What Imperfections have you learn to accept

@ScarletWitch Ok, I will try!

First, some context. I am monogamously married, and I have not been seeking new relationships. Having said that, of course I can acknowledge that I feel an attraction to particular women, without acting on that attraction in inappropriate ways. My wife can say the analogous thing about men. We see this as perfectly normal, and not at all controversial.

So with the understanding that I am talking about "attraction" in that context...

When I was younger, I bought into the definition of beauty put forth in movies and advertisements. I think back at what an idiot I was to have such a narrow view of what made a woman look beautiful.

I have also discovered, as time goes on, that my idea of "sexy" seems to be quite different from a lot of people's idea, especially people online. A woman mugging for the camera, trying her hardest to "look sexy" actually bores me. After all, it's not as if I have never seen a woman's body before!

For me, beauty and sexiness are far more profound when I "discover" them as I get to know a woman. If she gives off a vibe that attracts me, and I get to know her, I find that whatever physical features she has tend to appear attractive to me.

So while I am not so "Buddhist-like" that "imperfections" will strike me as attractive on their own (just as "traditional beauty" will not strike me as attractive on its own), those blemishes are an intimate part of who a woman is. If I find myself attracted to her, then I find myself attracted to all of her.

Furthermore, those blemishes have stories behind them. Part of emotional intimacy is knowing each other's stories. And that is even more true about internal scars than external ones.

In short, women become more attractive to me the closer we become, regardless of the specifics of their physical appearance.