Mate choice is favored by indirect selection if choosy females mate with males of high genetic quality. We believe, however, that testing hypotheses about indirect selection has been constrained by how we conceptualize and therefore empirically measure male genetic quality. Here, we argue that genetic quality is the breeding value of an individual for total fitness. We can therefore learn little about genetic quality from measures of only a few fitness components. We explain breeding value for total fitness, drawing on concepts from life-history theory and quantitative genetics, and suggest how approaches incorporating these insights might result in empirical progress.