Who is it that is attracted to beauty?

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Humans think it's men who are attracted to "beautiful" women and we have been programmed, in the west, to believe a woman must look and be a certain way or they are simply unattractive even though this standard is different throughout the world, depending on where you are.

I have a blue jay fledgling living very close to my front door and it always makes this noise that can be easily heard where I am right now and I thought, I hope it's a male because the males are so pretty while the females, really plain, loud, and very squawky. The males are quieter, colorful, robust, with lovely, blue, white, and grey plumage. Then I thought, the female Blue Jays really dig that beauty, look at how the species evolved!

Then, I thought of other examples of beautiful males in nature. Numerous examples exist among birds. Male lions are much more attractive than females. It's more difficult to find mammalian examples, with both sexes resembling each other, so maybe, once the brain becomes bigger, since mammals have typically larger brains and more sophisticated cns, this attraction to beauty in the male wanes?

In any case, at one point in evolution, it's the female who prefers the beautiful mate, not the other way around!

I know a little bit about birdlife, and from what I've read and researched, the reason why so many bird species have a male that is extraordinarily beautiful and showy, while the female is often plain and dingy-colored, is because of camouflage for the female.

It's often the female that does the largest part of sitting on eggs for up to a month. She's in effect the proverbial "sitting duck" -- vulnerable to predator attack while incubating eggs. The incubating bird often cannot leave the nest for hours at a time or risk the temperature drop and death to the embryos. She is often unable to defend or exit an attack situation, therefore must not attract attention in the first place.

For this reason she has to have unnoticeable coloring that blends into the scenery -- mud, pond water, leaves, tree bark, etc -- in order to protect her from being easily seen by those who would attack her.

The males can afford to be the "display" courtship half of the couple, as they don't have to spend time tied to a nest.

The display shows the female the male is merely healthy enough to have good coloration and feather condition, not just beautiful.

That could be partly it but I do not discount the female bird being attracted to the beauty of the male. Color is only a small part of the male's countenance. If you notice, his form is much more pleasing than the female's as well. The male Blue Jay has a completely different form than the female. It's actually more masculine to be beautiful in this species. Human females are attracted to beauty as well, as in clothing, and surroundings. They want to be more ornate, so they wear jewelry and put on makeup. They do it because they like what they see when they look in the mirror. It's like a male bird with colorful, ornate feathers except humans don't have these so they fashion clothing, hair, makeup, accessories, to take their place.

A woman's need to see this beauty is so overwhelming, she can get away with decorating herself while, in men, this need is not so strong, so they don't see the need to do it. It would be impossible to deprive women of this right to be beautiful and it stems from the need to see beauty in their surroundings. If it were just as strong in the majority of men, they would do the same thing, but obviously, the need isn't as strong. When they look at themselves, they feel no need to see something ornate.

Ever heard of the Bowerbird?
Males imitate other bird calls and build ornate structures, surrounded by collections of decorations/treasures, as an alternative to attractive plumage. The female does not require him for any parenting duties, and raises her chicks as a single mum!
Link

So this "bowerbird" is basically the equivalent of womanizers to birds? Interesting.

No no, the female does not require him as a parent, he is excess to requirement.

In the absence of attractive plumage he decorates his home to look prettier, in the hope that his calls and treasures will attract a mate.

If anything he has a very token male role, by comparison to other birds.

In human tribal societies the bachelors get done up in war paint in dance, and in dance they display their prowess as warriors. And its the maidens who choose their mates from sitting in the passive audience.

In our modern society its seems different, but its really the same: women do the dressing up, but that's so you excite males so that all of the randy guys coming at you can impress you with : degrees, fancy sports cars, social skills, whatever,. So the maidens still do the choosing. And its the males who are really doing the "displaying". Actually its the same thing as the birds do.

well said!

i agree