Are Autistics Less Attractive Compared To Neurotypicals?

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The Case For Why People With Autism Are Less Attractive (On Average) Compared To Neurotypicals.


1. There is a stereotype about what someone with autism is supposed to look like. The stereotypical phenotype of an individual with autism is a man who is a bit of a nerd in terms of appearance, demeanor, and interests. So people with autism who fit this traditional phenotype are more likely to be diagnosed due to biases, while others who don't fit this traditional autism look, may have an easier time flying under the radar.

2. People who are really attractive may have an easier time making friends, not because they necessarily have better social skills, but because people tend to naturally congregate towards more attractive people and give them more social opportunities, and this is especially the case for attractive women. In addition, an attractive person's traits may be seen as more quirky, rather than weird and creepy. All of this likely benefits a really attractive person with Asperger's, so there's less likely for alarm bells to go off that they may have a social disorder.

3. People diagnosed with autism are less likely to be athletic due to poor motor control and coordination. As a result, they're less likely to be interested in exercise or sports. Exercise gives someone a better physique therefore making them more attractive, so someone who never exercises is less attractive on average than someone who puts in the time and effort to have a good body.

4. Autistic people, particularly lower functioning individuals, are less likely to be employed full time, and are less likely to have their drivers license. The ability to eat healthy along with getting good exercise, such as having a gym membership, all require the ability to drive and to make a decent enough income to afford these luxuries.

Number two is utter BS.

I don't think you have made a very strong case. Yes, attractive autistic women will attract men in spite of poor social skills, but hopefully they are now be diagnosed as kids. And remember Kanner said we tend to be attractive .

None of your arguments are very strong, and attractiveness is subjective.

I voted on the assumption that attractiveness is more than just looks.

That being said, autistics seem to have more problems with weight issues and looking after their health.

I often wonder about subconscious stuff. An Aspie may have ticks and movements that they're not even aware of and aren't purposefully doing and can't control. Even NTs themselves may not be able to spell it out on a conscious level, but something about the Aspie's subtle behavior seems "off" to NTs. See: UNCANNY VALLEY. Meaning, through an Aspie's involuntary mico-movements, NTs are turned off by Aspie mannerisms, which can fall under the category of unattractive in the NT's eyes.

It would be cool if someone did one of those face morphs using people officially diagnosed with Autism/Aspergers to see if there is a subtle -but noticeable- "look" to an Aspie vs. a Neurotypical.

Depends how you define attractive.

I met a guy a couple of years ago who I think looks attractive, but as I was talking to him I found him to be weirdly earnest about everything. He comes over like he's trying too hard. He's too young for me, but he's still single and I do wonder what women his own age make of him. Do they find him not attractive because of his strangeness?

It's more than looks.

Attractiveness is mostly objective, not subjective.

Everyone agrees that Danny Devito is less attractive then Henry Cavill.

Attractiveness is subjective, but only to a certain extent. For example, some people might consider Scarlett Johansson to be an 9, while others might think she's only a 7, but almost everyone would agree that she is considered conventionally attractive. Nobody in their right mind would consider her ugly.


If attractiveness is mostly subjective, then why are most male models 6 ft tall, fit, and broad-shouldered? If attractiveness were subjective, then we would see short overweight neckbeards as male models, but we don't.

That's not real world attractiveness. That's hand picked people used for marketing.

Look at who your relatives, workmates and neighbours are partnered up with and you'll see that attractiveness is subjective. All sorts of people are considered attractive to whoever falls for them.

This ^^^^

There are many attractive autistic people.

There are many NTs who are not all that attractive.

autistic people are not less or more attractive than neurotypical people but i agree that theres a stigma attached to autism that says we cant be attractive like we are all expected to be overweight spotty nerds

most people dont believe me that im autistic because they say i dont look autistic because im too attractive

it is offensive and a shame so many people think that way

There have been a lot of actors who were on the shorter side and considered sex symbols. Tom Cruise is 5'7. Taylor Lautner isn't as popular these days, but he was very popular ten years ago or so and he's 5'8. Not that short but definitely not tall. Both were sex symbols in their time.

There are also a lot of cultural variants. At points in history, heavier bodies were considered attractive because they were a sign of wealth. As for "neckbeards", most of the examples I've seen look rather unkempt. This is off-putting, because it indicates poor health and self-care.

It is true, however, that you will be less attractive if you don't take good care of yourself. This can be harder if you're neurodivergent and don't necessarily pay attention to such things. I have ADHD, which I think made it trickier for me to shave since I kept missing patches. This made me look unkempt. My girlfriend pointed this out to me, and I now do a better job of it (I also shave more regularly, which makes it easier).

Interestingly enough, I've seen photos of Danny DeVito as a young man and he was rather handsome. He does have Fairbank's Disease, a bone disorder, which is why he's short. Being shorter does make it harder for men, though DeVito is a rather extreme example.

The objective metrics of attractiveness are facial symmetry and health. Everything else is subjective, though culture wields considerable influence on what we perceive as attractive.

Well put. I think autistics, if well groomed and taking care of their health will look identical to NT's but I noticed they struggle a lot more with looking after their appearance and health. The life expectancy of a higher functioning autistic is dreadful which alone implies many must look a bit rough for their age.

Generally yes they are, because lack of social skills.

Humans are social creatures.

Attractiveness is very relative & this poll applies a generalization that there are LOTS of exceptions to. That said, I think autistic guys tend to be less attractive in general weather physical attraction, emotional attraction, lifestyle attraction, living situation attraction, or some other attraction or combo of. Lots of autistic guys have problems getting romantic relationships & I highly doubt that would be the case if we were seen just as attractive as NT guys are overall. Attractiveness may be more varied for autistic women thou for various reasons & going into that would end up turning into another major gender debate so I'll leave it at that.