Why is that males are portrayed as sex symbols, but females aren't?
 

I was just thinking, always in X-Factor and most talent shows, the male contestants are always portrayed/seen as sex symbols (Matt, Aiden, One Direction) yet the female contestants never are, despite them being good-looking.

I'm not saying there are no male viewers who find the female contestants sexy/attractive, just that they are never really portrayed that way. Whereas in the show, males being sex symbols is mentioned often and definitely used as a way to market them. Most noticeably in Matt and 1D this year, although Aiden has a strong female fanbase (including myself) which they don't seem to mention as much on the show.

I've never really thought about it before because it's just the way it goes, but I was just wondering why. D'you think perhaps there are more female viewers and it is entirely down to that? Or is there any other reasons?

beats me

http://www.barcelonareporter.com/img...Byrne_2010.png

You are forgetting this sexy BIATCH!!

Seriously unless Ireland /Fat fighters are not voting then Fat men must.

I guess it's because these shows mainly appeal to Girls/Women; you could say it isn't seen as inherently 'macho' to buy the X Factor Annual or get upset when Jedward get voted off.

Not that I assign to that view.

because the teenage girls would vote the female contestants off if they were marketed as sex symbols,look at what happened to kandy rain last year?

It's because women are the predominant voters in these shows and STEREOTYPICALLY women don't vote for other women especially if they're portrayed as sex symbols. Typically women are more likely to vote for men.

As jedward fever said; any attempts to do so have resulted in no support - e.g. Kandy Rain.

I see where you're coming from but you can't vote people off, so I don't think that makes much difference.

Hmm, yeah, I guess I see what you mean.

but they werent gonna vote for them after they dressed in revealing clothes.

Yeah, thought about it and I see what you mean now. I'm a teenage girl and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't affect me if I already liked an act, but I know that it could affect others.

Yep. The same for gay guys.

Cher's Fit,a dont think Katie is that fit though she's got that face about her i like her though.
Harry is the only braw one from one direction, and Aiden's ugly whats up with people thinking he's braw he looks a bit like Joe,ewwwwwww`.
Matt isn't that braw too,Pajie is ugly.... Cher's probably the brawest out them all in X factor, :spin::love::lovedup: x

Cher's the hottest :love: And Niall, Zain and Liam from One Direction.

Because women won't vote for someone sexier than them hence why last year the Kandy Sluts went in week 1

I've never heard the word 'braw' before.

I kind of see what you mean about Aiden and Joe actually, 'cept I find Aiden really attractive. But I think that's less to do with his looks and more just to do with how much I like him in general, and his mannersims/personality/general sexiness :') Because I didn't find him attractive right at the beginning. People start to look more/less attractive depending on how you feel about them.

It's Scottish,;') Yeah i don't think Aiden's Sexy it's more cute :hugesmile:x

lol!!!

Not much of a market for female sex symbols among X-Factor viewers. Viewers are overwhelmingly female. And women viewers have far more exacting standards for women than men. Hence the generally higher standard of female contestants, albeit not this year.

Girls might not vote for anyone they perceive to be sexier than them, but women are more in touch with reality. I have no problem with beautiful, sexy females, so long as that's not all they've got to offer.

i think there may be a few reasons all combined, certainly that the show is predominantly aimed at the female population and voters tend to be girls and young women. I also agree that young girls would not vote for someone they percieve to be more attractive / sexy

However I also think it is a concious effort sometimes and the interpretation of what is sexy.

Women find inoffensive matters sexy but men are just very visual creatures so maybe they make a sort of effort not to turn any contestant into objects for titilating viewing pleasures of young boys and their white tube socks :shocked:

I may be wrong but maybe that is one of the reasons that they dont 'sex up' the females in the show and lets face it, they have over the years had some stunners on who could have easily appealed to the lads mag audience (tube socks again!) but have not really gone down this route. They also do have some extremely good stylists on the show who understand that you dont need a full on tits and arse display to look sexy

As a female viewer, I find Matt sexy in an inoffensive way (i love arms and that just got out of bed look) but we all know that he will never be coming out on stage with his donger hanging out of his left trouser leg in the name of sexyness ... for the girls though, as men are visual, if they wished to sex them up it could be a very different story and they possibly dont wish to travel down this road

Ah right :)

Yeah he is more cute than sexy, I guess I think there's something sexy about him when he performs though.

It cuts both ways though. You can't deny women are at a disadvantage in a public vote if they are up against a man with a babyish face or a "boy next door" and many female viewers won't give a damn if that is all they have to offer. It's a phenomenon that plagues the entertainment industry. Hence people like Bruno Mars and James Blunt selling shallow sentimentality to the emotionally impressionable.

sexing women up tends to end up alot more smuttily with revealing clothes etc which totally goes against the shows family market where as guys can be sex'ed up much more subtly with a slick hair do or whatever. Also it seems the opinionn tends to go that sexy women are seen as a bit slutty..regardless of the truth of it where as sexy men are just, well sexy!

Probably because if you are a bloke and you fancy one of the contestants you are seen as some weirdo, I think Novo (tongue in cheek of course) was suggested as Katie's stalker.

One reason Katie has no chance is the blokes quite like her, but we don't vote. I have never voted once.

Can't say I actually fancy any of the girls. But I do feel sorry for Katie at all the bashing she is getting from mainly female fans.