Okay... I look too.

I was in my boyfriend's apartment yesterday watching him at his computer when his screen saver switched over. He had turned his chair to talk with me and behind his back a very sexy photo of Mrs. Lindsey Vonn appeared.

"What's That??" I asked.

My boyfriend is generally pretty good about not letting me know that he checks other women out as often as every man does and so this was a bit of a surprise.

"What??" He said.
"That!!!" I laughed...still sort of puzzled as to why he thought that I wouldn't notice, or would allow the moment to pass without teasing him about his weakness.

"Oh!!" He looked a bit embarrassed.
"It's the Olympics....they have just random photos scroll through.... they have guys too!"

Yeah right..... I was willing to bet about a million dollars that a shirtless photo of Apollo Ohno was not going to follow the bikini clad Vonn...I did let my gaze hover however in the hopes that maybe the next photo would be of a sexy Canadian male hockey player. But alas, as I suspected...Mrs. Vonn didn't leave the screen to make way. Apparently this was a very limited "scroll through."

By the way, that woman has a lot to be proud of. I think any woman that does that much work on her body and is that dedicated to getting fabulous at something deserves admiration. I would further guess that she is very proud of that particular photo that I believe was featured in Sports Illustrated. We all like to feel beautiful right? I was just struck at a difference between the sexes.

Do I look at men? Yup. I look at women too because I do appreciate beauty and a healthy physique. However, being a woman I am aware that no matter how much I accomplish because of dedication and hard work, in many circumstances my value as a partner and as a woman will be judged (especially by other men) on my outside appearance.

My boyfriend likes how awesome Lindsey Vonn is at her sport, but he also really likes how awesome she looks in a bikini and a little snow hat (I'm guessing her HUSBAND likes it too). If she wasn't pretty, she most likely would not have generated so much attention. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth.

Now back to looking. Because I recognize that so much value is placed on how women look it is possible I have made a mistake in believing that men have similar insecurities. Because I love the man I am with and want him to believe he is perfect and beautiful I have not let him see me obviously "appreciating" male beauty in its variety of forms. I assumed it might hurt his feelings a little bit if he saw me smile when reading a message from a friend who was very pleased that her new apartment overlooked the fire station and she got to watch some lovely male specimens play basketball and work out over her evening glass of wine (uhhhh...sounds like they should be charging more for rent doesn't it ladies??) This particular female friend is very comfortable with appreciating the male form...regularly.

Perhaps I have been over vigilant in this respect. Maybe it would be just fine if I had photos of talented men (who happened to be scantily clad) appear on my personal computer at home as a pleasant background to my living space. Would the boyfriend say anything? Probably. Would he let me know that it bothered him? Probably not. Maybe it doesn't.

Women do look. We're just better at it and more considerate (when we have partners that we adore anyway!). When we're single and unattached, the firefighters playing basketball shirtless on a summer night are definitely an excellent topic of conversation. I'll be honest, I'd be there to enjoy that scenery and a glass of wine pretty darn quickly. If there is a possibility it makes the person I love feel even a bit of insecurity however, I'd opt to keep things like that off the radar and reserve my smiles and appreciation to moments when he isn't looking.

I will say that I don't think appreciating beautiful people is a matter of infidelity. You can look and still be a faithful mate. Your boyfriend isn't going to leave you because there is someone out there that is prettier...because there will ALWAYS be someone prettier. Really ladies, would you honestly leave your tried and true vacation partner/ trashy t.v watching companion because a young hot something caught your eye for a second or two? If there have been lots of deposits in that emotional bank account, the answer is a very clear no... and you probably don't give that other guy much more thought.

Maybe it's time for me to go ahead and join that Johnny Depp fan club. Perhaps I can even have some "ornamentation" in my living space to remind me of...what now exactly?? What is impossible?? What I wouldn't really want in real life anyway?? Nahhh..I'm too logical for that.

Great photo though Lindsey. You and your husband should both be proud of all your accomplishments.