[MrRubix]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

Take a class on sociology some time.

Social norms have an enormous impact on us, on what we feel is right and wrong. Homosexuality and abnormal fetishes are frowned down upon in society, so people will normally be turned away from them, not consciously, but subconsciously.

That plays a part in it, but much of it is indeed hardwired from the getgo. There's too much scientific evidence in support of this to really deny it. The types of people we come to find attractive depend on fine-tined preferences as we get older/more experienced, but the kick-starting mechanism is often beyond our control at birth.