Women & Sex

The Women of Lifetime of Sex Appeal

An international tour of the worldly women who know exactly what they like in a man
[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 5:03:37 PM ]

Sarah Shahi, 25
Texas-born descendant of Iranian shahs
Actress, The L Word

"Persian men are very lavish, and they're very ostentatious. I don't care who you are-any girl at some point wouldn't mind experiencing some of that. It's like, 'I give you a shoe made of gold...' You're like, 'Okay.' But on the whole, what's attractive is when a man is open and not putting up any kind of facade, not playing the game. It's always the really simple things that get a girl's heart. You don't have to go out of your way; just pick up a pen and a little Post-it, and you're good. Looks are important, but it's not the first thing I notice. Maybe that's because of my background. I'm kind of a mutt: My dad's Persian, my mother is Spanish, and I was born in Texas. Growing up, all I wanted to be was white because all my friends had blond hair and blue eyes. Then I came to L.A. and realized, Oh, maybe it's good to be different."


Leonor Varela, 32
Santiago, Chile
Actress, Gilgamesh

"I think Latin men are much more romantic in the sense of serenades and the heatedness of it all. They love to do things to make a woman feel beautiful. American men do that, too, just in a different way-a much more delicate way, I find. The things I look at most are the hands, the eyes, and the way a man treats his mother. It tells you how capable he is of loving and of giving and [shows] the quality of his soul. I find it terribly sexy when a man is devoted to his family and loves his sisters and his brothers and is always there for them; that for me is very attractive. Sexy is not selfish, macho. What's also attractive is good taste-the capacity of a man to dress with style and with care even though it's a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. It's the quality of things and the way he's going to wear them. Because it shows an appreciation for beauty, and I think that's what women are: We're the beauty in your life."


Bai Ling, 34
Sichuan Province, China
Actress, Man About Town

"Asian men always try to be very, very gentlemanly, and they're interested in taking care of the woman. In a way, they make you feel secure because you know they're going to provide everything-it's in their tradition-for the woman and for the family. I think because women are more vulnerable-just in nature-we desire a man who can be responsible as a husband and a boyfriend and somehow give us protection and love in a gentlemanly way. In Asian culture, sexy is something more subtle, more subdued. It's flowers sent secretively, or just remembering a birthday. It's like a Chinese painting: It's not like a Western picture, filled with color, but something simple, with a lot of space left for you to imagine."
 

Vahina Giocante, 23
Corsica, France
Actress, Lila Says