Height and Legs
The site UKDating.com compiled the "seeking" information from 40,000 women's dating profiles to make a profile of "the perfect man." The Daily Mail (UK, 2008) claims that height was the most important attribute, specifying that "Mr. Right" should be at least 5'10". Good looks came in second to height. Perhaps the importance of height contributes to short men's greater tendency towards violent suicide (New Scientist, 2008).
Several UK papers call the survey a counterpoint to recent research on the attractiveness of long legs. This comparison is incorrect, however, because Sorokowski and Pawlowski (2008) rated leg-to-body ratio attractiveness on both men and women. Sorokowski and Pawlowski had 118 women and 100 men rate the attractiveness of 7 men and 7 women in photographs, height-matched but with the images manipulated to change leg length. Legs 5% longer than average were most attractive; legs 15% longer than average were too long (±15% was the greatest variation tested). Pawlowski suggests that longer legs signal health, making them attractive on an evolutionary basis. It seems the author himself may be a "leg man"; Pawlowski (2001) theorizes that fat deposits on women's hips and buttocks evolved to counterbalance pregnancy.
The news articles give the average height of a Polish woman at 5'4" with an inseam of 29". I'm probably only 5'3.5", and I think my real inseam is probably a 28", but I tend to wear a 30" because I like a little slouch at the ankle. Also, no one sells a 28". "Big and Tall" stores are everywhere; "Short and Slim" -- let alone "Short and Hippy" -- men's clothes are almost impossible to find, which is a frequent point of complaint in the FTM communities. Testosterone, time, and exercise has melted away most of my hips, but the bone structure remains, making it extremely hard to find clothes that fit. Seriously, buying jeans is enough to make me consider violent suicide.
Several UK papers call the survey a counterpoint to recent research on the attractiveness of long legs. This comparison is incorrect, however, because Sorokowski and Pawlowski (2008) rated leg-to-body ratio attractiveness on both men and women. Sorokowski and Pawlowski had 118 women and 100 men rate the attractiveness of 7 men and 7 women in photographs, height-matched but with the images manipulated to change leg length. Legs 5% longer than average were most attractive; legs 15% longer than average were too long (±15% was the greatest variation tested). Pawlowski suggests that longer legs signal health, making them attractive on an evolutionary basis. It seems the author himself may be a "leg man"; Pawlowski (2001) theorizes that fat deposits on women's hips and buttocks evolved to counterbalance pregnancy.
The news articles give the average height of a Polish woman at 5'4" with an inseam of 29". I'm probably only 5'3.5", and I think my real inseam is probably a 28", but I tend to wear a 30" because I like a little slouch at the ankle. Also, no one sells a 28". "Big and Tall" stores are everywhere; "Short and Slim" -- let alone "Short and Hippy" -- men's clothes are almost impossible to find, which is a frequent point of complaint in the FTM communities. Testosterone, time, and exercise has melted away most of my hips, but the bone structure remains, making it extremely hard to find clothes that fit. Seriously, buying jeans is enough to make me consider violent suicide.