Visual cues do matter for women, but not really more than other sensory ones. And to become significantly aroused, women definitely need more cues than men. As already suggested, a man's voice and scent is important—as is the sensuality of his touch. Visual cues—which do
not focus on sex organs at all—include a man's face, eyes (as in, the more intense the better), color of his hair, and his general body shape. And (actually similar to men here) women
do care about butts. As Ogas and Gaddam observe: "The gluteus maximus is a 'universal cue': it's the one piece of anatomy that straight men, gay men [and women], and straight women all find exciting" [not to mention primates!] (p. 166). Still, more than anything else, it's the combination of
many physical and psychological cues that succeeds in turning women on. And this is why romantic stories, using the written word to capture both their imagination and libido, have from the start been the most popular form of erotica for them.
There are additional triggers that activate female (and, somewhat differently, lesbian) sexual desire. But here I'll refrain from exploring them, since these stimuli are more appropriately discussed in later segments of this series (e.g.,
"Paradox and Pragmatism in Women's Sexual Desire" and "Why Erotic Illusions Can Turn You On Much More Than the Real Thing"). Instead, I'll conclude this post by quoting from Ogas and Gaddam's succinct summary on how women's sexual cues contrast with men's:
