Last week, Reddit user u/Brucehasabeard sparked an enlightening conversation on the internet when they asked: "Blind people, what do you find physically attractive in a partner?"
The thread quickly went viral, as thousands of blind people — and a few of their loved ones — shared their experiences in the comments:
1. "As a legally blind person, I enjoy the voices of people. Helps me remember them better, too."
2. "For me, it's about, for lack of better description, textures. How does he feel? Is he firm? Fuzzy? Does he mind being touched in such an intense way?"
3. "Their heartbeat."
4. "I have to like someone’s personality. And I ask my friends if the person is good-looking — yes, blind people do that. I’m short, so I prefer people who are tall."
5. "Personally, physical fitness and hygiene matter most to me. I like a man who's fit and knows how to take care of himself (grooming, cologne, generally well put together). I personally am not a huge fan of facial hair or piercings, but a few of them are fine."
6. "His voice, smell, and choice in fabrics that he wears. I prefer softer things or microfleece, but that one isn't a huge issue usually."
7. "Oftentimes, the personality is way more important and the first thing I get to know about a girl. Like, when I talk to a person, I can get a pretty good idea of who they are. And for most people, getting to the point where I'm allowed to feel parts of their body takes some trust, and by that point, we're usually pretty close. So, where most guys would see a girl's physical beauty first before getting to know the rest of them, it's likely opposite for lower-vision people like me."
8. "My preference in order of what I find attractive goes like this. (I am not speaking for all blind people, this is my own experience.) Personality, voice, and body type. Looks don’t generally matter to me, but I prefer thicker people."
9. "Clothing can be hot — because of cut, though, not because of color."
10. "Hair that goes to around the neck. Long and comfy, which makes going through it a dream, yet not too long to fear never getting out of it."
11. "Purely physically, I tend to like people with soft, slightly squishy skin the most, though other skin types have a charm of their own. If the hair is soft and feels well taken care of, that's great too, and that applies to most things. It's usually easy to tell if someone takes good care of themselves, both through touch and smell. Speaking of smell, some smells are really attractive. I tend to gravitate toward sweeter, fruity scents, especially of fruits I like, like mango, strawberry, or orange."
12. "This might sound creepy, but their smell. Recently split up and the smell is something I so vividly crave in my mind. ... Second, how physically soft hugs and embraces feel — if you feel in a very soft and warm place, and at the same time feel so very safe."
13. "Pretty much everything but visual. In order of most important it would be: what I hear, what I smell, what I feel, what I see. More specifically on the physical side, I like soft, smooth skin and nice, round curves."
14. "As a blind man, I like boobies."
15. "My blind cousin had a bit in her vows to her husband about how great his ‘silky long hair’ felt, so I bet that’s a big deal for some blind ladies."
16. "My sweetheart is legally blind. She can't make out detail well, but says she loves to feel my muscles twitch, flex, and relax depending on what I'm doing."
And finally...
17. "I am legally blind. I'm not really good at recognizing faces, but definitely I love listening to people's voices and catching anything that is unique about them. Like accents, stuttering, if it sounds nasally or raspy. Little things like that can help me identify a person so much quicker."
You can read the full thread of responses on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.