Friendly reminder that males in the animal kingdom need to look good just because they need to conquer female attention. And them bitches need none of that shit
Technically this is so males get the females easier, which is odd bc females are the ones that show themselves off to the men, at least in a physical standpoint (y'know, boobs and all that)
Beauty is the wrong word. It’s highly subjective- picture the epitomous 70’s porn star mustache and thick body hair. Those have mostly fallen out of style, as have frosted tips, or neck beards. Picture a teen heart throb, then try and picture a 40 year old woman going out with a 40 year old man dressed like that. We are looking for suitable mates. In human society the historical imperative has been less focused on physical beauty than style and grooming which show social knowledge, ability, and potential. Equally or more importantly in humans- the ability to provide comfort and support. Cars, clothes, jewelry, homes, in short- all signs of money or power, responsibility and social status. Humans don’t need feathers to show off because we invented Lamborghinis and Mercedes. As a species the thing in history that has made men most successful in mating has been money and power. Allowing men to either win or seize by force whatever woman they desired.
Keep in mind that a lot of the animal kingdom is polygamous, where they live in either a harem structure with a greater female to male ratio, OR in a structure where the female will mate with more than one male. Either way puts the males at a disadvantage against one another. They either must compete physically with one another for the right to mate at all, or are mating with a female that already has likely engaged in sex with another male, and now both males sperm is in competition. The more times he can mate with her/the longer he mates, the more likely he'll impregnate her. If a female has no interest in being with that male, it becomes more difficult for him to convince her to stick around, or let mating occur at all.
This also brings us to the second issue in that, as I said, because they're in competition, males are more likely to war with each other. They're more aggressive in general to begin with, but many of the adaptations are multipurpose.
Yes, we may consider antlers to be "flashy," but at the end of the day they are designed for combat. The mane of a mail lion is meant to be a threat as much as an alluring feature. It makes them appear larger to other males, more threatening-- much like how kittens puff themselves up when they're threatened. It can help subvert combat, which is always dangerous to any animal, but, should combat occur, it also helps guard it's throat. Most males are usually forced out of their pride when they begin growing manes in the first place.
Male siamese fighting fish are somewhat the opposite in this regard, with their large fins being somewhat detrimental. They also care for the eggs, however, and will defend their territory fiercly and sometimes to the death-- even against females. The females, on the other hand, can live in small groups, although aggression has been known to crop up.
Often times in animals the females also end up being larger than males. Which is usually not the case in humans. There are species of animal where the females will be the ones competing for male attention.
For humans, both genders are in competition for attention. We just tend to go about it in slightly different ways. Men, in general, tend to be more visual creatures, and respond to physical appearance slightly more than women do. Women tend to be more emotionally oriented and tend to be attracted to males that display high survivability behaviours. Whether this be displays of physical strength, flashy cars symbolizing wealth, or intelligence. Not to say that men don't respond to these things, too, or that women aren't weighing attractiveness when selecting partners, they just tend to emphasize each slightly differently
Beautiful as judged by humans doesn't have to be the same as what the animals consider attractive.
Not to mention that in the animal kingdom, the females need to be less noticeable so that they can hide with the babies without fear of getting spotted by a predator. Males only have to take care of themselves, females have to take care of themselves and the offsprings.
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· 5 years ago
Not to forget, in most of the species, females are the hunters or do the hard work.
This also brings us to the second issue in that, as I said, because they're in competition, males are more likely to war with each other. They're more aggressive in general to begin with, but many of the adaptations are multipurpose.
Male siamese fighting fish are somewhat the opposite in this regard, with their large fins being somewhat detrimental. They also care for the eggs, however, and will defend their territory fiercly and sometimes to the death-- even against females. The females, on the other hand, can live in small groups, although aggression has been known to crop up.
For humans, both genders are in competition for attention. We just tend to go about it in slightly different ways. Men, in general, tend to be more visual creatures, and respond to physical appearance slightly more than women do. Women tend to be more emotionally oriented and tend to be attracted to males that display high survivability behaviours. Whether this be displays of physical strength, flashy cars symbolizing wealth, or intelligence. Not to say that men don't respond to these things, too, or that women aren't weighing attractiveness when selecting partners, they just tend to emphasize each slightly differently
Not to mention that in the animal kingdom, the females need to be less noticeable so that they can hide with the babies without fear of getting spotted by a predator. Males only have to take care of themselves, females have to take care of themselves and the offsprings.