When Chris Pratt made his Guardians of the Galaxy transformation, he detonated a series of epiphanies in the brains of men across the world. Any guy, a little soft around the edges, thought: I can ditch the fat, unsheathe my abs, and nab an Anna Faris. Well, you can’t have Anna Faris, but you can sure as hell get a knockout like her.
But say you’re just starting out on your own fitness journey, and your abs are more or less blanketed by years of crappy habits. Would you feel intimidated to ask out—or even date—a woman who’s rocking a 4- or 6-pack?
And even if you’re a Men’s Fitness regular: Would dating a girl whose abs pop more than yours be a blow to your ego?
We asked 20 guys to weigh in. Here’s what they said.
1. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. Honestly, I think it would motivate me to work out more, if anything. I can see why some guys are intimidated by girls with really defined abs, but I wouldn’t call it a deal breaker for me.” – Luke H.
2. “I do date a woman with better abs, so yes.” – Bobby D.
3. “Yes, I would date a woman with better abs than me, but I think it would motivate me to make a concerted effort to stay in shape and work on my abs. I think at first I’d be really self-conscious about myself if my girlfriend was in better shape, though.” – Chris J.
4. “I would absolutely date a girl with better abs than me—it would push me to work on my own abs. Plus, girls with abs are sexy.” – Sam L.
5. “If I have a keg and she has a 6-pack, we’re basically a match made in heaven.” – Colin F.
6. “Of course I would. My abs are mediocre at best. If a girl has better abs than me, more power to her.” – Michael V.
7. “I would absolutely date a girl with better abs, because at that point I’m already winning.” – Mike C.
8. “Well, my abs are nonexistent, so if I want to date, I have to be willing to date someone with better abs, period. They can be just a little better or way better, doesn’t really matter. However, I don’t need my girl’s midsection looking like rows of moguls on a double black diamond ski slope.” – Brady P.
9. “Yes, I would definitely date a woman with better abs than me, because it shows she’s committed to living a healthy lifestyle, which is very important to me.” – Tyler S.
10. “I would 100% be okay with a woman having better abs than me. Talk about motivation.” – Taylor O.
11. “Yeah, I would. I have the body type where a six-pack isn’t too realistic no matter how hard I work. Having said that, if she’s got ripped abs like Channing Tatum-status, I don’t think I’d be into it.” – Steve D.
12. “Hell yeah! Not only would that motivate me to get in similar shape, it would also be a huge ego boost to know a girl like her was into me.” – Tim N.
13. “Abs-olutely not.” – Nick Q.
14. “As long as she can’t beat me up.” – Jack E.
15. “Thats a pretty low bar, so yes.” – Eric M.
17. “Yes, I’d date a girl with better abs than me, because 1) most girls have better abs than me already and 2) it means she values physical activity, which is very attractive to me.” – Mike W.
18. “Yes, it would make me work harder to get abs.” – Russ M.
19. “I would date a woman with better abs than me as long as she wasn’t completely jacked.” – Skylar G.
20. “I would 100% date a woman with better abs than me. I would take her to the beach and pool all the time just to show her off.” – Drew H.
