Tall women frequently develop bad posture – the old wives’ tale is that they have a natural tendency to do so as a result of conversing with shorter girl-friends. My auntie had a different theory - she always blamed my mother for never sending me to ballet.
The fact of the matter is that we are prone to stooping and social withdrawal in an effort to self-compact and make ourselves less noticeable. And now, women treated with oestrogen at puberty to prevent them from growing " too tall" find it harder to get pregnant, according to a new study (Salleh, 2004).
Despite changing social attitudes, males are generally coupled with shorter females… a phenomenon that is strengthened by the partner preferences of both genders! This is synonymous with the tribulations of the successful working girl, attracted to a man with a similar educational background, who is only really interested in courting his secretary.
When I found myself suddenly single in 2004, I came up with the following tender for a new Someone Special as a short joke.
- cl. 1 - male, aged 22-25
- cl. 2 - intelligent, yet technical, no accountants please!
- cl. 3 - must have an artistic soul
- cl. 4 - dark haired, light-eyed applicants are encouraged
- cl. 5 - slightly overweight applcants are preferable. Only thin men over six feet will be considered
- cl. 6 - must not be a wanker
- cl. 7 - deep voices drive me wild
- cl. 8 - must not be married with children
Ok - so clause 5 interestingly states that besides height, all I'm really looking for is somebody of a larger stature than mine. Someone strong enough to whisk me away or wrap his arm around my shoulders comfortably. Someone who'll swoop down to kiss me and make Ms. No-high-heels-thankyou feel petite. It works similarly for men... who nevertheless state that they downvote taller women because of the slouch. Sigh. This suggests that the height disparity between the sexes is very likely to go on. And since it isn't just a matter of being satisfied by a small difference in height, but more likely "the shorter, the better," well, that's just plain bad news to taller women/shorter men.
Bleh.
Statistics.
In short, the smaller female not only has the advantage of attracting a wider range of males, but has the additional benefit of standing straight, a clear sign of general well-being.
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source: Salleh, A. (2004), Tall girl treatment risks fertility Retrieved April 7, 2006 from
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1225034.htm"
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