We asked men what they like about women’s genitals and whether there are certain qualities that they prefer over others. Here’s what they had to say:
“Moisture, warmth.”—Andres, 31, Spain
“I have only ever been with my girlfriend, so I have no base of comparison, but I can definitely say that I like to feel how soft and warm her genitals are. I like how slick she gets when I excite her and her heady scent. I like her hair, how it collects her pheromones and the rush I get when I pleasure her orally. Sometimes I get a hair on the back of my tongue but that’s nothing to harp about in comparison to stroking her soft hair and her labia while we wind down after making love.”—Chris, 22, Canada
“I like a little pubic hair verses a vagina being shaved bare.”—John, 36, Georgia
“Taste, smell, less hair is better, lubricated.”—Austin, 31, Wisconsin
“Large clit, large lips (labia).”—Peter, 46, Illinois
“I think there is something inherently magical about seeing a woman’s vagina glistening.”—Tyrese, 25, Virginia
“I like the soft feel, the folds to explore, the way they can get me excited.”—Dan, 51, Massachusetts
“Everything! The variety of shapes and colours. The hair. I much prefer genitals with hair. I also like exposed/protruding inner labia. I just think female genitals are hugely interesting and attractive—much more than people generally think.”—Henry, 60, UK
“Love the shape of them and how each one is different from the other.
Also like the metallic taste when it is soft (not too strong). Nice smell and overall cleanliness is also something that I really like. I also like the complexity of the vagina, especially when compared to the penis.
It is much more intricate and varied, and it is great to learn how every woman gets pleasure from her vagina in a slightly (or completely
different) way.”—Victor, 30, Peru
“They look like a flower. Like an orchid. I like them best when they have some exterior vulva. Like, after a woman has had a child, they are sexier looking. I like them shaved so that nothing covers the view of them. I like the scent and taste. I love it when some of the skin pulls outward and pushes inward on each stroke. I like how they are so close to the woman’s anus. One good lick can hit both spots. I love it when they trickle liquid from a woman’s excitement. I love how the inside of their pussy feels when I insert a finger or two. I love to find and rub the G-spot while licking them.”—Tom, 45, New York
“The heat, the slickness, tightness, the structure of the labia appeals to me, and the aesthetics and feel of the clitoris are also great. The parts I feel are more important than the parts I see.”—Patrick, 18, Canada
“I prefer hairy, but not on the thighs. I prefer long inner lips. I prefer darker color. I prefer large clitoris and hood.”—Ben, 70, Canada
“I like how dynamic they are, depending on the state of arousal. I like how they feel when they are wet from excitement. I like how they taste, look and smell. I love the clitoris.”—Mike, 44, Taiwan
“It is like a mystery cave over the years I have figured out spots that are good hiding areas and can arouse a woman.”—Klaus, 32, New York
“Bald, smells nice. Tastes delicious. When it squirts, it’s nice.”—Mark, 31, Canada
“They look so beautiful, and they feel so beautiful. They have lovely variations in texture, changing with increasing wetness. The way in which the vulva opens up with increasing excitement is as welcoming as anything humanly possible. The delicately shifting folds, the kissable accessible bits, the lickable less-accessible bits, the let’s-feel- how-deep-this-goes remoter bits—they’re all delectable. Pubic hair—
lovely stuff—good to stroke, to tease, to feel scratching my belly.”—
William, 48, UK
“I like the softness of the area in general, how easily it responds to a touch. I like how it is always warm. I don’t have a preference for pronounced or minimal inner or outer labial areas that I’m aware of. I like the general shape and how the lines of the body seem to converge there. I usually like the taste and smells associated with a woman’s genitals.”—Joe, 29, Georgia
“The softness, when it is wet, the way it expands and conforms to the
shape of my penis.”—Don, 49, Missouri
“They are a beautiful, complex creation. They turn me on, particularly my partner’s. I like that she has very little hair near her outer lips (naturally) but hair on her mons. This makes oral sex very enjoyable for me, but also gives her a ‘womanly’ look.”— Stephen, 28, Minnesota
“They are a welcoming place of total love. They say, cum and stay a while, as you are, completely and wholly accepted.”—Brian, 45, Minnesota
“I like long, smooth, symmetrical lips—something voluptuous that captures the gaze and imagination. I like large clits, but I don’t get as excited over them as I do over lips and hoods. I like a vulva to be big, lips unfurled, and deep in its cleft. And scent is very important—
some scents are profoundly more attractive than others. And wetness
—I like her to produce as much come as possible, whether watery or thick. I love cunts :)”—Adam, 31, Maine
“Taste, smell, feel. I like pubic hair, so I prefer it when women do not remove all of it.”—Gary, 23, Oklahoma
Mostly, I only enjoy clitoral stimulation because penetration is not that enjoyable unless it’s a really big penis. I don’t seem to feel anything in the first few inches, which I have always found strange.
—CLARA, 21, Ireland That said, excitement isn’t the only key to unlocking the door to the castle of vaginal lubrication. A woman’s estrogen levels are also important to vaginal lubrication.5 Even young babies (who have high levels of estrogen thanks to having just come from their mom’s body) experience vaginal lubrication.6 As girls go through puberty and experience increases in estrogen, they again may notice extra amounts of vaginal wetness even when they don’t feel aroused or excited. This is, in part, why women may notice changes in their natural vaginal wetness throughout their menstrual cycle, as estrogen levels change during their cycle. When estrogen levels are low—such as when a woman is breastfeeding or when she approaches menopause or is postmenopausal—she may experience vaginal dryness. Women who take low-dose estrogen birth-control pills may also notice less vaginal lubrication. The bottom line is that estrogen plays a big role in vaginal lubrication and wetness. If you ever notice significant changes to your experience of vaginal lubrication even though you’re feeling sexually aroused,
it’s worth asking your healthcare provider to look further into the issue, as your hormones may be partially responsible.