Posting a longer reply, since I didn't say much before.
What interests me in a woman? The whole package. People are a combination of things that come together to form theirselves- both their appearance and personality. I don't have a "type"... having gone out with girls from 4'9" to 6'0", A cups to DDs, from conervative shy virgins to girls who were working in strip clubs at 15, from women who were as much as 18 years my senior on down to girls who were considerably younger than I am, and just about every ethnicity under the sun... I'm probably starting to sound like a real whore now.
Anyway, if I have a type, maybe it's whomever I wasn't dating last. Variety is the Viagra of life.
So... it's really hard for me to get into specifics about what I like, what catches my eye, et cetera.
I realize I have somewhat more structured criteria for someone I would consider getting serious with. Most of the girls I go out with these days are just for fun... but if someone fits the following description that would put them a few steps closer to winning my heart...
I love intelligent women. I know some guys feel intimidated by this, but it's a major aphrodisiac for me. I've never met anyone I felt like I was intellectually inferior to, but if I found someone like that it would be a big turn on. In the meantime, anyone who is capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation, who gets some of my more esoteric jokes and whom I don't feel like I need to dumb down my own speech for would be great.
If I'm going to get serious with someone, I'd like them to be as sexual as I am, which I realize is a very tall order. I'd want someone who could keep up with me in bed easily, who was open to ALL kinds of sexual exploration, who had a nearly insatiable libido and would do anything to please me in the bedroom (of course I'd return the favor).
Ideally, I'd want someone trusting, who was not jealous or controlling. Someone I felt I could share anything with, which again I realize is a tall order just because I'm kind of messed up. If I could find someone who I felt completely comfortable around the same way when I am by myself... who I thought that I could share as much of myself with as I have with my friend Ben (who is the only person I tell everything to). That would be unimaginably cool. Haven't found that yet.
Someone with similar tastes and interests as mine would be a big plus. I don't care if they like ALL of the same things I do... but really what good is a relationship if you can't do stuff together you both enjoy. Being a fanatical fan of Nine Inch Nails would be a big plus. Someone who I could sit down and watch cartoons with, Tim Burton movies, Fight Club, The Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, Terminator 2, anime, Adult Swim, The Daily Show, South Park, and whatever else I've got on my DVD shelf without them getting bored would be nice. I was recently down in my basement looking at all my DVDs thinking to myself I really needed a girlfriend so I'd have someone to watch them all again with... because watching movies by yourself that you've already seen 30 times seems kind of pathetic.
I have to agree with AboutAverage... I like a girl with history. I'm not sure why, I guess for some of the same reasons he articulated. Someone who's been through the wringer a few times, has some scars, some emotional baggage... I think this makes relationships more interesting. It makes me feel like I can relate more to the person and that they can relate more to me... also if someone can confess things like this to me it really softens my heart. Talking about what sports teams you like is going to put me to sleep... but tell me about how hard it was picking up the pieces of your life after your first boyfriend dumped you or about the sense of rejection you had to cope with when your father abandoned you and you'll have me in the palm of your hand. I like people who aren't afraid to open up and show weakness. and people who have grown from their past mistakes.
Women with something going on in their own lives are hot. Whether that takes the form of a career woman, someone in higher education, who's taken up an instrument, or something along those lines doesn't really matter. Just be able to tell me something when I ask what's new besides how many people you talked to today on the IMer. Feel passionate about something and that's a plus.
As for personality type... someone not A-type, more laid back. Open-minded to new ideas. Adaptable. A great sense of humor is a must, though I already mentioned intelligence and I think those two things go hand in hand. Someone self-reliant but still able to invest parts of themselves in others.
In an ideal world my perfect partner would be absolutely gorgeous, but again it's hard for me to pick out particulars. As long as you're not morbidly obese and take care of your own body... I tend to like petite women but I like tall girls, too. I tend to like thin but I also have a thing for curvy... Like brunettes but could definitely go for blondes or redheads... Non-obese, non-smoker, non-heavy-drug-user, non-alcholoic, and very attractive, in some way, those are my chief criteria. Having an original sense of style is a big plus.
So many other little things, too... but ultimately... if I'm into a girl often I'm not sure exactly why. Sometimes I feel myself falling for someone and it catches me completely off guard. I think those indefinable things are really the most important. Those qualities that make your heart flutter that you either don't fully understand or can't quite put your finger on.