Not Just for Veterans Day: Do Men Love Uniforms Like Women Do?
4 psychological reasons some men do
Women have long had the reputation for loving men in uniform, but how do men feel about uniforms? As with any other part of our sexual makeup, it depends on the individual — and many individual men, whether straight or gay, can be attracted to uniforms for various reasons. The following are some of them, on Veterans Day and beyond.
“I have found that heterosexual males who are firm in themselves, and secure with who they are, are often attracted to females in uniform.” — Elizabeth Papa
Attraction to Strength
According to Elizabeth Papa, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Owner of Beach Cottage Counseling, LLC., some men may like women in uniform for the same reason that women like men in uniform — it represents a strength that they find attractive. However, Papa notes that for some men, this exact same power is considered a turnoff.
“I have found that heterosexual males who are firm in themselves, and secure with who they are, are often attracted to females in uniform. The uniform can represent the same in women as it does for men — stability, power, and strength,” she explained. “In our society, some males can either be intimidated and turned off by these attributes in women, or very much attracted and appreciative of them.”
This lure of strength may also cause gay men to develop an attraction to men in uniform as well.
“Erotic homosexual images frequently include men in uniform, possibly because they’re the embodiment of traditionally male attributes and the indication of a man of action,” said licensed relationship and sex therapist Indigo Stray Conger, Co-Founder of Mile High Psychotherapy and writer for Choosing Therapy. “The reasons these images exist may also include that the military and traditionally male uniformed professions, such as policemen and firemen, despite a history of homophobic atmospheres are also a great context to find potentially hot homosexual mates. Look no further than the Village People’s ‘Y.M.C.A.’, an iconic gay song of the seventies, including a policeman and a military man.”
Attraction to Camaraderie
For some gay men, it’s not just an attraction to strength that leads them to desire men in uniform — there’s also a sense of solidarity they may feel, which can be rooted in their childhood experiences.
“For men with other men in uniform, it is sometimes camaraderie and mutual respect, and other times a competition, depending on the status of the particular uniform,” said Tiffany Yelverton, Founder of Entice Me Soirees, Inc. “For those men who have military father figures, it is a respect of the title and uniform. This can also elicit trauma response if the father figure was a disciplinarian and the man was affected by this as a child — whereas women tend to be attracted to men who are similar to their father figures, even if they experienced trauma.”
“Powerful men can be attracted to a woman in an alternative uniform, like a dominatrix.” — Tiffany Yelverton
Attraction to Traditionally Feminine Uniforms
Straight men who are not turned on by the power of uniforms worn by women like servicemembers and police officers may still like women in uniforms — just of the more traditionally feminine variety. For these men, the uniforms worn by nurses or maids may be more attractive since they accentuate women’s femininity.
“Men are often drawn to women in uniform, but often for different reasons. Men are drawn to women in nursing uniforms because they associate nurses with feminine characteristics, such as being caring and nurturing,” said Amber Artis, CEO and Certified Matchmaker at Select Date Society. “Men also tend to sexualize uniforms, such as traditional nurses or maid’s uniforms. Men are more likely to have a uniform fetish when it comes to these uniforms. Men with a strong need to have a partner they can trust and admire may also be drawn to military, police, and firefighter uniforms.”
Attraction to Alternative Uniforms
While some men may be attracted to women who wear traditionally female uniforms, Yelverton notes that in some cases, men develop an attraction to uniforms considered out of the mainstream — particularly if they’re linked to a fetish men indulge in.
“Powerful men can be attracted to a woman in an alternative uniform, like a dominatrix. Research has found that men in dominant, powerful roles crave to let go and not be in charge in the bedroom because they are in charge, making decisions in other areas of life,” Yelverton said. “Because of their professional persona, they have intense exterior walls up that keep them ‘tough.’ For them to feel and to break through that tough exterior, it can require intense pain, which can be elicited through BDSM. This is why there are more dominatrixes in Washington, D.C. than practically anywhere else.”
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