37 Celebs Answer the Hardest Question of All: What Makes a Man Sexy?
Dolly Parton is all about see-through mesh underpants. (Yes, really.)
In 1987, Cosmo sat down with some of the biggest celebrities of the era—of the likes of Joanne Woodward, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Cher, Oprah Winfrey, and Madonna—to ask them a hard-hitting question: What do they find most sexy in a man? Turns out, intelligence and sensitivity rank high on the list, but good looks are overrated. And of course, kissing, as Kim Basinger points out, is super sexy, no matter what he looks like. The quality that reigns supreme, according to our panel of experts, however, is a good sense of humor. Ladies and gentleman, case closed.
To read more stories from the Cosmo archives, head here.
Madonna
“Being funny, raunchy, very ambitious, and totally for real.”
Goldie Hawn
“Nothing is sexier than the way a man looks at a woman, a man whose look says he really enjoys women, loves women, and not just as sexual partners. Warren Beatty, for instance, is a sexy man. He has a wonderful look about him—the way he looks at women. And the same is true of Paul Newman.”
Joanne Woodward
“Being your exact opposite has its virtues. I’ve been married to Paul [Newman] for twenty-nine years, and he’s still the most fascinating man in the world to me. Yet his interests aren’t my interests. Paul plays bridge; I hate cards. Paul goes in for all kinds of sports; I don’t. Paul doesn’t dance; I love to. Paul’s mad for auto racing; I’d rather go to the ballet. Paul’s always patient; I’ve sometimes been compared to an exploding cannon. Paul loves going to prizefights; I much prefer going to a museum. But differences or no, or perhaps because of them, I can honestly say I’ve never been bored a day of my life with Paul.”
Barbra Streisand
“Being someone who’s vital, verbal, terrifically alive, fearless, who takes chances and treats me like a woman, not like some famous thing.”
Barbara Hershey
“The old standard qualities—humor, intelligence, sensitivity. I tend to be attracted to talented people. But truly, I don’t know anything about men.”
Jacqueline Bisset
“The way things are now, especially for a career woman, often makes you feel you’re leading the life of a man. This underscores a woman’s need to feel feminine, to be flirted with, to feel cared for and taken care of. A man who understands and fills this need and likes women and treats them well is almost certainly sexy.”
Joan Collins
“Robert Wagner, whom I’ve known for years, is the epitome of the sexy man. In addition to being utterly charming, he is handsome, elegant, always beautifully dressed, and has manners to match.”
Dolly Parton
“I’ve always been fascinated by tall, skinny men with no big muscles and no hair on their chests. Like my husband, Carl Dean. I like to see him in those sexy little see-through mesh underpants. The first time I gave him a pair, he flatly refused to wear ’em. But when he saw my feelings were hurt, he put them on. Now that was sexy.”
Isabella Rossellini
“A brilliant, inquiring mind. The most intriguing man of all is someone who’s insatiably curious and takes enormous pleasure in knowledge. This makes for happiness in a person—and a happy man is a pleasure to be with.”
Britt Ekland
“I’ve been married to a man seventeen years older [actor Peter Sellers] and now to one eighteen years younger [rock drummer Jim McDonnell]. Younger is much better.”
Ally Sheedy
“A man who has peace within himself and is very, very centered has the greatest attraction for me.”
Morgan Fairchild
“The sexiest man to me is romantic, a giver who’s sweet to me, who sends me flowers. I also like a guy who’s got more on his mind than whether he’s wearing the right silk shirt or the latest Gucci socks. So I tend to prefer older guys who are strong, who have already gone through a lot of changes and know what they want in life and have some idea of what a woman is and aren’t just trying to make it with every cute rear that walks by in the street.”
Mariel Hemingway
“Having a great personality and a lively intelligence. Good looks don’t count for nearly as much.”
Raquel Welch
“A sexy man is gallant, gentle, and tender, someone who makes a woman feel both loved and protected, who has a strength a woman can look up to. My husband, Andre [Weinfeld, a writer-producer], easily fills all those requirements.”
Dr. Ruth Westheimer
“Being a good hugger. Or a good kisser, like Burt Reynolds. I tell women who have difficulty having an orgasm, ‘Fill your head with fantasies. Think about Burt Reynolds.’”
Loni Anderson
“Is he a caring man? Does he feel he wants to care for me? Is he someone I can care for? Does he want this from me? The joy of sex doesn’t come so much in the act as it does in the caring.”
Princess Stephanie of Monaco
“Being sensitive, honest, sincere, with a great, crazy sense of humor. And while I enjoy their company, I’ll never marry a Frenchman. I want someone who’s open to the world he’s living in, not just someone who lives on family tradition.”
Oprah Winfrey
“I try to see a man’s soul first. He’s got to be kind and joyful.”
Cher
“A fella doesn’t have to be good-looking for me to think he’s sexy. I want to be with someone for what he is inside. And he’s got to be adaptable, someone I can really enjoy having a good time with. If I feel like acting like a fool or a child, I want to do it and I expect him to do it, too. And when it’s time to be serious, then I expect someone to be able to do that also. I seem to find these qualities in most musicians.”
Judith Ivey
“I don’t care if he’s blond or dark, blue-eyed or brown-eyed, short or tall—just so long as he wears pants and has a great sense of humor.”
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