View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

How Do Men Who Have Sex with Men Define Sexual Desirability?

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: How Do Men Who Have Sex with Men Define Sexual Desirability?
Authors: Grey, Wesley (AUTHOR), Griffiths, Scott (AUTHOR), Harris, Emily A. (AUTHOR), Acevedo, Janquel D. (AUTHOR), Kung, Po-Han (AUTHOR), Mancin, Paolo (AUTHOR), Austen, Emma (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Sex Research. Jun2026, Vol. 63 Issue 5, p795-811. 17p.
Subjects: Men who have sex with men, Sexual attraction, Hegemony, Oppression, Sexual orientation, Sex discrimination, Masculinity, Lust
Abstract: We investigated how men who have sex with men define sexual desirability. Sexual desire occurs in response to sexually relevant (i.e. desirable) stimuli, yet what attributes constitute sexually desirability, and why some and not others are seen as sexually desirable, remains unclear. We interviewed 24 men who have sex with men living in Australia (aged 21 to 64) between May and July 2023. We analyzed how interviewees defined sexual desirability using reflexive thematic analysis drawing upon sexual field theory. Interviewees defined sexual desirability as multidimensional, composed of appearance, affect, and behavior. Who and what were seen as desirable was dynamic, changing across time, place, and social interaction. Sexual desirability was described as shaped by systems of power. Hegemonic forms of sexual desirability influenced who was seen as sexy through systemic oppression, institutional and interpersonal discrimination, and their effect on individual men's attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions. Interviewees identified the White, muscular, and masculine cis man as the primary beneficiary of hegemonic desirability. Future work should investigate how hegemonic forms of desirability are resisted, and how otherwise sexually marginalized bodies become sexually desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 194417843
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: How Do Men Who Have Sex with Men Define Sexual Desirability?
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Grey%2C+Wesley%22">Grey, Wesley</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Griffiths%2C+Scott%22">Griffiths, Scott</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harris%2C+Emily+A%2E%22">Harris, Emily A.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Acevedo%2C+Janquel+D%2E%22">Acevedo, Janquel D.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kung%2C+Po-Han%22">Kung, Po-Han</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mancin%2C+Paolo%22">Mancin, Paolo</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Austen%2C+Emma%22">Austen, Emma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Sex+Research%22">Journal of Sex Research</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 63 Issue 5, p795-811. 17p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Men+who+have+sex+with+men%22">Men who have sex with men</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+attraction%22">Sexual attraction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hegemony%22">Hegemony</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oppression%22">Oppression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+orientation%22">Sexual orientation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+discrimination%22">Sex discrimination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Masculinity%22">Masculinity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lust%22">Lust</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: We investigated how men who have sex with men define sexual desirability. Sexual desire occurs in response to sexually relevant (i.e. desirable) stimuli, yet what attributes constitute sexually desirability, and why some and not others are seen as sexually desirable, remains unclear. We interviewed 24 men who have sex with men living in Australia (aged 21 to 64) between May and July 2023. We analyzed how interviewees defined sexual desirability using reflexive thematic analysis drawing upon sexual field theory. Interviewees defined sexual desirability as multidimensional, composed of appearance, affect, and behavior. Who and what were seen as desirable was dynamic, changing across time, place, and social interaction. Sexual desirability was described as shaped by systems of power. Hegemonic forms of sexual desirability influenced who was seen as sexy through systemic oppression, institutional and interpersonal discrimination, and their effect on individual men's attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions. Interviewees identified the White, muscular, and masculine cis man as the primary beneficiary of hegemonic desirability. Future work should investigate how hegemonic forms of desirability are resisted, and how otherwise sexually marginalized bodies become sexually desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194417843
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2541669
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 795
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Men who have sex with men
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual attraction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hegemony
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oppression
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual orientation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex discrimination
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Masculinity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lust
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: How Do Men Who Have Sex with Men Define Sexual Desirability?
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Grey, Wesley
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Griffiths, Scott
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Harris, Emily A.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Acevedo, Janquel D.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kung, Po-Han
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mancin, Paolo
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Austen, Emma
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00224499
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 63
            – Type: issue
              Value: 5
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Sex Research
              Type: main
ResultId 1