@Outerspec:
Are you sure about that? Johnny Depp? John F. Kennedy Jr.? Sean Connery (older Sean Connery)? Tom Cruise? Jude Law? Etc… Maybe as a general trend the men on those lists are very muscular but you're making it seem they're all one type.
Yes for the most part the men on the sexy lists are muscular. Even some of the men you just listed are muscular such as Tom Cruise.
Yes, a tall and muscular man can make a woman feel secure. Also, women like skinny, big, short, and gangly men too. It's really not all about appearance when it comes to making your partner "feel secure". It's compatability of mind and body. It's personal taste.
I'm speaking strictly in biological, physical terms.
What? No really, what does self defence have to do with anything? Are you saying us muscular men are capable of defending ourselves but women who aren't designed to build as much muscle need a muscular man to feel secure? Are you saying women aren't able to defend themselves because their femininity makes them sleek and dainty?
Of course women can defend themselves. But I'm speaking in the strict evolutionary traits that still define what we look for in the opposite sex.
Women in ancient hunter gatherer tribes wanted a tall strong man as they could kill and protect them from wild animals and other men while providing for her and the children.
Women could defend themselves against these things, but it's just that a man would do it better as they were bigger, stronger and faster than the women.
Such circumstances don't apply as much in the modern day, but the evolutionary 'hangover' of women wanting a muscular man in order to protect them and their children is still very prevelent.
EDIT: Also, you say it isn't physically possible for women to build more muscle than a man and that men don't care about how much muscle a woman has. Tell me, how do you feel about women bodybuilders?
Female body builders usually use steroids and estrogen blockers to get than big. Not to mention male body builders are a lot bigger and can lift a lot more than female body builders and female body builders who rival their male counter parts are few and far inbetween.
More myostatin means less muscle growth. Testosterone blocks the myostatin protein from preventing muscle growth.Women have over 10 times less the amount of testosterone than men do, therefore they have a lot more myostatin than men and so they can't build as much muscle.