10 Things Women Love About Men

Men: Can't live with 'em, can't stop checking out their butts when they pass us on the street.
As fierce, independent women, we like to think that we don't need men. We can change our own tires…open our own jars…move our own furniture…Still, it sure is nice to have men around. Guys: Consider this a love letter from us to you. Below, ten things women love about
men.— Steph Auteri
1. Their bodies. Yep, we said it. Even the scrawny hipster-types have biceps that make us swoon. Their hands are almost always bigger than ours. No matter what size a guy is, he can always make us feel small and delicate. And what's with those beautiful, provocative veins guys have on their arms? And facial hair! Sure, it gets scratchy, but it looks so darn sexy.
2. Their innate ability to do and understand things we can't. We hate having to rely on anyone but ourselves but sometimes it's just easier to ask him to take care of it. We beg forgiveness for the gross generalizations that are about to follow, but we always ask him to carry heavy objects up the stairs (that's mainly because of laziness; we're perfectly capable), hang pictures and kill large, scary bugs. Though after that time he pretended to throw that bug carcass at us and we screamed like a 5-year-old girl, we might not ask him again.
3. Their secret sensitive side. When a guy cries in front of you, it can feel as if you've won the emotional lottery. Tears are a sign of extreme intimacy, and the fact that he's let down his guard probably means that he cares about you deeply and trusts you. We also love it when we catch our man staring at us with what can only be described as "tenderness." And when he pulls us close for a quick hug, or kisses the top of our heads, our hearts just melt.
4. Their scent. Their body wash. Their aftershave. Their (subtly-spritzed-on) cologne. Their natural, musky fragrance. All of it combines to create a perfume we can't help wanting to envelop ourselves in.
5. Their brains. It's been scientifically proven that the male brain is different from the female brain. We're not sure if that's what makes them enjoy wedgies, football and Star Wars or not. Either way, their essential "maleness," and their appreciation for our "femaleness" makes us feel pretty special about being women—and that is awesome.
6. Their sense of humor. We love that they charm us with jokes, think bodily functions are funny (we sometimes do, too) and make us laugh at our shortcomings and not take ourselves too seriously.
7. Their natural protectiveness. It makes us smile when they walk on the outside, nearest to the traffic, extend a hand to help us up a steep incline or worry that we're going to get kidnapped. Because, even if we can totally protect ourselves because we've followed a strict routine of kick-boxing and belly dancing, it's nice to feel taken care of.
8. Their clothes. Especially that giant, fuzzy sweater with navy blue stripes that's lined with fleece and that goes down to our knees and that—what? You can't find your sweater? Um…don't look at me.

9. Their dependability. Call it boring and predictable, but it's good to be with someone whose behavior is (at least most of the time) guided by logic and common sense rather than emotions. While it can be infuriating when he manages to maintain a completely calm demeanor in the face of our most melodramatic of meltdowns (don't you understand!?), it can also make us feel more secure.
10. Their undying passion for us…even when we're wearing granny panties. In a world that values appearance over so many other traits, it's nice to know that men desire us even when we're wearing decidedly unsexy pajamas, haven't shaved our legs in a week and have an emerging zit in the center of our foreheads. After all, they're not so perfect themselves, and we still love them. When it comes down to it, we're not so different after all.