Men are often attracted to women who are messed up, disabled in one way or another. I learned that we men have a "wounded bird syndrome."
I
learned this from Judy Heumann, one of the founders of the Disability
Independent Living Movement. I always found Judy attractive because she
is so strong, smart, competent, warm and universally wonderful. Judy
had polio as an infant and has been in a wheel chair most of her life.
One day when I was consulting with Judy and one of the groups she co-founded, I asked Judy if she had to fight off many men pursuing her. The answer was yes. She said that she and other women with visible disabilities were often 'hit on' by men. She said that her friends referred to it as the Wounded Bird Syndrome. She believed that many men wanted a woman who would be highly dependent on them and would return their caring treatment with loyalty and love.
Some women respond to this syndrome, others don't.