🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Pine.SUN.3.94.961220094107.19685A-100000@access2.digex.net>, 
bfoy@access2.digex.net says...
> 
> On Wed, 18 Dec 1996, Dan Scheraga wrote:
> 
> > > These figures sound right-on.  _Esquire_ just did a story about men, and
> > > they mentioned that in a study of personals ads, almost all women required
> > > men to be tall.
> 
> I used to go through personal ads in the Washington Post, and very few of
> the women had actual height requirements.  Others stated tall but thats
> open to interpretation.  But even those were a small minority.  I saw ads
> asking for someone who is athletic, much more often.  But that has nothing
> to do with height.
> 
> > Bummer is an understatement.
> > But I...and most every other guy I know tall or short, require women to be slim, or at least not 
> > obese...when us short guys who know damn well what it's like to be ignored for such a 
> > superficial reason keep physical requirements for our mates, it's hypocrisy.  Obesity doesn't 
> > stop women from wanting taller guys, and that's hypocrisy, too.  But with the thrust of several 
> > eons of natural selection behind it, who can stop it?
> > Humans are animals and we've got no one to blame but ourselves.
> 
> Wrong, there is maybe 2 decades worth of natural selection.  As little as
> 50 years ago women were looking to date gentlemen.  Height was not a big
> factor in this, though some women did still prefer a tall gentleman.
> Of course others prefered smaller guys.  These preferences definitely
> change over time.  And they are not the same everywhere in the world.  So
> blaming this on "natural selection" is silly.  We make our own selections.
> 

I believe I read somewhere that the average woman is 10% smaller than the 
average man. What this suggests is that if women prefer taller men, then 
the population must either continue to get taller, or the hight 
difference between men and women must continue to get greater.

We are, as a population, getting taller, but not in any way proportional 
to this preference. I think it more likely that when a woman asks for a 
"tall" man, what she realy wants is a man who seems tall to her, about 
10% taller.

John

BTW, ever hear of the "gentle giant"? It tends to be true (social 
compinsation either way), so if you are looking for a gentleman then you 
would tend to wind up with a taller man.