from the
NY Daily News:
Hot...but attainable
How a few flaws can go a
long, long way in the sex stakes
By JO PIAZZA
"Man, she's hot. But I could so get her!"
That's the type of smack-worthy male phrase you'd never hear during, say, an episode of "Friends," or "Grey's Anatomy." The women on those shows are way too skinny and flawless.
But if you've ever been in the company of men watching CBS' Monday night comedy "How I Met Your Mother," you might hear such a sentiment expressed.
All of the girls on the show - Robin (Cobie Smulders), Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Victoria (Ashley Williams) - are what guys call "attainable hot."
The "attainable hot" girl is pretty, but not so gorgeous that she only dates millionaires and celebrities. In fact, she looks just enough like your sister or neighbor to make an average guy thinks he can get her.
If you've missed "How I Met Your Mother," the show revolves around Ted, a 28-year-old architect (and pretty normal guy), telling his future children about how he met their mother and all the dating misadventures along the way.
His gal pals include Robin (who also might be a future love interest), Lily (his best friend's fiancee) and Victoria (the girl he screws over) - all women who drink beer, and have imperfect hair and the bods of normal gals.
Don't get us wrong, the ladies on CBS' sleeper hit, set in Manhattan, are gorgeous. But unlike their television counterparts on other shows set in California (like "The O.C.'s" Mischa Barton), these girls have flaws.
The "attainable hot" category includes actresses like Amanda Bynes of "What I Like About You," Laura Prepon of "That '70s Show," and Sara Ramirez of "Grey's Anatomy."
But Smulders' Robin, "How I Met Your Mother's" lead character, is the "attainable" poster girl.
"She seems very approachable. She is the kind of girl that you or your friends would date. She is 'attainable,'" says Ryan Budke, a 25-year old writer. "My own real 'girl next door' crush at the moment shares a lot in common with Robin."
"These girls are like fantasies for slobbo young guys who don't want to watch their carb intake and can sit back and think 'I can still get a girl like that,'" says Ken Tucker, editor-at-large for Entertainment Weekly.
"Now instead of truly unattainable fantasy women like Heather Locklear you have these more ordinary girls who are still portrayed by actresses who any guys would love to pin up on their walls."
Tucker cites Pam (Jenna Fischer) from NBC's "The Office" as another example of "attainable hot."
"Half the people at our magazine have a crush on Pam," says Tucker, "because she seems attainable but is still really really pretty."