🚀 go-pugleaf

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.

					- Ben

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"Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
 Removes the colours from our sight.
 Red is grey and yellow white,
 But we decide which one is right.
 And which is an illusion???."   
      from Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues 1967