What do Blind people find sexy?

August 30, 2006 5:21 PM

For most people, physical attraction is visual. So how do Blind people become attracted to someone in the absence of visual stimuli?

For most people, especially men, physical attraction is a heavily visual thing. We're drawn to the curves of the beloved's body. We like faces. We like shades of hair. We like the way the clothes they pick flatter their figures.

So how do Blind people find people sexually attractive in the regrettable absence of all this wonderful visual stimuli? Blind people are sexual beings just as much as sighted people. So what turns them on? Voices? Smells? Personalities?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from Blind people or people who are, or have been in relationships with Blind people.

posted by jason's_planet to human relations (13 comments total)

Voices? Smells? Personalities?

These would be my guess. I'm not blind, but they play a big part in what I find attractive.
posted by quin at 5:34 PM on August 30, 2006

The same way you get sexually attracted to someone you've only "met" on the phone/over the internet/in letters?
posted by dpx.mfx at 5:35 PM on August 30, 2006

Which is to say, what quin said.
posted by dpx.mfx at 5:35 PM on August 30, 2006

The same way people become attracted online? Personality?
posted by fire&wings at 5:39 PM on August 30, 2006

The same way people become attracted online? Personality?

I've become very interested in people I've met online but the actual, gut-level physical attraction wasn't there unless I had some idea of what they looked like. If that wasn't there, there was no physical attraction.

Other people, of course, have had different experiences.
posted by jason's_planet at 5:47 PM on August 30, 2006

Through a dating system, I met someone who used to date a woman who had been involved with Jeff Healey. Apparently Healey related to her in a very sensual way by using some of his other senses, such as touch and smell. He was very into her perfumes, and liked her to wear things like velvet and soft wools that felt good, and of course he'd be able to tell what kind of physique and hair and features she had by touching her.

And also while this guy I met was dating her, Healey would get all liquored up and call the woman at 2 in the morning wanting to come over. She'd say, "Well, Jeff, the person I'm with right now might mind." Heh.
posted by orange swan at 6:10 PM on August 30, 2006

My blind former roommate talked about how people sounded, which was based not so much on what they said as on how they said it (I suppose reading the same sort of things from their voice as seeing people would tend to see in body language - confidence, self-image, etc). He also told me that if a blind guy ever tells a woman he wants to feel her face to see what she looks like, he's hitting on her.

'Course, he was a bit of an oddball, so that may or may not be representative.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 7:23 PM on August 30, 2006

I once dated a blind man. It was definitely a personality thing. Surprisingly, it was a big ego boost to me knowing that physical appearance had nothing to do with it.
posted by Ruki at 7:24 PM on August 30, 2006

On a side note, how should a non-blind guy hit on an attractive blind lady?
posted by Vindaloo at 10:44 PM on August 30, 2006

He also told me that if a blind guy ever tells a woman he wants to feel her face to see what she looks like, he's hitting on her.

Damn. I wish I could get away with this.

Thanks for the great responses! I appreciate it!
posted by jason's_planet at 7:40 AM on August 31, 2006

im blind and i would pretty much agree with all the comments above.

smell is very important to me, got a thing for vanilla :)

and personality always shines through and in the end is whats important.
posted by moochoo at 11:08 AM on August 31, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

forgot to mention if you want to know more just contact me, info is in my profile
posted by moochoo at 11:09 AM on August 31, 2006

curious (b/c i'm thinking of posting a related question): how did you read/answer the question, moochoo?

(fully assume you are in fact blind, just genuinely curious)
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:45 PM on March 5, 2007