Throughout the animal kingdom, male species are generally bigger and more beautiful. Male elephants have tusks; male lion have a mane (hair around the neck which makes the animal looks majestic), peacock have feathers. In birds the males are more colorful and attractive. However this link gets broken in Humans. We are more likely to associate females with beauty than a male.
What is interesting is that male is the dominating sex with a propensity for being polygamous. I am not being sexist, but the male is expected to be the breadwinner, take initiatives in wooing his spouse and take the lead in case of any dispute/show of physical strength. In any other species, with all these burdens, you would expect the males to be more attractive than their female counterparts. Yet that is not the case. An average female is also more concerned about her looks, dressing and manners/etiquettes than the average male. Does it not sound contradicting?
In almost all other species the members would like to advertise attaining puberty. In males these changes are actively being suppressed. They would shave off their facial hair (school kids would ape their father and do it even before it starts growing), cover their genitals (not that I would like a public display) and cover up their chest, arms & legs. Females on the other hand would wear garments that enhances & makes more prominent their breasts and hips. Are women pedophiles or am I missing something?
Hair tends to grow slowly and its color, texture & strength depend on the person’s mental & physical fitness at that time. Hence a waist long hair captures 2 year history of the person’s health, nutrition, age and reproductive fitness. But male are more likely to cut their hair short & wear caps, and hence blend themselves with those who don’t even have strong enough hair to grow it long.
Dancing is another way by which a person could advertise their agility, coordination, stamina, flexibility etc. Here again an average female is a better dancer.
All these contradictions make me doubt the fundamental hypothesis: : In a male dominated species, the male is very competitive and go overboard to advertise his superiority over the other contenders to his target partner.
Any clues? Are males so much domesticated through years of monogamy that they grow beer bellies, fart, puke and say all inappropriate words… all this to prove their partner (the feeble looking, yet dominating species) that no other female in their right mind will even think about them?
Other explanation could be that the rules of the game have changed. Females go overboard with their looks & beauty to attract the desirable men and keep them interested. Men are no longer wild beasts, who rely solely on their health & strength to provide for their family. Unlike animals, men rely more on eloquence, intellect and wealth rather than physical attributes to display their desirability & prominence. After all men are more likely to buy jewelry (or pay for it) for their partners. They would drive expensive cars, pay for the bills on the date, and use expensive gadgets, watches, specs & accessories.