Affective Preference Research Articles

Gay Dreams: Exploring the Relationship Between Sexual Orientation and Dream Content in Men.

Although numerous individual factors influencing dream content have been explored, research on the link between sexual orientation and dreaming remains limited. This study examined this relationship among 119 German-speaking men (mean age = 31.97 years), including 55homosexual and 64heterosexual participants. Participants completed a questionnaire on their waking life sexuality and dreams and provided two dream reports. Homosexual men reported more sexual partners in waking life and lower satisfaction with their sexual orientation compared to heterosexual men. No significant differences were found in dream recall frequency, emotional tone, nightmare frequency, or distress, though homosexual men reported more sexual dreams. Dream reports showed no significant differences in sexual interactions or the number of sexual partners between groups, but homosexual men's dreams featured a higher ratio of male to female characters and more romantic relationships with men. These findings partially align with the continuity hypothesis, suggesting that the dream content of homosexual men reflects their social interactions and romantic preferences. Overall, the study suggests that homosexual and heterosexual men share a similar dream pattern. The implications of these findings highlight the importance of considering sexual orientation in dream research to better understand the intersection of sexuality and unconscious processes.

Mate assessment based on physical characteristics: a review and reflection.

Mate choice, and sex differences in romantic behaviours, represented one of the first major applications of evolutionary biology to human behaviour. This paper reviews Darwinian approaches to heterosexual mate assessment based on physical characteristics, placing the literature in its historical context (1871-1979), before turning (predominantly) to psychological research on attractiveness judgements based on physical characteristics. Attractiveness is consistently inferred across multiple modalities, with biological theories explaining why we differentiate certain individuals, on average, from others. Simultaneously, it is a judgement that varies systematically in light of our own traits, environment, and experiences. Over 30 years of research has generated robust effects alongside reasons to be humble in our lack of understanding of the precise physiological mechanisms involved in mate assessment. This review concludes with three questions to focus attention in further research, and proposes that our romantic preferences still provide a critical window into the evolution of human sexuality.

From pragmatism to passion: changing partner preferences in Dutch matrimonial and contact advertisements, 1841–1995

ABSTRACT This article explores the evolution of partner preferences in the Dutch mating market from 1841 to 1995, focusing on the rise of the cultural ideal of love-based partner selection. The study examines two hypotheses related to partner selection in modernization theory: the romantic-love hypothesis and the status-attainment hypothesis. These hypotheses are tested with descriptive and multivariate analysis using a database on matrimonial and contact advertisements. The study shows that the transition from instrumental to romantic partner choice was a gradual process, that in the Netherlands only gained momentum in the latter half of the twentieth century coinciding with processes of individualisation and the rise of the welfare state, a century later than earlier literature suggests. First instrumental preferences declined, then romantic preferences grew in importance. Furthermore, while the status-attainment hypothesis predicts an increase in educational preferences over time, the growth was slower and later than expected. These findings challenge both the romantic-love and status-attainment hypotheses and suggest an adjusted combined hypothesis. The study also highlights the role of social status and gender in partner preferences. Advertisers from higher social classes were more likely to express romantic preferences, indicating that wealthier individuals were earlier on inclined to turn love into the cornerstone of their relationships. Women exhibited a stronger emphasis on social status and educational level than men, highlighting gender role ideas of the time with women’s financial dependence guiding their preferences for a partner that could provide for them and their children. Moreover, the research demonstrates that religion and civil status did not significantly influence the internalization of love-based partner choice. The article concludes by emphasizing the significance of matrimonial and contact advertisements as valuable sources for comprehending the quest for a partner in the past and suggests potential avenues for future research based on these advertisements.

Sexuality, romantic orientation, and masculinity: Men as underrepresented in asexual and aromantic communities

AbstractThis study examines men as a minority in asexual (experiencing low/no sexual attraction) and aromantic (experiencing low/no romantic attraction) communities. First, we situate our research in existing literature on asexuality, compulsory sexuality/compulsory romance, and hegemonic masculinities. In our analysis, we use survey data from the 2020 Asexual Community Survey (n = 4974) and 2020 Aromantic Census (n = 3018) to provide evidence that asexual and aromantic men are demographic minorities within asexual and aromantic communities. Next, we turn to two interview samples with 39 individuals who identify as aromantic and 77 individuals who identify as asexual. We analyzed these interviews to explore how sexuality and romance contribute to the construction of hegemonic masculinities. Our interviews reveal several important themes that highlight how asexual and aromantic men navigate their masculinity and identity amid asexual and aromantic communities as majority‐woman spaces. We focus on three main themes: (1) masculinity as inherently sexual; (2) masculinity, heteronormativity, and the gendered construction of romance; and (3) asexual/aromantic identity, masculinity, and the split attraction model. Taken together, our results show how (hetero)sexuality and romantic relationship formation are fundamental to hegemonic masculinity. We find that asexual and aromantic men face cultural pressures and social stigma around initiating sex and performing romance. Asexual men must contend with managing a sexual identity that runs counter to men's supposedly innate sexual desire, thus situating them as inadequately masculine. Aromantic men, meanwhile, must manage inhabiting an identity that is conflated with the fuckboy/player trope, situating them as excessively masculine. This study demonstrates how centering asexual and aromantic perspectives reveals complexities in the ways hegemonic masculinity relies on participation in both sex and romance. We conclude by relating our findings to larger conversations on gender and sexualities as well as implications for future research on marginalized sexual identities.

Experiences of minority stress and their impact on suicidality among asexual individuals

IntroductionWhile the asexual community has become increasingly visible, the pathologization and denial of asexuality remain strong, which may be linked to a higher prevalence of suicidality in this population. The present study examined experiences of minority stress and their relationship with suicidality among asexual individuals. MethodsThis study included a global sample of 12,449 individuals on the asexual spectrum. They completed an online survey assessing minority stress (including verbal aggression, victimization, and health care discrimination), impairment in different aspects of life, and suicidality. ResultsThe results showed that 64.8 % of asexual individuals had experienced minority stress based on sexual and/or romantic orientation. Approximately 32.2 % reported suicidal ideation, 10.6 % had suicide plans, and 2.7 % had attempted suicide in the past 12 months. Suicidality was more prevalent among asexual men and non-binary individuals than among asexual women. Asexual individuals who were younger, identified as transgender, and lived in lower-income countries were more likely to report suicidality. Among the different dimensions of minority stress, victimization was most significantly associated with suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. The positive association between minority stress and suicidality was mediated by impairment in health. LimitationsThe cross-sectional nature of the data might prevent causal inferences from being drawn. Validated measures of asexual-specific minority stress were not available. ConclusionThe findings have implications for asexuality-affirming mental health practices supporting asexual individuals in coping with minority stress experiences. Public education efforts are needed to raise awareness of asexuality as a valid sexual orientation and to dispel misconceptions about asexuality.

Style dominants of Martha Argerich’s musical creativity

Statement of the problem.Musicology has accumulated quite a significant array of scientific works devoted to the study of individual performing style. But it is necessary to state that it remains insufficiently studied what features of the style of musical creativity of a particular personality are such that, on the one hand, are markers of its recognizability, and on the other – are responsible for its integrity. They can be defined as core or dominant.Creativity of M. Argerich embodies the basic trends in the development of modern piano art, and her influence on the development of modern pianism is difficult to overestimate, which determines the interest in identifying the style dominants of her musical creativity. Resent research and publications. The concept of style is one of the key concepts in modern musicology, where it is interpreted as a multilevel system. The prevalence of an individual style among others (Kaplienko-Iliuk, 2021), consideration of the style dominant as a factor that determines the formation of the performance idea (Sukhlenko, 2018) are presented, as well as the definition of the termin “style dominant” (Vardanyan, 2021) and the peculiarities of M. Argerich’s interpretation (Schwan, & Dragulin, 2021). Among methods used, the following can be outlined: historical, which reveals the properties of the development of piano art of the romantic tradition; comparative, necessary for comparing the performing versions of the composers’ works; stylistic, which outlines the specifics of the artistic expression of the individual; interpretive, which helps to identify the mechanisms of formation and implementation of the concept of the composer’s / performer’s musical work. The purpose of the research is to determine the style dominants of Martha Argerich’s creativity. Results and conclusions. Performing creativity is a multicomponent phenomenon, which consists of various factors that are subject not only to professional skills, but also adjusted by the personal structure, which consists of psychological and physiological characteristics, worldview and life guidelines. Since the style of the performer is one of the main features of an artistic individuality, it is obvious that the style dominant is an indispensable component of the comprehensive formation of this uniqueness. M. Argerich is an influential musician in today’s artistic culture, as the dominants of her style, including romantic orientation, tendency to chamber music and virtuosity, are appealing to both young audiences and professionalswith extensive musical and historical experience.

Understanding Attraction, Behavior, and Identity in the Asexual Community.

Models of sexuality have evolved substantially in the past several decades through the inclusion of new aspects which were previously overlooked. Components such as romantic attraction and behavior have also traditionally been included in models of sexuality. However, romantic and sexual orientations do not coincide for all individuals. A population for which this is true and one that has developed a robust language for discussing romantic orientation is the asexual community. The current study aimed to explore romantic and sexual orientation through patterns found within the factors of attraction, behavior, and identity in the asexual community. The current sample composed of individuals who identified as asexual (N = 306, Mage = 27.1) was 61% female, 13% non-binary, and 10% self-described or used multiple labels. Within this sample, aspects of sexual and romantic orientations and experiences were measured, including fluidity, the quantity and type of self-identified labels, desire for romance or sex, and the role of contextual influences on these experiences. These aspects were used as the primary characteristics to construct participant profiles, both complete profiles and factor specific (attraction, behavior, identity). t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (tSNE) was used to find patterns of similarity between individual participant profiles. Overall, it appeared that attraction was the factor most closely associated with overall experiences; however, substantial variability existed between participants. These findings provide a mechanism for better understanding of some nuances of romantic and sexual orientation and may be a useful first step toward future inquiry and hypothesis generation.

Spiritual-aesthetic and style instructions of K. Shymanovsky’s Creative Activity

The purpose of the study is to identify the spiritual and aesthetic foundations of K. Szymanowski’s creative activity in the stream of genre and style specifics of the Polish cultural world of the early twentieth century. The methodology of work is based on the intonation concept of music in the perspective of intonation-stylistic, etymological analysis. Analytical-musicological, genre-style and interdisciplinary approaches that allow to identify and explore the spiritual and aesthetic guidelines of K. Szymanowski's work proved to be essential for this work. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by its analytical perspective, which takes into account both the genre and style evolution of K. Szymanowski's work and its correlation with the historical realities of Polish culture and music of the first half of the twentieth century («Young Poland»). Conclusions. Spiritual-aesthetic and genre-style guidelines of K. Szymanowski's work were formed in direct connection with the ways of development of Polish culture and music of the XIX-XX centuries, marked by creative and artistic pursuits of representatives of «Young Poland», genre-style advantages of which the intersection of the ideas of symbolism, neo-romanticism, impressionism and modern aesthetics. At the same time, in the creative activity of «Young Poland» the desire to create a national Polish style in the fine arts, literature, generalized in the concept of «Zakopane style» as a «model» of neo-folklore. K. Szymanowski’s work as the founder of «Young Poland in Music» and Polish musical modernism determines the genre and style evolution of the composer’s creative heritage, concentrated in a consistent movement from romantic preferences and interest in the aesthetics of impressionism-symbolism to neo-folklore pursuits of later period. Keywords: works by Karol Szymanowski, «Young Poland», romanticism, symbolism, modernism.

Are romantic orientation and sexual orientation different? Comparisons using explicit and implicit measurements

Are romantic orientation and sexual orientation different? Comparisons using explicit and implicit measurements

Mykola Sylvansky’s Cultural and Pedagogical Activities as A Unique Aspect of His Creative Biography

The article focuses on the cultural and pedagogical activity of Mykola Yosypovich Silvanskyi at the general and specialized piano department at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory. The facts of his creative biography are presented on the basis of the studied materials that are stored in the Central Archive-Museum of Literature and Arts of Ukraine also in the archive of the P. I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine. Knowledges have also been gained due to the interviews with colleagues, students and relatives of M. Silvanskyi. Mykola Yosypovych's compositional work formed the basis of the cultural-pedagogical activity of the artist, because his works are still actively performed both by professional pianists and by students of conservatories at various stages of learning to play the piano. The personal qualities of the artist, which are described in the article, are important for the comprehensive characterization of his cultural and pedagogical activity. The features of his individual performance style are outlined as the features of a pianist with a romantic orientation (this is evidenced by concert programs found in archival posters). The repertoire policy of M. Silvanskyi in the class of general and specialized piano is described, as well as its inextricable relationship with his stage performance and compositional work. The study determines the factors that form the didactic principles of teaching students to play the piano, leading among which was the principle of practical demonstration of the most effective methods aimed at achieving the desired results (borrowed from Ya. Flier during his studies at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory). It is proven that a whole generation of student composers, studying with Mykola Yosypovych in the general piano class, formed artistic and aesthetic values that became leading in their further creative activity and influenced the development of Ukrainian piano music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The need for further study and understanding of the significance of M. Silvanskyi's creative activity for a better understanding of the artist's role in the development of Ukrainian musical culture is emphasized.

Differences in Life Satisfaction and Emotions by Romantic Coupling and Sexual Orientation

Subjective well-being is defined using a triune model including positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. These variables are positively related to romantic relationship satisfaction and influenced by demographic characteristics (i.e., sexual orientation and relationship status). However, research often neglects how the interaction of identifying as specific demographics (e.g., gay or lesbian, in a committed relationship) may lead to different experiences of subjective well-being. A sample of individuals ( N = 811) participated in this national, online survey that assessed relationship quality, life satisfaction, and positive/negative affect. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance revealed those in a committed romantic relationship, regardless of marital status, reported more life satisfaction and fewer negative mood symptoms demonstrating greater personal subjective well-being. When assessing differences by sexual orientation, gay men reported less life satisfaction than heterosexual individuals and lesbian women, regardless of relationship status. While these findings help clarify that being in a romantic relationship may influence life satisfaction and emotional demeanor, they also speak to the challenges gay men may face in our society.

Concordance Between Romantic Orientations and Sexual Attitudes: Comparing Allosexual and Asexual Adults

Sexual and romantic orientations are often considered one and the same, and attitudes about engaging in sexual behavior are assumed to be predominantly positive. The current study explored the concordance between sexual and romantic orientations among allosexual and asexual adults as well as the frequency with which they identify as having a sex-positive, sex-neutral, or sex-averse attitude. As expected, allosexual adults were largely sex-positive (82%) and almost all (89%) had a romantic orientation that matched their sexual orientation. In contrast, we found that only 37% of asexual adults had concordant sexual and romantic orientations and that most asexual adults self-identify as either sex-neutral (41%) or sex-averse (54%). Further, we used a semantic differential task to assess sexual intimacy attitudes and how they varied for adults based on sexual attitude. Asexual adults, regardless of sexual attitude, had less positive attitudes overall than allosexual adults. Interestingly, aromantic asexual adults did not have more negative attitudes about sexual intimacy than romantic asexual participants. Although asexual adults held less positive attitudes about sex than allosexual adults, there was considerable heterogeneity within our asexual sample. The current study provides further insight into the concordance between romantic and sexual orientation, and the associations among sexual and intimacy attitudes for both allosexual and asexual adults. These findings will have implications for future research on how asexual adults navigate romantic relationships.

Sexuality, Sexual Behavior, and Relationships of Asexual Individuals: Differences Between Aromantic and Romantic Orientation.

Asexuality is a complex construct with a considerable lack of research until recently. Building upon available findings, we examined the extent to which romantic orientation shapes individual and relationship experiences, and expectations of asexual individuals. Specifically, our research focused on the distinction between romantic asexual individuals, who experience romantic attraction, and aromantic asexual individuals, who do not experience romantic attraction. A cross-sectional study with members of different asexual online communities (N = 447, 55.02% women; Mage = 24.77 years, SD = 7.21) aimed at examining how both groups differ in their identification with the asexuality construct as measured by the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule et al., 2017), individual perspectives on sexuality, sexual behavior and relationships, concerns about commitment and sexual performance in a relationship, and attachment style. Results showed that aromantic asexual individuals identified more with asexuality, reported a more avoidant attachment style, and were more concerned with relationship commitment. In contrast, romantic asexual individuals reported less sex aversion, more sexual experiences (both past and current), and more sexual partners in the past. These individuals also engaged in romantic relationships more frequently in the past, had a stronger desire to engage in a romantic relationship in future (either with or without sexual intimacy), and were more concerned with sexual performance. Overall, our findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the need to consider romantic orientation when examining asexuality and its interpersonal outcomes.

Феномен двойничества в лирике С.Есенина и А.Блока

This article examines the problem of duality, characteristic of the mentality of Russian culture, especially intensified at critical moments of cultural and historical development. The general decline of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, impermanence, and the aggravation of the mystical principle contribute to the strengthening of the phenomenon of duality in the cultural consciousness of the Russian spiritual and cultural Renaissance, primarily in the works of such poets as A.Blok and S.Yesenin. The purpose of the study is to determine the functions of the duality motif in the poetry of A.Blok and S.Yesenin, since the phenomenon of duality is an important feature of their artistic world. The authors pay special attention to the term «duality» itself, which is already emerging in folklore and developing in the subsequent cultural tradition. It is shown that in studies the double can be viewed both positively and negatively. The article pays considerable attention to the function of images and motives of duality in S.Yesenin's poetry. Based on the analysis of the poem «The Black Man», which is the most striking example of the embodiment of the theme of duality, as well as the involvement of a number of other lyrical works of the poet, where the duality of his inner world is also traced, it is established that the motive of the double in Yesenin has a demonic nature, therefore he often plays the role of the enemy of the lyrical hero. The author substantiates the idea that this is one of the most significant works, which can certainly be called the key to understanding the entire artistic world of Sergei Yesenin and his life as a whole. This article is also devoted to a comprehensive study of the problem of «duality» in the lyrics of A.Blok. In the artistic world of A.Blok, there is also a split of consciousness, a mental conflict of opposite sides, which causes the appearance of doubles. Duality in Blok's work is a phenomenon of the poet's personality formation. It is connected to a greater extent with the romantic orientation of the poet. His philosophy of the existence of «other worlds» is very similar to the idea of a romantic «two worlds» embodied in the works of A.Fet and V.Zhukovsky. As a result, the authors come to the conclusion that the embodiment of the duality motif in the poetry of S.Yesenin and A.Blok was much deeper and more contradictory than just the appearance of the image of a double in the text of the work. We can talk about the split consciousness of the personality of poets. In their work, there is a trace of the spiritual duality of the poets, generated by the painful need to understand themselves, the world around them, to find their place in this world.

The identity development and internalization of asexual orientation in women: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

This study aimed to investigate the identity development and internalization of an asexual orientation and how asexual individuals attempt to reject and resist societal attitudes held towards their orientation. Participants were recruited through the online community the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) and included five women between the ages of 18 and 40. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Five themes emerged from the data: The Asexual Self, Discovering Asexuality, Disclosure, Navigating Relationships and Barriers to Accepting Asexuality. The development of an asexual identity was initiated through an awareness of the self as different within society and supported by external resources such as the online asexual community. Although all participants described a sense of pride surrounding their asexual identity, some participants at times attempted to minimize the importance of asexuality to their self-concepts. Social norms and the values of a heteronormative society influenced participants’ abilities to accept their orientation, as well as their coming-out processes. There were notable discrepancies between participants’ accounts that were specific to their romantic orientation and age. The theoretical implications of each theme within the development of an asexual identity and internalization of an asexual orientation are discussed.

Psychological Distress and Personality Dimensions Associated with Romantic Orientation Among Japanese Adults

Purpose: Evidence is scarce regarding the associations of romantic orientation with mental health and personality. The aims of the present study, therefore, were to examine psychological distress among homoromantic, biromantic, and heteroromantic adults and to investigate how personality dimensions influence their distress. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted between August 2018 and January 2021. Psychological distress, personality, and romantic orientation were assessed with the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), and a question about romantic orientation, respectively, in a web-based survey distributed to 11,922 participants. Saliva samples were collected for DNA extraction. After excluding those who did not cluster with Japanese ancestry and those whose genotypic sex did not match their reported sex, 11,662 individuals were included in further analyses. Results: The prevalence of being homoromantic or biromantic was 1.0% and 2.0% for females and 1.5% and 1.2% for males, respectively. Homoromantic males, but not females, had significantly higher K6 scores than their heteroromantic counterparts. Both male and female biromantic participants had significantly higher K6 scores than their heteroromantic counterparts. Furthermore, a significant association was found between romantic orientation and TIPI scores. Accounting for personality profiles did not alter the observed association between romantic orientation and psychological distress. Conclusion: Biromantic adults and homoromantic male adults of genetically confirmed Japanese ancestry living in Japan experienced higher psychological distress than heteroromantic individuals. The mental health disparities of the romantic minority individuals were irrespective of their personality profiles, suggesting the involvement of other factors such as minority stress in Japan.

Psychological Impact on Family of Transgender and Non-Conforming (TGNC) Children in Alex Gino’s “George” (Novel)

The paper is an attempt to contemplate the youth’s emotional, mental, romantic, and sexual orientation and its psychological influence on the members of the family. In novel, there is a discussion about sexual orientation, preferences for the minority individuals are somewhat or merely focused on the same sex. Writers like Christopher Isherwood, Evelyn Waugh, James Baldwin, Mary Renault have provided us with illuminating experience in their prose style on issues related to LGPTQ. The paper has accentuated the repertoire of qualitative literary review analysis, including qualitative data on the experience of parents of TGNC children. The paper delves with the dilemma of identification of one’s own sex and sense of self worth. The study focuses on the implications for transgender, gay, bisexual and lesbian youth and their family members’ psychological health and well being. Parental rejection and acceptance is the main concern. The importance of parents in the lives of youth is unassailable beginning with the birth of the child and affecting all relationships. Family Communication is an indispensable component when we talk about accepting and disclosing our hidden existence and feelings in front of our family member, whether parents or siblings. The main objective of the paper is to conceptualise the reactions of parents to the disclosure of their child’s identity, when one has been in disguise, ranging from acceptance to rejection: What are the consequences? How are they going to react? How are they going to manage stress level? How are they going to balance and maintain equality between the child and other children? Will they be able to appreciate their child’s heroism and endurance for revealing his/her true identity?

Encouraging Parental Sexual Communication with Teen Sons: A Social Norms Experiment

ABSTRACT Parent-child sexual communication is associated with myriad positive sex-related outcomes for young people, but these conversations tend to be infrequent and limited in scope. Using the Social Norms Approach, we hypothesized that learning that other parents talk with their children about sex-related topics would motivate parents to talk about more sex-related topics with their son. In an online experiment, parents in the United States (N = 378) with a son aged 13–16 were asked how many of 30 sex-related topics they had discussed with their son after exposure to one of the two SNA messages or a control. A 30-day follow-up study repeated these questions. The experiment revealed no significant differences between the three conditions, but all three conditions resulted in greater intentions to discuss more topics with their son in the future. Regardless of condition, parents who identify their sons as gay or bisexual talked about more sex-related topics than parents of sons who identify their sons as straight. The results from this study suggest that social norms messages are not more effective at increasing parents’ communication intentions. Parents in all conditions planned to discuss more sex-related topics with their son, suggesting that simply bringing these topics to parents’ attention may be enough to increase intentions to have these conversations. Findings are discussed in light of motivating and equipping parents to handle these conversations and tailoring educational materials for parents based on their child’s sexual and romantic orientation.

Sheppard, Elizabeth (“Shepilinda”). Memoirs of the City and University of Oxford in 1738. Ed. Geoffrey Neate. Oxford Historical Society, New Series, Vol. XLVII.

Sheppard, Elizabeth (“Shepilinda”). <i>Memoirs of the City and University of Oxford in 1738</i>. Ed. Geoffrey Neate. Oxford Historical Society, New Series, Vol. XLVII.

“The Model Man:” Shifting Perceptions of Asian American Masculinity and the Renegotiation of a Racial Hierarchy of Desire

Although Asian-descent men in the United States have been subjected to negative race-gender stereotyping and sexual racism, evidence suggests that mainstream perceptions and Asian American men’s self-definitions are in flux. Drawing on in-depth interviews of U.S.-born and -raised, middle-class, heterosexual Asian American men, supplemented by popular media textual analysis, we examine how these men are drawing upon a new form of alternative Asian American masculinity— one that we call “The Model Man”—in order to renegotiate their position within the present hierarchy of romantic preference. “The Model Man,” a hybrid masculinity construction that combines the elements of White hegemonic masculinity and model minority-based “Asian” masculinity, is co-opted and deployed by men as sexual/romantic capital—especially in relation to White women—because it enables the men to present themselves as desirable romantic partners. Although this masculinity strategy contains possibilities for further straitjacketing Asian American men via the model minority stereotype—and for re-inscribing heteronormativity and patriarchy/heterosexism—it may possess an unexpectedly subversive potential in allowing the men to contest their masculinity status and even remap hegemonic American manhood.