I think for the most part we all look at how attracted we are to the other person which infinitely manifests itself at how we look at ourselves and others.
For most people it's a purely physical one while briskly telling ourselves it is the personality that we are interested in.
But how well do we really know someone after 5min.......after 10min.......1 day.......a month....a year...etc. For the most part human nature esteems that our persona (pre-Shin Megumi Tensai term
) projects the ideal personality that we believe ourselves to be. And unlike social ques when we are at work/school/family/etc, these qualities rarely change during the intermissions of our lives.
It is a system of facades that we project to each other because we desire to be recognized as individuals and as masters of our livelihood(alt definition) by way of tenacious ideals that we continue to bath ourselves in, when asked morally charged questions about our character. More so when it involves those we anticipate are attracted to or we find attractive.
Which comes back to...
Physical attraction being the main proponent for attraction in general. Simply because being attracted to someone's personality is not something we can do in a matter of minutes or even days. (Sometimes even months. lol) Simply because people do not illustrate themselves as they are, they devise personalities based on what they think they are or should be. In order to truly be attracted to someone's personality we would need to be able to see the truth of who they are. Something not many people can do.....successfully.
Of course the refutation to that would be
"But Vith, what people choose to personalize themselves with in a way DOES tell us what kind of personality they have."
Ok fine, Yes. But saying that personality is what you look for as a means of attraction is not the same as being attracted to the aspiring personality of someone's personality. That's like drinking chocolate milk made by a giant chocolate bar. (How does the chocolate bar know what chocolate milk tastes like unless he has had chocolate milk himself which would make him a cannibal, would you drink milk made by a giant chocolate cannibalistic monster bar? I didn't think so.)
I'd like to point out that through out that wall of text you will notice the words, for the most part, and for most people......a plethora of vagueness.
Simply because not everyone is the same. I'd either be stupid or brilliant if I grouped a mass populous of people into one generalization. Probably the former.
Some people do try to look for personality...in it's pure-est form. But there are too few. It would have to be a man or woman from the last century. (Pride jdrama ref.)And it brings up a good point too but that for another time. If you want a statistic..... .5 out of 10 people. Yes half a person.
And it's not like there is anything wrong with physical attraction or even physical attraction with the personality factor.
What we are attracted to in others is by no way subjective to the "objective eye" of others (*makes the quotation signs with his fingers for comedic emphasis*). If you liked the way someone's hair floats under a midnight sun (byakuyakou jdrama ref.:3)then who am I to say your any less of a person for it, who is anyone. (with all things, there is an exception to everything.....child molestation.....etc etc.....catch my drift)
Having a physical attraction is by no means any more shallow, (or rather capricious, since the connotation of shallow in that concept is a capricious intent over a physical desire) any more capricious then say a person who is attracted to a personality that is docile in order to satisfy a desire to be controlling. What is subjective is the moral value of our attraction. Are we attracted to them because of something they have or something we need? If it is something we need then I say your not really into them. Your more into yourself.
And the refutation to that would be
"But Vith, isn't the desire to be with someone attractive also a need?"
Ok sure. But having an attraction for someone physically attractive and having a need for an attraction to someone physically attractive are two different things. The latter being something you need a doctor for and the former being a response that you yourself are exposing willingly with the consent you yourself give yourself.
Anyway...back to the original question. *(rofl....)
For me it's the elbows. How clean are there elbows. Most people don't wash their elbows, how clean someone's elbows are is an indication of what kind of person they are. A lazy person would never clean their elbows and an honest person would. So I guess it's a little of both, physical and personality. Physical for the elbows part and personality for what it entails if they do clean them or not. My gf has the cleanest elbows money can buy, and it's not because I put her up to it. She just likes the sound her elbows make when I take her out to nice places.....even family dinners.(lolz)
And about the hypothetical story.
I'd go with neither, what are two guys in the middle of the night doing at two street corners, just standing there? I wouldn't touch the business guy, he sounds like he is waiting to get picked up by witness protection. People like that are very jumpy and he might shoot me before I get to ask him about his blackberry. And the rough looking fellow that sounds like a murdering gypsy. Wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole. Say what? Stains? Naa, forget that. He's the type of guy that makes people disappear and end up on the back of chocolate milk cartoons.....the cannibalistic kind. Instead I'd roam the houses and look for children toys. If I find a house with some kids toys on the front lawn, then I'd inspect the car or cars. Look for children seats and look at their tire treads. Do they have a 9 to 5? Look for paint wear and look for key marks on the car door. If you answered yes to all these questions. Chances are they are probably well-mannered and decent folk trying to raise their kids. They probably won't shoot me as I usually carry ID and look somewhat decent on most occasions. Knock on their door and explain my situation. What your cellphone has minutes? Here's 20 bucks. I really need to make this phone call. For the most part if you don't BS people they will try to help if they can. Course I could get the door shut in my face but I'd just try another house. I'll probably get someone nice after say house number 3. People who raise kids understand that life is tuff. More so then the guy who lives across the street with no kids and an angry wife.
In the second scenario I'd still go with neither too.
Two women on a street corner?
The first one....I'm sorry but she sounds like a hooker. A miniskirt? In the middle of the night? For most parts of the world, night time usually means a bit of cold wind. No one is going to stand outside on a corner with a miniskirt braving light frostbite unless they have to. And if they have to, it only means one of two things. Either this is a job or someone is making you do it. Which in retrospect leads to one conclusion lol. She's waiting to get picked up by her pimp. So I'm not gonna talk to her because I don't want her pimp to think I'm fraternizing in front of his establishment. Pimps can be very stubborn employers, and it will be difficult to explain to him that I wasn't looking for service, just the service from her cellphone without braving a donkey punch.
Now the Pimp's donkey punch isn't nearly as scary as the girl with a hunchback and a hat. I've seen too many movies where women that have hooded covered appearances turn out to be either The Gremlins in disguise (1997 movie about midget mystical monsters that terrorize america) or a super famous serial killer that I didn't know about because I didn't live in the area. Her so called lack of confidence isn't as noticeable as my extreme confidence...that she..WILL kill me. If I even look in her direction. Therefore again it's back to wandering the houses for me.
