been the distraction line – with his trousers pulled up to make him more comfortable, our eyes were drawn to his….cute face’.

‘A gorgeous chap in his workout gear. We love to see a guy in spandex or Lycra makes looking at all the assets easier!!!’, another user wrote. 

The website itself claims it allows women to praise ‘guy candy’ and ‘pay homage to the hommes’.

The founder Steve Motion, who works as an accountant by day, claims the ethos of the site it to celebrate desirable men travelling on the tube.

Users can give a picture ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ depending on how attractive they are.

The site has around 3,000 visitors daily, 40 per cent of which are male, Mr Motion told Daily Telegraph.

He says only a handful of men have asked for their photos to be removed via the ‘photo removal request’ form.

But critics say the site is an example of ‘reverse sexism’ – and unlikely to be tolerated if it was pictures of women on the tube secretly taken by men. 

Judging from the pictures, authors say despite women’s advancement in society they have not moved on in what they find attractive beyond ‘money and strength’

Site users can then post comments underneath the picture – and allow other users of the site to add their thoughts on the image

Guidelines for photos to be used on the site include that they must be recognisable as having been taken on a London Underground train, must not appear on any other website and must be unsolicited

Signs that the man is wealthy – such as a flashy watch or an expensive suit – were considered highly attractive by site users, as were powerful arm and chest muscles

 While sites in which unsolicited images of women – such as Women Who Eat on Tubes – have prompted a strong reaction, TubeCrush has been viewed more as a bit of fun

Users post their pictures with comments such as ‘A gorgeous chap in his workout gear. We love to see a guy in spandex or Lycra makes looking at all the assets easier!!!’

Some critics said users of the site are treating men ‘like cattle’. 

One protested it is hypocritical for women to argue against men objectifying women if women ‘do the same to men, albeit in a watered down, complimentary sort of way’.

The research by academics from Coventry and Aberystwyth University, which also highlighted that gay men use the site, said that ‘white male privilege is still an attractive quality in men for many straight women and gay men.’

They said in the photograph, many users particularly emphasised a man’s muscular biceps, pecs [pectoral muscles] and chest ‘the body parts which suggest physical strength.’ 

But the classic image of the ‘new man’ – a man holding a baby – or skinnier or nerdier types of man were far less represented. TubeCrush.net is filled with pictures of the capital’s finest looking men on the Underground, uploaded by fellow commuters for others to rate and share

The website was set up to pay ‘Homage to the Hommes’. The premise is that people discretely take pictures of men they find attractive on the tube. This picture was posted with the comment about the ‘distraction line’ 

Examples of captions used with wordplay and double entendre included ‘spotted on the District line, quite frankly it should have been the distraction line – with his trousers pulled up to make him more comfortable, our eyes were drawn to his….cute face’

Many comments also praised powerful muscles – and indeed comments in which the women ‘estimated sexual prowess’ in the comments

But critics say the site is an example of ‘reverse sexism’ – and unlikely to be tolerated if it was pictures of women on the tube secretly taken by men

Women secretly taking pictures of men on public transport represents a form of ‘reversal of gender roles’, supporters of the website say in the research published in the journal Feminist Media Studies

Many comments also praised powerful muscles – and indeed comments in which the women ‘estimated sexual prowess’ in the comments. 

Women secretly taking pictures of men on public transport represents a form of ‘reversal of gender roles’, supporters of the website say in the research published in the journal Feminist Media Studies.

Lead researcher Adrienne Evans, from Coventry University’s Centre for Postdigital Cultures, said: ‘From smart-suited City workers to toned gym-goers flashing their flesh, the men featured in the photographs on TubeCrush show that as a culture we still celebrate masculinity in the form of money and muscle.

‘They are marking the middle-class, wealthy, mobile and sexually powerful male body, not as a political one as feminists intend it to be, but one that should be actively desired.

‘They are marking the middle-class, wealthy, mobile and sexually powerful male body, not as a political one as feminists intend it to be, but one that should be actively desired’ researchers found

One protested it is hypocritical for women to argue against men objectifying women if women ‘do the same to men, albeit in a watered down, complimentary sort of way’

The research by academics from Coventry and Aberystwyth University, which also highlighted that gay men use the site, said that ‘white male privilege is still an attractive quality in men for many straight women and gay men’

They said in the photograph, many users particularly emphasised a man’s muscular biceps, pecs [pectoral muscles] and chest ‘the body parts which suggest physical strength’

‘This celebration of masculine capital is achieved through humour and the knowing wink, but the outcome is a reaffirmation of men’s position in society.

‘It’s a problem because although it appears as though we have moved forward, our desires are still mostly about money and strength.’ 

While sites in which unsolicited images of women – such as Women Who Eat on Tubes – have prompted a strong reaction, Tube Crush has been viewed more as a bit of fun.