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Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate selection?

Hypersonic

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This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

Why would you assume that women possess any degree of control over the kinds of men that they are attracted to in the first place? For the vast majority of human beings, sexual attraction is a matter of ingrained nature, not personal choice. It is a judgment made at the innate and instinctual, rather than conscious, level.

In short, the female gender has spent the last several million years deliberately selecting mates based upon physical criteria which qualify men as being better "protectors" and providers (height, strength, aggression, social intelligence, etca), and so that is what they continue to look for today. It's simply how they're wired.

It's the same reason why men tend to favor women who show obvious physical signs of health and fertility (i.e. wide hips, ample buttocks, large breasts, strong legs, thick shiny hair, etca) over those who do not. The selection of such traits have traditionally best served to ensure the survival of the human species, so that is what evolutionary instinct has honed us to look for in the opposite sex.

What you've stumbled upon here is nothing less than a fundamental truth of human nature; namely that the sexes have evolved to serve certain innate roles, and that this is reflected in their breeding habits. Our natural instincts are still keenly aware of this fact even if society at large is not.

Frankly, this is a truth so plainly self-evident that it strikes me as being more than a little silly that you'd even need to ask about it.
 
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Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

My wife is taller than I am and she prefers taller men.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Why would you assume that women possess any degree of control over the kinds of men that they are attracted to in the first place? For the vast majority of human beings, sexual attraction is a matter of ingrained nature, not personal choice. It is a judgment made at the innate and instinctual, rather than conscious, level.

In short, the female gender has spent the last several million years deliberately selecting mates based upon physical criteria which qualify men as being better "protectors" and providers (height, strength, aggression, social intelligence, etca), and so that is what they continue to look for today. It's simply how they're wired.

It's the same reason why men tend to favor women who show obvious physical signs of health and fertility (i.e. wide hips, ample buttocks, large breasts, strong legs, thick shiny hair, etca). The selection of such traits have traditionally best served to ensure the survival of the human species, so that is what evolutionary instinct has honed us to look for in the opposite sex.

What you've stumbled upon here is nothing less than a fundamental truth of human nature; namely that the sexes have evolved to serve certain roles, and that this is reflected in their breeding habits. Our natural instincts are still keenly aware of this fact even if society at large is not.

Frankly, this is a truth so plainly self-evident that it strikes me as being more than a little silly that you'd even need to ask about it.

I disagree. According to my study I did in undergrad my study does agree with you, but I believe we as people assert some control over mate choice. For instance if a single person works in a hospital for a certain period of time, they are more likely to date someone who works in a hospital or within proximity to that facility. Proximity is a factor. Sure, people like what they like, but not all men like a curvaceous woman as you mention one who has the physical traits of fertility. Some men prefer women who are very thin with small breasts. My point is choices are not always as cut and dry however I am mostly referring to the idea of the correlation between protector and a man's height and whether self-ascribed independent women depend on a man as protector based on the height factor.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

My wife is taller than I am and she prefers taller men.

Great! Why does she prefer taller men (although she is taller than you)
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

No light here. I'm 5' with shoes on - everyone's taller than me. :shrug: For me - it's just the way it is. I've never met a grown man who was shorter than me. Close to my height perhaps, but not shorter. So I don't understand it, either.

But maybe you should also ask 'why do men prefer women who are shorter' - on that note, my parents are 2" apart. My mother's taller. Yet, we're all around 5' - so we've all been made fun of for being short. Men receive the brunt of the jokes, though.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

People are for the most part ,emotionally stupid. This may sound sexist, but women are more emotionally stupid than men on average.

Though you can't go wrong with being tall, fit, handsome and rich, it doesn't guarantee that she will love you, just increases the odds of her sleeping with you.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

I disagree. According to my study I did in undergrad my study does agree with you, but I believe we as people assert some control over mate choice. For instance if a single person works in a hospital for a certain period of time, they are more likely to date someone who works in a hospital or within proximity to that facility. Proximity is a factor. Sure, people like what they like, but not all men like a curvaceous woman as you mention one who has the physical traits of fertility. Some men prefer women who are very thin with small breasts. My point is choices are not always as cut and dry however I am mostly referring to the idea of the correlation between protector and a man's height and whether self-ascribed independent women depend on a man as protector based on the height factor.

We exert some degree of control over mate selection, surely. However, such control tends to be limited to the more superficial aspects of the aspects of the process, like where a person works, what their background happens to be, and minor physical details like eye, hair, and skin color.

This also doesn't change much of anything where the broad sexual archetypes most people tend to go after are concerned (i.e. 'tall dark and handsome,' 'petite,' voluptuous,' 'athletic,' etca), or in matters of general fertility.

For instance, while I could more or less take my pick among any of the women pictured here...

Women-Body-Shapes.jpg

...There's really nothing that's going to make the woman shown below seem any more attractive to me.

92769482-rescue-obese.jpg

Not to be mean, but basically everything about her is screaming to my animal instincts "bad genes, stay away!"

I think it is much the same with women. While the specific combinations of traits they go after may differ, the archetypes these traits represent, and the end goal they work towards, pretty much always remain the same.

Women are simply naturally wired to want strong, confident men who will be able to protect and provide for them.

But maybe you should also ask 'why do men prefer women who are shorter'.

Sexual dimorphism would be my guess. Physical size is a secondary characteristic, and so we tend to naturally go after members of the opposite sex who exhibit more extreme forms of it.

Being taller is associated with masculinity, whereas shorter stature is associated with femininity. Members of either sex who exhibit these traits are more attractive to the opposite sex, and so they are more likely to have children who pass those genes on to the next generation.

Women evolving to be shorter and heavier, says research
 
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Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

People are for the most part ,emotionally stupid. This may sound sexist, but women are more emotionally stupid than men on average.

Though you can't go wrong with being tall, fit, handsome and rich, it doesn't guarantee that she will love you, just increases the odds of her sleeping with you.

Ouch...bitter anyone?
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Taller could just mean good genes. Each generation seems to get taller so perhaps choosing taller men is a survival mechanism for our species. Taller men stand heads above the rest which naturally makes them good leaders. If you are always looking up at someone it difficult not to think of them as superior.

Interesting story, almost all of Napolean's Imperial Guard were extremely tall men and almost all of them were killed during the war and that is why most of the French people are so short today. I don't know if it's true but Napoleans Imperial Guard were very tall and the French people are rather short.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

Well, first of all, "mate selection" is not that simple. The majority of mature adults don't just sit there and tick off physically necessary characteristics before they'll date you. Most don't have an extremely strong pattern in what their partners look like. Many have no pattern at all. And even your initial few responses show that there is considerable variation in whether women care about height, and you've failed to factor in that it might be MEN who care about height as well.

You're approaching this as those there were some kind of standard equation that explains most mate selection, when there obviously isn't; novelty and flexibility is the cornerstone of human evolution and survival success, so what it is seen as "attractive" is considerably more mental than it would be for most other species.

Secondly, gender relations and internal gender concept aren't that simple either.

There are plenty of women who aspire to be truly self-empowered women, but that's a relatively new option for women in the West, and chances are, they were raised by not-very-empowered women, still interact with such women regularly, and still encounter men who prefer such women. That's going to have an impact on whether they truly see themselves as competent, regardless of how they would LIKE to see themselves.

When a society undergoes a major shift like that, there isn't some kind of line you can draw in the sand, and on this side the group is disempowered, and on the other side they're empowered. It's a change that takes place through generations. The hope is that each generation is better than the last, but it's not something that happens overnight, or even in a human lifespan.

Given that women who remember very oppressive standards for women are still alive even now, it's not at all surprising that even many younger women still hold conflicting images of themselves and how their relationships should be.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

We exert some degree of control over mate selection, surely. However, such control tends to be limited to the more superficial aspects of the aspects of the process, like where a person works, what their background happens to be, and minor physical details like eye, hair, and skin color.

This also doesn't change much of anything where the broad sexual archetypes most people tend to go after are concerned (i.e. 'tall dark and handsome,' 'petite,' voluptuous,' 'athletic,' etca), or in matters of general fertility.

For instance, while I could more or less take my pick among any of the women pictured here...

View attachment 67151630

...There's really nothing that's going to make the woman shown below seem any more attractive to me.

View attachment 67151631

Not to be mean, but basically everything about her is screaming to my animal instincts "bad genes, stay away!"

I think it is much the same with women. While the specific combinations of traits they go after may differ, the archetypes these traits represent, and the end goal they work towards, pretty much always remain the same.

Women are simply naturally wired to want strong, confident men who will be able to protect and provide for them.



Sexual dimorphism would be my guess. Physical size is a secondary characteristic, and so we tend to naturally go after members of the opposite sex who exhibit more extreme forms of it.

Being taller is associated with masculinity, whereas shorter stature is associated with femininity. Members of either sex who exhibit these traits are more attractive to the opposite sex, and so they are more likely to have children who pass those genes on to the next generation.

Women evolving to be shorter and heavier, says research

Hmm - but it's the average height of men which is dropping - and the average weight of men which is rising. . . So (no surprise) there's conflicting 'evidence'
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

I don't think you can ask someone that kind of question and expect to get a really good answer. Such choices are unconscious decisions I think, based more on instinct rather than really "choice." Same thing with the type of women a man is attracted to. I don't think it's a voluntary decision that is thought much about beforehand.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Hmm - but it's the average height of men which is dropping - and the average weight of men which is rising. . . So (no surprise) there's conflicting 'evidence'

Ummm... Wut?

Men are taller now that they've ever been, and they're only getting taller.

Average Height by Nation - Males < 20

The kinds of heights listed on that article would've been basically unthinkable a century ago.
 
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Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Ummm... Wut?

Men are taller now that they've ever been, and they're only getting taller.

Average Height by Nation - Males < 20

The kinds of heights listed on that article would've been basically unthinkable a century ago.

See - conflicting 'evidence' - I've read reports that say the opposite.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

See - conflicting 'evidence' - I've read reports that say the opposite.

I've never seen or read any study indicating that, so I can't really speak to the veracity of the claim. I would say, however; that it goes contrary to the majority view on such matters.

Average height for American men may be going down, but that is only due to the influx of immigrants from ethnic groups which tend to be shorter than native born whites and blacks our society is experiencing at the moment (Asians, Latinos, etca).

A lot of European nations with more homogeneous populations are only seeing average height increase as time goes by.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

Gathomas88 nailed it.

If I can turn the tables on YOU. Why do shorter than average men often want to date the tallest gal in the room?
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

I've never seen or read any study indicating that, so I can't really speak to the veracity of the claim. I would say, however; that it goes contrary to the majority view on such matters.

Average height for American men may be going down, but that is only due to the influx of immigrants from ethnic groups which tend to be shorter than native born whites and blacks our society is experiencing at the moment (Asians, Latinos, etca).

A lot of European nations with more homogeneous populations are only seeing average height increase as time goes by.

Well - I've heard it all . . . It depends on what you're watching/reading and who they studied. This one cites that we haven't changed too much: Were People Shorter in the Past? Average Height 'Back Then'
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

I Dont like un natraully tall people .
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Well - I've heard it all . . . It depends on what you're watching/reading and who they studied. This one cites that we haven't changed too much: Were People Shorter in the Past? Average Height 'Back Then'

Height is ultimately dependent upon health and nutrition. In times where people were better fed, they tended to be larger. In times when they are more poorly fed, they tend to be significant shorter.

Pre-historic hunter gatherers and medieval Vikings, for instance, tended be rather large for their eras because they had a lot of protein in their diets.

Early agricultural peoples and the lower classes of the Industrial era did not, and so they tended to be considerably smaller.

The rich and powerful, meanwhile, always would've been a bit on the larger side because they could afford to eat well.

That being said, however; the fact of the matter remains that modern people are objectively larger than human beings from any other era, even those who did happen to be well fed. Evidence of this fact isn't exactly hard to come by.

Take the following photo from a 1900 political conference, for instance.

Troops_of_the_Eight_nations_alliance_1900.jpg

From Left to Right, we have English, American, Australian, Indian, German, French, Austrian, Italian, and Japanese soldiers standing side by side.

The tallest man in this photo (the American) isn't any taller than 5'10". Let that sink in for a moment.

Also keep in mind that most militaries throughout history tended to maintain a certain standard for the height of their soldiers, especially back when hand-to-hand combat played a more prominent role in warfare.

In short, while I'm not sure if there is definitive evidence to suggest that men are evolving to be taller in the same way that woman are evolving to be shorter, there is certainly no evidence to suggest that we are getting any shorter either.

Again, men today are bigger than they've ever been.
 
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Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

I'll point out that most men, even those with no desire to have children, still prefer women who appear most suitable for child bearing and rearing (healthy, with noticeable breasts and hips etc.)

By the way, the perceived status is also a major factor in our mate selection. That is probably more of a factor in the preference for tall men than the protection aspect.
 
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Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

I Dont like un natraully tall people .

I have heard of some people with dwarfism getting surgery to extend their legs while they are children. Unless you count the use of high heel and platform shoes, with the exception of the surgically altered dwarves and some growth hormone users, nearly all tall people are natural.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

So - where does the average height for women come into play? Women have always been naturally shorter - in any race/culture - from any time period - than men.

Looking at it that way: I think it's a matter of women being taller - breaking away from 'the standard norm' and feeling 'out of place' because on average - we're always shorter. Anything out of the ordinary, physically, will make someone feel at odds with nature and people in general. As being more of an 'anomaly' and uncomfortable with differences - the same as being the tallest person in the room (or the shortest as I often am), or the fattest, or the skinniest, or the only one with glasses, or the one with lots of freckles.

Anytime a person has a physical feature that makes them stand out - makes them feel self-aware and uncomfortable generally speaking. This brings things around to the 'with heels on - I shouldn't be taller than him' . . . they don't want to stand out.

Inferior? No - I don't believe it's an issue of inferiority compared *to the opposite gender* - it's a sense of being out of place from the norm. Being petite hasn't made me inferior in any regard, all problems it's present I've overcome rather easily and don't consider my husband to be superior because he's taller . . . if I believed that - then I'd be on the bottom of the importance list in my mind, which just isn't how I am.
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

Gathomas88 nailed it.

If I can turn the tables on YOU. Why do shorter than average men often want to date the tallest gal in the room?

Their boobs are at the man's eye level
 
Re: Do women buy into a sense of unconscious inferiority when it comes to mate select

This is an honest question because as a person who frequently dates all types of women, and if I can take a page out of the movie "The Last Samurai" I am beset by the ironies of my life (when it comes to dealing with women and their preferences). When referring top preferences and the subject at hand I am referring mostly to women preferring men being taller. Because I'm so curious about this preference I tend to ask female co-workers of mine along with female strangers from school (also women I intend to date) as to why they prefer a taller man. Majority of their opinions did reference wearing high heels and not wanting to be taller than the man. Some highlight the idea that a taller man makes them secure in the event of an ensuing confrontation.

Knowing this, I recall a study I did in undergrad regarding the biopsychological effect of female mate selection between symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. In that study most female participants chose asymmetrical faces (squared jaw etc) as opposed to symmetrical faces (oval face) as the former is likely to pass on the best genes. Now of course the study I did was looking at early human selection. However if you look at contemporary trends of common female mate selection, you can see the choice of the "bad boy" (of course this projected image is due to media influence) along with the height preference one could make a strong argument that the patriarchal system in which we live in has indeed influenced a lot of female mate choices.

The idea of height being associated with the ability to protect, while being short, reflects an inability to protect reflects upon a social influence indicative of what is considered an Alpha and Beta male. Now what I mean by "women buying into their inferiority" I'm referring to the idea of the preference (or need) of a tall male for protection. As we all know or should know, being tall does not guarantee that a male is a suitable protector or even a suitable mate. However, it seems for those women who want a man to be tall the idea of a "protector" seems to be a common theme among these types of women.

As I recall one female who was my height in her heels (I'm 6'0) she called me short because she was my height, but of course when she took her heels off she is looking up at me. This is one paradox I don't understand regarding the female sex. On one hand there are progressive women who are independent and want society to accept them as autonomous beings who can fend for themselves but on the other hand these same individuals have preferences for taller men because of the "protective factor."

I hope some women can shed light on this complex issue for me---Yes I understand we all have preferences but if you can see my point it's quite complex to me because the idea of a women desiring someone to be tall for protection while claiming independence means in that one aspect of what they want for themselves seems like they acknowledge an impotence within themselves.

That is far too much thought going into the subject. Just remember, women think differently from men, and no matter how hard you work to understand what goes on in their head, you will never really figure it out.
 
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