The Playboy Sex Poll

The Emperor's new clothes. Clothes make the man. A wolf in sheep's clothing. Certainly, clothes are the one mask people wear to prevent others from seeing their real selves. In our dauntless search to discover the sexual truths that lurk behind the most fortified façades, we asked 100 men and women two simple questions: "What kind of clothes do you wear when you want to turn on the opposite sex and what do they wear that turns you on?"

We thought it was a simple question. We were wrong. This poll was our most difficult to date. Repeatedly, our subjects answered: "I'm not a sex object. I never think of the effect my appearance has on other people. I'm just me. What I wear isn't as important as who I am. That would be role playing." We pressed on. Further probing revealed that most men and women are liars. Under our brilliant cross-examinations, nearly everybody admitted to spending agonized hours before full-length mirrors, trying to decide what to wear to impress hot dates. Once again, we confess that our sample may not be a true cross section of America. Our only requirement was that subjects be fully dressed. Take your mind off that hanger and try these answers on for size.

Q: What Kind of Clothes do Women wear that Turns you on?

(Asked of 100 men)

Thirty-one percent of the men said they got excited by outfits that revealed a woman's breasts: "Anything I can see a nipple outline through--a sweater or a blouse--grabs me. I have a game I play where I try to make a woman's nipples get hard just by looking at them." "If a girl isn't afraid to show her tits in public, then I know she won't be afraid to do anything I ask her to when I get her in bed." "I dig a blouse with a round loose neck, so when a girl leans forward, I can look down inside and see her breasts. If we're lovers, I'll reach right in and fondle them--if we're in a place that's not too public."

Ten percent of the men got off on women who wore tight pants or skirts that showed off the ass: "Tight jeans with high boots. I'm a guy who loves seeing how the pants mold to her cheeks and the boots accentuate the long, sexy line of her leg."

Eight percent were into sexy evening gowns: "Those glistening, liquidlike clothes--dresses with fabrics like satin that flow around a woman's body make her look like she's supergraceful and sensuous--those make me horny as hell. I want to be the knife in the water."

Seven percent were turned on by clothes that drew attention to a lady's legs: "It's that few inches of skin between those short skirts and those boots that go halfway up her thighs that makes me hot." "Short skirts that display a lot of leg are just an invitation to check out where the legs end and the fun begins."

Seven percent thought that women who wore very feminine clothes were sexy: "I've probably seen too many movies, but I get off on any woman who wears a lacy Victorian dress, and maybe even carries a parasol."

Seven percent found women who wore bikinis exciting--either on the beach or under their clothing: "I've always been powerfully aroused by a woman who wears bikini panties, thick bracelets and chains around her neck. The bikini makes her look bold and yet vulnerable. It's a look that says, 'I am your slave.' "

Five percent of the men were total body watchers, liking women who wore outfits that hugged the body and accentuated slimness: "I fantasize being naked in bed, with her long legs and arms wrapped around me."

Four percent liked lingerie: "Guess I'm a traditionalist. Show me a woman in black silk from Frederick's of Hollywood and my cock gets hard."

Three percent liked leather: "A woman in leather looks like an animal in heat."

Another three percent liked women who wore trousers that were tight in the crotch: "Show me a woman who wears tight Levis that reveal her cunt and I'll guarantee you she moves great when she makes love."

The rest of the sample liked such diverse things as expensive clothing ("Women are sexy who look like they have enough money to get home by themselves"), the little-girl look, the rich-hippie look, terribly neat, almost fussy clothes, off-the-shoulder outfits, tuxedos, fur coats and overalls. Yes, overalls: "My girlfriend had a pair. From the side, everyone could see her tits completely exposed and, in some positions, even her pubic hairs. I think about her overalls a lot. She gave them to me as a going-away present."

Q: What Kind of Clothes do Men wear that Turns you on?

(Asked of 100 women)

Twenty-one percent of the women said they were really attracted to men who wore shirts that exposed their chests: "The sexiest thing I ever saw was a man wearing blue jeans and a shirt that was completely open blowing behind him as he rode his bicycle. He had a splendidly muscled torso and I could watch the play of his muscles as he gripped the handle bars. God, did I want to be those handle bars."

Twenty percent of the women were stimulated by men who wore tight clothes: "I can look at how a man's jeans fit and tell if he'll be a good fuck. Tight means great. Loose and sloppy means he'll be a disaster." "If a fellow has a small ass, I want to see it moving under tight Levis. I picture how it would feel to get my hands on it." "Seeing a man with his cock through his jeans makes me feel very aggressive and rather challenged. I wonder if it's as big as it appears to be."

Eleven percent of the women were turned on by men who dress in suits: "I go for guys who wear velvet. They look smooth, Continental and are probably good in bed."

Six percent were aroused by the rugged look: "Tough guys turn me on. I like exposed, tattooed arms, old motorcycle jackets and unshaven faces."

Four percent dug men who wore turtle-neck sweaters: "I love the lean, hungry look of a guy in a black turtleneck and jeans--like he's a cat burglar."

Four percent of the women liked men who wore shorts. Three percent were excited by men who wore leather and suede; another three percent liked "the English-professor look." Three percent liked guys who wore cowboy clothes: "Ladies really do love outlaws."

The rest of the women had divergent tastes, ranging from jock style (sweaters, sweat shirts and chinos), jump suits, vests, thin antique scarves wound around the neck, pants tucked into high boots ("It makes men look like pirates"), leotards, loincloths, string bikinis, trench coats and even towels ("The sight of a man wearing nothing but a towel around his waist makes me want to pull it off and rape him").

Q: What kind of Clothes do you wear when you want to Turn A Woman on?

(Asked of 100 men)

Sixteen percent of the men said that open shirts that revealed their chests aroused women the most: "Girls love to look at two things--a hairy chest and the other thing you can't show them in public." "They like to see the muscles and the lines of a man's body, without him having to advertise."

Fourteen percent said that women really got off on tight jeans: "I like my pants to be so tight that women can tell not only my sex but my religion." "Women I've slept with have told me that I have a great ass, so I wear tight pants to show it off. Also, a really tight pair of pants, snug around the crotch, can be a turn-on in itself. Get an erection and the pressure can get you off."

Ten percent of the men were sure that women liked men who dressed in well-cut suits: "I try to project an elegant style that says I'm rich. I wear an expensive suit, subdued silk shirts, conservative ties and British shoes. James Bond himself."

Nine percent of the guys fancied the rugged camping look: "A lumberjack outfit--rough plaid shirt, heavy trousers and boots--really brings out the girl in a woman."

Six percent said they thought the cowboy look turned women on: "My killer outfit is something I call the Rambling-Sam-Love-'Em-and-Leave-'Em-Man outfit. Old torn Levis, scuffed cowboy boots, an authentic cowboy shirt I bought in Waco and a blue handkerchief tied around my neck. It says I'm here tonight and gone by dawn."

Six percent felt leather was effective: "Black leather lets a girl know that I'm out to take her by force, if necessary."

Six percent felt sexy only in bathing suits, in spite of the seasonal limitations: "Women really admire a man who admires himself. That's why a G string is so seductive."

Five percent trusted a sporty but expensive look: "There's something very together about turtleneck sweaters, sports jackets and exquisitely fitting trousers. A touch of class for a piece of ass."

Five percent said that women found dark clothes erotic: "Black clothes make a man look slinky, evil and fascinating. Women are irresistibly attracted to that image of polished cruelty."

The rest of the sample ransacked Fibber McGee's closet for their erotic wardrobe, favoring such items as boots, shorts, jump suits, flowered shirts and chains, multicolored underwear, a suntan, tuxedos and even the collegiate buttondown-shirt, crew-neck-sweater trip. Kinky, that. And one man felt that opposites attracted: "I believe in the old adage 'Treat a lady like a whore and a whore like a lady,' so, depending on how she looks, I dress the opposite. It always works."

Q: What kind of Clothes do you wear when you want to Turn A Man on?

(Asked of 100 women)

Twenty-nine percent of the women said that an outfit that showed off their breasts was a sure-fire arouser: "A low-cut blouse and a crucifix on a chain between my boobs always catches a man's attention." "Guys can't resist looking at tits. When I talk to them, it's fun to see them try to look at my face when they keep wanting to look down my front."

Eighteen percent were sure that women were sexiest in black clothes: "Blacktells a man that I'm dangerous and sexually far out."

Twelve percent said that men got off on women who wore really tight clothes: "I have special jeans that I've worked on for years to keep patched and tight. They look like they've been sprayed on."

Nine percent said they wore what they considered to be feminine clothes: "I like to surprise a man with a whorish look, but in virginal white, as though to say, 'I'm in the profession, but it's my first time.' Under a white pinafore dress, I wear a wasp-waisted white-satin corset that pushes up my breasts. An offering to the lord of the manor."

Three percent of the women chose to accent their legs: "Snug-fitting jeans tucked into boots with wool leg warmers almost to the crotch make my legs look like they go on forever."

The rest of the ladies had slightly different ideas about dress: Some liked leather, while others thought men got turned on by women in men's clothes. A few had found success with the little-girl look, halter tops and the best of L. L. Bean's outdoor catalog: "I love dressing in heavy wool shirts, thick sweaters and hiking boots. It tells a guy that I'm adventurous and can take it." Some women believed in costumes (Arabian slave-girl outfits) and contrasts: "Wearing an ultrafeminine frilly blouse with old jeans. Men have to screw me to find out which style is the real me."

Summary: The chest is best. Tight is right. Both sexes professed a strong attraction to peeking at each other's pectoral muscles and, similarly, both knew that the exposed bosom was the most effective bait. Tight, form-fitting garments were the second favorite style. Apparently, most people like to see what they're getting, before they get into it. Dressy or formal clothes lost out to a more casual look but were ahead of rugged fashions.

Most people have several outfits in the category they consider sexiest. Often, these fashions say more about the kind of lover they are attracted to than about their own personalities. The clothes people wear to be sexy are those that make them feel very good about themselves.

At the end of our arduous efforts on behalf of this poll, we found ourselves wondering which is ultimately more effectively attractive--the right clothes or that feeling of confidence you project when you believe you're wearing the right clothes, which says to everyone who looks, "I'm ready." As always, it's different threads for different heads.