Height, does it really matter?

In summary: It just makes me feel more delicate.In summary, most girls want a tall guy, but the height doesn't matter as much as the personality. Guys should focus on being laid back and confident, and that will carry them far.
  • #1
Edin_Dzeko
204
0
Well what do you guys and girls think. Does height play any role in attractiveness, offer any advantages in dating especially if you're a guy? It seems like for girls, they have to worry about how big their breasts, and "bums" are and for guys it's about how tall they are.

Some girls actually have height cut-off ex, they won't date a guy who's below 6' and plenty of times in movies good looking guys are these tall muscular dudes. Women seem to dislike the idea of a short guy or a guy being shorter than them.

So does height really matter to you? Does it play any role in finding someone attractive? What do you think?
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For me personally, I'm not too height crazy in-terms of what I look for in a girl. I also wouldn't mind being taller than the girl either but personality triumphs all. Btw, would you consider 5'7 (1/2) and really close to 5'9 on shoes short for a guy?
 
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  • #2
personally I would like to date guys taller than me... its just me though and I think a lot of girls don't mind. I think its cos I'm kinda short, and I've kinda been conditioned to think this way. and a taller guy can easily kiss me on the head which is nice :)
 
  • #3
Everyone talks like this. I've known plenty of guys who said things like, "she's got to have the perfect behind," or "not one pound over 120." And a year or two later they're with women who are nowhere near those qualifications. When reality hits fantasy in the face, those unrealistic expectations roll straight into the gutter. I guess we are kinda set up to look for certain features, but the imperfections are the bread under the frosting.
 
  • #4
Edin_Dzeko said:
Well what do you guys and girls think. Does height play any role in attractiveness, offer any advantages in dating especially if you're a guy?
Most girls say they want a tall guy. It seems therefore, that any guy considered tall should have it made. Unfortunately, I know several tall lonely guys who can't seem to get any points for it and who haven't had a girlfriend in years.

I think the girls who say they want tall guys are mistaking the confidence that usually (but not always) accompanies above average height with the height itself.

In my experience the most laid back, confident guy wins. More than anything else girls are attracted to relaxed, happy, imperturbable guys who know what they're about. I know three short guys here (around 5' 6") who always have a girlfriend as well as a veritable harem of interested girls hanging around waiting to be next. What they share is that they're upbeat, social people who always seem happy and comfortable in their own skins. They get along with a huge variety of people, and also have an air of competence about them.
 
  • #5
I'm 5'5". Hubby is 6'2". I have always liked tall men, but I think it's because I'm not a dainty girl, and taller men make me feel more dainty.
 
  • #6
My college hugger was 'way taller than me. Especially when I first got there, because I grew another 4" my freshman year. We looked like Dudley Moore and Susan Anton whenever we were together, and whenever we met between classes we'd hug and kiss.

Height mattered a lot in HS. Not in college. Both of my long-term GFs were taller than me in college. When you are with a lady for a couple of years, and you start to get questions like "why is she with YOU?" you get the impression that some people consider height an important sorting factor.
 
  • #7
Anecdotally, yes being short is a disadvantage for guys. As is being bald. And fat. And hairy. That's simply the way things are. It just means that you work with a smaller pool of girls who might find you attractive. Luckily, there are lots of girls out there.
 
  • #8
I tend to like girls who are a little shorter then me. I don't get why women wear high heels.
 
  • #9
uby said:
Anecdotally, yes being short is a disadvantage for guys. As is being bald. And fat. And hairy. That's simply the way things are. It just means that you work with a smaller pool of girls who might find you attractive. Luckily, there are lots of girls out there.

Actually, some girls prefer "hairy" guys. And some girls prefer "fat" guys. But as a rule, probably yes.
 
  • #10
Galteeth said:
I tend to like girls who are a little shorter then me. I don't get why women wear high heels.

Next time you see one in heels, check out those legs. Yikes! Then you'll understand.

I'm 5'11" with my Pumas on; 6' with sneakers. I prefer girls to be shorter than me. I have a protective personality, and I don't think I'd be able to properly express it with a girl that was taller than me.
 
  • #11
FlexGunship said:
[...] I have a protective personality, and I don't think I'd be able to properly express it with a girl that was taller than me.

Why not?
 
  • #12
Dembadon said:
Why not?

If I stepped in front of her to stop a bullet, I wouldn't even keep her head safe!

Duh, obvious...
 
  • #13
Interesting program on NPR on a guy that lost his legs while young and went on to a career in designing prosthetic limbs.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/10/137552538/the-double-amputee-who-designs-better-limbs

If you listen to the program, he mentions how his legs have adjustable height so he can adapt them to whatever cliff face he's planning on climbing. And how for a prank in a class he was taking, he increased his height 1 inch each class to see how long before anyone noticed.

That would be kind of interesting to do when dating someone you just met. Start out short and increase your height 1 inch each date. You'd literally grow in stature each date, leading her to think she must just be liking you more each date.

Well, at least until you eventually became over 7 feet tall - she might start wondering what's going on by then.
 
  • #14
zoobyshoe said:
In my experience the most laid back, confident guy wins. More than anything else girls are attracted to relaxed, happy, imperturbable guys who know what they're about.

As a general rule, this would work. I find that this sort of behaviour is what attracts people, not just women.

Also, it's especially how you "sell yourself" that matters. You don't have to be all of the above but you can sure as hell look like it! I'm not a very social person but I know how to talk to people. Sort of. I'm still working on it, but I can get by when I have to. :)

Don't worry about your height. I'm 6"3 but the fact that I'm underweight means that my height doesn't do me any favours at all. So, what do you do when you're in that kind of situation? You play to your strengths.

Confidence is something that'll come on its own, I think. The more you talk to people (whether male or female), the more you'll get used to their presence and the way that one specific crowd of persons "roll". Then, the easier it'll be for you to adapt to them.

Another thing. Maybe some won't agree with this but I think that "what you want and what you feel" should be more important *to you* than "what *she* wants and what she feels". If she wants something, she'll let you know. Somehow! Worry about yourself first.
 
  • #15
Thy Apathy said:
As a general rule, this would work. I find that this sort of behaviour is what attracts people, not just women.
Yes, everyone is attracted to this kind of personality. You're right.

Also, it's especially how you "sell yourself" that matters. You don't have to be all of the above but you can sure as hell look like it!
Also very true.

Another thing. Maybe some won't agree with this but I think that "what you want and what you feel" should be more important *to you* than "what *she* wants and what she feels". If she wants something, she'll let you know. Somehow! Worry about yourself first.
Good point.
 
  • #16
And since we are on math forums, I would rather say it's absolute luck, regardless of your body type.

Face and body style wins. What's the point if you are tallllll and overweight? or tall and average face looking? Tall !=> confidence or any thing other than a genetic trait. It's just a measurement that can be either horizontal or vertical.

Cheers!
 
  • #17
It's really stupid and shallow, but I really would rather date a guy who is taller than me than one who is shorter than me. If we're close in height or he's a little shorter, I can deal, though, it's not like I have some specific inch cutoff.
 
  • #18
I guess I'm a little shallow, haha. I never completely ruled women out if they were outside of my height parameters but they certainly got bonus points if they did fit my ideal range.

For whatever reason, I've never really been attracted to short women ... just seemed strange if they only came up to mid-chest or something. Having to bend or look down to talk up close, bend over to kiss, not dancing face to face, height differences when intimate, etc... all seemed infinitely more difficult if the girl was tiny, although it's probably not that big of a deal in reality.

I also thought it was weird if a woman was taller than me. I'm a pretty athletic guy, well muscled and a bit above average height, so yeah the whole concept of my mate being larger than me in any dimension was a big turn off. In my mind, having been a D1 wrestler, I just equated anybody bigger than me to be "mannish" in some primal way or whatever.

I know it's not "true" height but I still felt more comfortable if I were taller when we were dressed up and in heels. So if she was in 3 inch heels, and me being 6'02" in dress shoes. I typically looked for women in the 5'06" to 5'10" range.

Debra is 5'08" so everything worked out well. I'm quite certain she was looking for a man who was at least 6'00" since she too has remarked that it would be strange for her to be taller than me assuming she were in heels.
 
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  • #19
I think shorter guys are far more "dangerous" than tall guys , when it comes to attracting girls. I have seldom seen a tall "Don Juan". Also it is well known that big or tall girls/women are attracted to "small" men - maybe as a kind of "compensation". :redface:
 
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  • #20
Based on observation and experience...

Men generally like women from 5"4' to 5"11'
Women generally like men from 5"8' to 6"3'

Keep in mind, if you are a woman who by western standards is "too tall", there are plenty of tall guys who won't be too insecure about themselves to date you.

If you are a short guy, there are plenty of shorter women you can date without feeling insecure.
 
  • #21
I definitely think heigh matters. I personally have a cut-off of how tall a girl can be before I find them unattractive. The cut-off is exactly 5 ft 9 in (coincidentally my exact height!). I just don't find tall women attractive. Not that they don't have attractive features (nice face, breast, butt, personality) but being taller than me definitely turns me off. Also, I find it is more fun in the bedroom if the girl is not so tall (or overweight), but that is just me
 
  • #22
M Grandin said:
I think shorter guys are far more "dangerous" than tall guys , when it comes to attracting girls. I have seldom seen a tall "Don Juan". Also it is well known that big or tall girls/women are attracted to "small" men - maybe as a kind of "compensation". :redface:
Unless you have some valid research stating this, I would say you're wrong. Women *usually* prefer men that are taller.
 
  • #23
M Grandin said:
I think shorter guys are far more "dangerous" than tall guys , when it comes to attracting girls.

Haha, I know show shorter guys and that's exactly what they say as well. Probably they're more inclined to take on an "active hunter" role to attract woman, which makes them think they're more dangerous :smile:
 
  • #24
Evo said:
Women *usually* prefer men that are taller.
I agree with you, but this could be because they consider taller men "safer" for all anyone knows.

A poll of women would almost certainly show that they will say they prefer taller men. I'd be interested in comparing that to a lie detector/ galvanic skin response test administered while watching videos of guys generally considered "sexy" and appealing, despite being shorter.

What people say and what they actually respond to physiologically can be quite different. Men will almost invariably say they prefer slender women to "overweight" women, but a lie detector/galvanic skin response test might reveal there's not really any difference.

People, men and women, will often go into denial about whom they actually find attractive due to social pressure. Personally, I think women hypnotize each other into believing taller men are better, just as men hypnotize each other into thinking more slender women are better.
 
  • #25
When I was in HS, I barely got past 5'2", and even a growth-spurt in college after I stopped competitive long-distance running didn't get me much past 5'6". Still, my long-term hugger in college was 5'10" or so. I wanted to meet her even before that little growth spurt hit, so I approached her in the cafeteria once and asked if I could sit with her and she pulled out the chair next to her and said "I've been saving this for you." We probably looked like Dudley Moore and Susan Anton whenever we met between classes and hugged and kissed. She liked my music collection and liked it when I would play guitar and sing for her.
 
  • #26
Evo said:
Unless you have some valid research stating this, I would say you're wrong. Women *usually* prefer men that are taller.

Maybe I exaggerated somewhat. There are tall guys who can be regarded as
"Don Juan"s. For instance a friend of mine in boyhood who became a porno-star. But I
don´t know if it was the length of his body that made him success. He was also very good-looking and generally brave - perhaps the most important qualities for a girl hunter.

But generally I haven´t seen connection between body length and success with girls.
As "Monique" stated, shorter guys tend being more active girl hunters - not the least important quality.

A fat man stated: "It is not the length, it is the weight that counts!" :approve:
 
  • #28
Evo said:
Of course I'm only 5'3", so most men are taller than me anyway.

So do you like really tall guys, like 6'7" (kind of common where I live)?
Or should they at least be taller if you are on high heels?
Or does it suffice if they are, say, 5'4"?
 
  • #29
Height really doesn't matter for me. It's all about the brain, and the personalities.
 
  • #30
I like Serena said:
So do you like really tall guys, like 6'7" (kind of common where I live)?
Or should they at least be taller if you are on high heels?
Or does it suffice if they are, say, 5'4"?
5'7" is ok, up to 6'4, any taller and I'm staring into their belt buckle.
 
  • #31
My girlfriend is about a half inch or so shorter than me, I'm around 5'11". I feel like it'd be awkward if we were different heights, in either direction.
 
  • #32
Evo said:
5'7" is ok, up to 6'4, any taller and I'm staring into their belt buckle.

Good! I'm 5'7". :wink:
(Which is rather short for a man where I live.)
 
  • #33
Evo said:
There was a study published in the journal Nature, their conclusion was that women tend to prefer taller men.

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/news/20000112/women-tall-men

This study is odd for many reasons:

The researchers found that men without children are on average three cm. (1.2 inches) shorter than those with at least one child. The mean height of the men in this study was about 5 feet 6 inches. Dunbar says that unusually tall or short men were not included in the study because that may "reflect some pathological condition which may in turn have fertility consequences."

5'6" is not generally considered average, but short. If it's taken as the average, what, exactly, is the height at which men are found not to have fathered children? 4'10"?

Are Polish people that much shorter than other Europeans? If they are, it's the first I've heard of it.

Also, the study assumes without investigation that if a man has fathered a child his height was a factor in attracting the mother. We could probably take all the data from this study and use it to get to completely different conclusions: "Study shows men who have fathered children are less concerned about using birth control". Or: "Study shows men who have fathered children match the bell curve for height in any country". The latter because they say they threw out data, not just on the shortest men, but also on the tallest men. Being inordinately short or tall, they say, might indicate some pathology that affects fertility. It sounds, therefore, like there was a drop off in fathering kids at both sides of the bell curve, and what the study actually shows is that being too far outside the mean is what hurts your chances.

Setting the mean at 5'6" makes you wonder where the tall extreme was set. 6 feet? I think it's a very odd study.
 
  • #34
zoobyshoe said:
This study is odd for many reasons:

5'6" is not generally considered average, but short.
You doubt the validity of a paper published in Nature? I've been told that anything published in Nature was absolutely correct and only a crackpot would question them. :uhh: Yes, I was the one saying Nature was guilty of publishing biased studies. :tongue2: Nothing is above bias, especially among a group of individuals, that being in the same field might know each other and share the same opinions. /End rant

Depends on the part of the world, but 5'7" is considered average height for men "worldwide", in western countries, the average is closer to 5'9" to 5'10".

I don't hold much to studies like this, and I think a poll of women would just as easily have corroborated that the majority of women prefer a man that is taller than herself, although being taller doesn't necessarily mean being tall. A man that is 5'4" is taller than me.
 
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  • #35
Evo said:
A man that is 5'4" is taller than me.
My wife is 5'2". Until I ruptured a disk (when a friend dropped his half of my motorcycle which we were loading) I was a solid 5" taller than her. I should have let the bike fall on me and take the bruises and likely cracked ribs instead of wrecking my back. There are plenty of cute shorter women around, though in college I tended to hook up with tall, leggy ones.
 
<h2>1. What is the average height for men and women?</h2><p>The average height for men is around 5 feet 9 inches, while the average height for women is around 5 feet 4 inches. However, these averages can vary depending on factors such as genetics, nutrition, and geographical location.</p><h2>2. Does height affect a person's health?</h2><p>Height can play a role in a person's health, but it is not the only determining factor. Taller individuals may have a higher risk for certain health conditions such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, but this can also be influenced by other lifestyle factors.</p><h2>3. Is there a correlation between height and success?</h2><p>There is no direct correlation between height and success. While taller individuals may have certain advantages in certain fields, success is influenced by a variety of factors such as education, skills, and determination.</p><h2>4. Can height be changed or increased?</h2><p>Height is primarily determined by genetics, so it cannot be changed or increased significantly. However, factors such as nutrition and exercise can help individuals reach their full potential height.</p><h2>5. Does height have an impact on relationships?</h2><p>Height can play a role in relationships, but it is not the only factor. Ultimately, compatibility, communication, and mutual respect are more important in a relationship than height.</p>

1. What is the average height for men and women?

The average height for men is around 5 feet 9 inches, while the average height for women is around 5 feet 4 inches. However, these averages can vary depending on factors such as genetics, nutrition, and geographical location.

2. Does height affect a person's health?

Height can play a role in a person's health, but it is not the only determining factor. Taller individuals may have a higher risk for certain health conditions such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, but this can also be influenced by other lifestyle factors.

3. Is there a correlation between height and success?

There is no direct correlation between height and success. While taller individuals may have certain advantages in certain fields, success is influenced by a variety of factors such as education, skills, and determination.

4. Can height be changed or increased?

Height is primarily determined by genetics, so it cannot be changed or increased significantly. However, factors such as nutrition and exercise can help individuals reach their full potential height.

5. Does height have an impact on relationships?

Height can play a role in relationships, but it is not the only factor. Ultimately, compatibility, communication, and mutual respect are more important in a relationship than height.

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