How Hollywood and social media have shifted men’s attraction scale
Most readers will be familiar with the Overton window and how as it shifts what is considered left or right-wing can become centrist while being replaced by a more extreme version.
Inspired by a meme reflecting on how men of the past may see only one extraordinarily beautiful woman in their lifetime, but modern men may see dozens on the internet before breakfast: the Hoeverton window describes how exposure to large amounts of world-class, one-in-a-million beauties through the silver screen, the centrefold, and likely more so social media has shifted men’s perception of the “average” woman.
Over a century ago the amount and quality of women a man would meet were limited by how far he could walk or ride a horse. Since the advent of cinema, Hollywood (as a synonym for the entire media industry) now curates the most beautiful women in the world for his perusal and entertainment. These Hollywood-curated women are also often impossibly beautiful; enhanced by world-class surgeons, makeup, and VFX artists. See the recent case of Sydney Sweeney, renowned for her looks and breasts, who recently received criticism from morons for daring to be seen outside and uncovered in a state of normalcy, an indication that the morons may never have touched a woman. Should the women of Hollywood fail to satisfy this man, which they inevitably must for he will never receive their attention, he may turn to social media where he will find millions of women debasing themselves in various ways for attention, from fishing for “likes” to straight up digital whoring – fucking 100 men in a day.
With such ready access to millions of beautiful women, the “10/10s” as they’re known, it is no surprise that men are having their perception of “average” shifted. Where in the past a rarely encountered 10/10 would have been just that, seeing hundreds if not thousands a day makes them “average” or, at least, “common”.
This shift is disastrous for the majority of men who will never (even if only due to statistics) be in a position to mate with these women, as they will inevitably find the women of their status to be beneath their expectations. Of course, this is also concerning for these average women, who may have previously increased their value as mates by being proficient in traditionally female skills such as cooking, homemaking, etc; they must now start out of place as “below average” women.
These “average” and “below average” women are at risk of an insidious double trap, viewing themselves through the Hoeverton window and self-delusion. Through comparison to the impossibly beautiful women of Hollywood or the heavily filtered women of various social media platforms, the “average” women fall for the trap. The use of filters in an attempt to keep up as well as the affirmations of hordes of rabid “simps” (misguided, pitiful men desperately trying to gain the attention of any woman) causes a destructive feedback loop that perpetuates what girls see growing up and leads, even attractive, women to lose hold of the reality of their faces. Whether through an inflated self-worth that leads to excluding the lower status but ever reliable “good men”, of which there are eternal complaints they can’t be found, or through the inevitable consequences of low self-esteem: increased eating disorders, plastic surgery, etc; the women also lose.
Men must become cognizant of their altered perceptions as they seek a mate in the turbulent modern dating scene. What truly defines attractiveness? What will be left when it inevitably dries up? How much value should be ascribed to attractiveness over other traits? These are questions men need and must answer for themselves.
But before attempting to do so they should ask:
“Am I looking through the Hoeverton window?”
About The Author/s
Host of The Sultans of Shadilay Podcast