Why Men Prefer Tall and Slim Women
- Monday, November 3, 2008, 19:15
- Relationships
- 46 comments
Now we know why tall and slim women look the most appealing to men. It’s all about geometry. The fact was discovered by psychologists from the University of Stockholm when they were studying the human perception of different geometrical figures. As a rule, tall women have straight shoulders and small waist, which makes their figure look like a square. The square, in its turn, is known to “call the tune” among geometrical figures, sitting at the top of their hierarchy. Compliance with this form earns its owner a status and image, arousing respect and admiration.
Women with “Round” Figure
Women with a round body shape would hardly appear on TV commercials or be a success in business. But there is a silver lining because men still regard round-shaped women as the most desired spouse.
Do Men Like Slim Women?
The pursuit of success, however, is affecting family life, too. ‘The more men (57% in 2007 vs. 38% in 1998) are looking for tall and slim wives’, – a co-author of the study psychologist Fride Kraigen says.
How Does an Ideal Woman Look Like?
Men’s craftiness knows no limits. For 58% of men, ideal lover is a woman of average or just below the average height. For 64%, ideal lover is supposed to have round-shaped body and just 11% would like to have a sexual intercourse with tall skinny woman of androgynous type.
Figure and Business
On the other hand, plumpness may help women to succeed in traditionally “male” businesses because their figure can delude men who tend to recognize serious competitors in highly representative “square” forms.
Interesting.
Although I think there is definitely a limit to how tall a women men prefer, even for the 42% of men who did not prescribe to the average or below average height preference.
Also I’m not sure height is good indication of slimness as many WNBA stars would agree.
I would say the woman we are talking about is 5’6″ – 5’8″ (maybe even up to 5’9″), which is tall to most women but really not far from average height.
I’m tall and thin, I think men love me. I think there is more than just physical appearance that men are attracted to.
Anyway, there are hardly men who would date a woman taller than them. Slim is always good. You can always gain weight, it’s not a problem. For modern people the problem is getting thin.
Another question is are there many women who would date a man weighting less than her?
No way!
A man must be higher and weight more than the woman. Otherwise the woman can’t feel there’s a Man by her side. I wouldn’t.
I’m male and prefer slim women. I’m not very tall that’s why as for me the girl shouldn’t be tall.
I totally agree with Sarah. A man must be a man, that is, stronger, higher and weighing more than his female partner. It’s a must!
I m five foot ten and I have never had a problem getting a man. I get looked at every where I go, and if I do the asking out i usually get a yes. Im 128 pounds and I think i look great in clothes and naked. I would not trade being tall for anything, why would i want to be a short chick> NO thanks. I have had one kid and my body looks better now than before. Being tall is great.
All women are beautiful, tall, short, thin and big women too.
Brooke Shields and Candice Olson, both 6′, are my current hottest celebrities. And I have a very good married friend who is close to, if not, 6′ tall and I think she’s really hot. I’m 6′ 2″ and my wife, of 37 years, is 5′ 7″. So, I’ve always liked tall ladies but when they’re almost eye to eye, well now!
I am tall and got curves.short women can be attractive to(not as tall women). So shortys you know what to do? No? GRAB SOME 15 CM HIGH HEELS AND BE TALL!
Id be interested to know how are where the author researched this and came up with the statistics. Im tall, slim and get alot of attention whereever I go. If you look into fashion or celebrities there are many tall, slim beautiful women who attract the opposite sex. Its got nothing to do with how tall, slim, round you are. The perception of beauty is different for everyone, it could be the personality, the smile, she could be tall but round. In the eye of the beholder, I find this story very narrow and in conclusive.
It is hard for me to believe that men prefer shorter women. All the tall model-type chicks have swarms of men clamoring for their attention and short midget good for nothings like myself are relegated to reject land. Even thought I have a really pretty face, my height, i.e. short stubby legs as opposed to leggy lusciousness, has left me depressed and angry at all the short stubby women who insists on populating the world with more short stubby kids to be painfully made fun of. Even my husband thinks I have a disgusting midget body and I am thin and in shape! (5’4, 116 pounds). America loves their tall people -sports, celebrities, models. To all you tall women -be thankful that you were blessed with sexy legs and can actually look your partner in their eyes instead of borrowing in their armpits.
Monica, it makes me so sad to read the things you wrote. I am sure you are beautiful. 5’4 is average, not short. Even so, I wish that short weren’t a negative word. What about petite? I am a tall woman, 5’11, and slim. I found this article because I am sometimes self-conscious about my size. Men seem to treat me like one of the guys instead of a woman. They shake my hand really firmly and puff up to try to look bigger than me. I don’t like it. Many of the clothes I wear are “boyfriend cut” or “boy shorts”, and my body type in magazines is called “boyish”. I do love being tall and slim, and clothes usually fit me very well. I hope that this height obsession goes away. All shapes and sizes are “womanly”. We are all “real women”. Same with men. I love men of all shapes and sizes, and am currently dating the most wonderful man who happens to be 5 inches shorter than me. It’s what’s inside that counts. Oh. And this article isn’t very good. What does “round” mean anyway?
LadyC, thank you for your supportive and thoughtful comments. I cannot find any websites that really give, scientific or statistical, support or encouragement to those that are short. I do see models, websites, magazines, and even sports women etc that deify tall women. I am so happy for you that you have someone that cherishes you and makes you feel beautiful because, by taking the time to make someone that you do not even know with low self esteem feel better, you are clearly a kind-hearted person. My husband is about the same height as your boyfriend and he used to worship the ground that tall women walked on. Sadly he has a thing for long legs too, and with a measly 30 inch inseam I feel like a freak. I never thought a thing about my height or my legs, and believe it or not, am still a feminist. I am torn though between my feminist mentality and the part of me that wants to be a ’10′ I just don’t think I will ever see myself the same way again, even if I did get rid of the guy that made me feel that way in the first place. It is so sad to me what a shallow world we live in and why men think they have the right to say who is and who is not a ’10.’ Honestly most men completely categorize women based on their looks and don’t think twice about saying “you have a big butt” or “I like girls with dark hair” while I have seen few women rip men’s appearance apart and crush their self esteem. I so desperately want to be a stronger women that saves herself. I want to be free of this nonsensical vanity that is such a huge part of our culture (and other cultures too), I am a good person-loving, kind, sensitive to others feelings, I am educated -moving on to grad school next year, and I know that every person is truly beautiful, if not conventionally, then in some other alluring sense. There are sexy fairy types and sexy Amazon types. If I am all of these things, and these are the things that I hold true and dear to my heart – why do I cry everyday about the one thing that I cannot change?
I’m 4’10″ft. Before I married I didn’t notice any difference in how often I got hit on and asked out compared to taller friends. Thankfully, many men aren’t set in their preferences and thankfully men who have preferences, have different preferences. My husband is 5’5″-5’6″ft. I don’t have a preference in my partner’s height but I tend to notice men around 5-2″ft-5’6″ft. The taller men I’ve dated were all introduced to me. I don’t think I’ve dated anyone over 6’2″ft. Dad’s (I’m adopted) 6’4″ft and none of my dates have been as tall as him. My mom’s around 5’8″ft and never had trouble getting dates either though she was considered a very tall woman for her generation. She was bullied for her height and a few boys have found her unattractive for her height in their time. I’ve been bullied for my shortness and some boys could only see me as a little sister type and felt no attraction possibly because I’m so short (slim, toned, curvy = have bum and boobs, precocious puberty) but at least I’ve never been told that being short made me ugly. It’s my small, slightly broad nose and low nose bridge that apparently makes me ugly in some guys eyes. Otherwise I don’t think either of us would’ve noticed the other one, lol!
I’m 4’10″ft. Before I married I didn’t notice any difference in how often I got hit on and asked out compared to taller friends. Thankfully, many men aren’t set in their preferences and thankfully men who have preferences, have different preferences. My husband is 5’5″-5’6″ft. I don’t have a preference in my partner’s height but I tend to notice men around 5-2″ft-5’6″ft. The taller men I’ve dated were all introduced to me. Otherwise I don’t think either of us would’ve noticed the other one, lol! I don’t think I’ve dated anyone over 6’2″ft. Dad’s (I’m adopted) 6’4″ft and none of my dates have been as tall as him. My mom’s around 5’8″ft and never had trouble getting dates either though she was considered a very tall woman for her generation. She was bullied for her height and a few boys have found her unattractive for her height in their time. I’ve been bullied for my shortness and some boys could only see me as a little sister type and felt no attraction possibly because I’m so short (slim, toned, curvy = have bum and boobs, precocious puberty) but at least I’ve never been told that being short made me ugly. It’s my small, slightly broad nose and low nose bridge that apparently makes me ugly in some guys eyes.
I don’t care for slim women, at all. To me, a women must have curves. The curvier the better! A thin woman is actually more masculine looking,,,too many angles. Not juicy looking at all. Just bones and sinew
Wow Monica..How can anyone who is 5ft 4in tall wear only 30 inch inseam pants??That means your legs are not proportional to your body. you have short legs compare to the rest of your body. I am 5ft 2inches tall and 30inch inseam is just right for me. I have curve 34C and small waist. I get attentions from men tall and short.
For beauty I don’t think is just the height..I think it all about PROPORTIONAL. Megan fox and pamela lee anderson are both short and crazy beautiful! Tell me which men don’t think they are mad hot!
I am 6ft 8inches and tall and love tall women. When was younger it seemd that tall people had all the funa for everything. Now i see why everyone either knows you or wants to know you just because you are tall. I beign tall and as much as i love females i have a heigth requirment, it seems immature and all but the truth of the matter is, every since i was little i always wanted a taller females because i was so short and need her protection. I still am like that today. No longer the protection they seem to fit me more so than a short woman does. Most of the tall women I know are athletic as well which draws me more so to them. Not saying short females are not all that, but tall women are some of the most beautiful and exotic females on this planet. I love all women but i have a special place for tall and athletic women and i am not talking about the ones who are considered tall for teh average woman. I am talking about the true tall women, the 6 footers and up who like me have it hard because of clothes, airplane seats, automobiles and everything that is made for an average person in general. I ahve learned to adapt to myu enviroment but i still love those 6 footers and up athletic females.
@Steve Sullivan: your comment is absolutely ridiculous. all women regardless of size are “real” and have curves, not just big women. bigger curves are NOT more attractive than on a slender figure like mine or anyone else’s. maybe sexy slender women don’t give you the time of day.
@Diana: first off, just because you’re tall DOES NOT mean you’re God’s gitt to men. height is NOT a sign of beauty. i SERIOUSLY DOUBT you get stared at everywhere you go because of that. that’s just to make yourself feel better because of your UGLY face (pathetic).
you know what slim weman are just good .they are like a wallet when you walk down the streets.when you have one you have ….. ok they are portable why would you around with that oversize of yours .
Men prefer tall women???
Throughout the decades, from Marilyn to Britt to Farrah to Madonna to Kylie to Dannii to Britney to Christina to Cheryl, to name just a few, the women men have most lusted after have always been short.
It’s a law of mammalian nature – the female is smaller than the male. Only the fashion industry – that is dominated by men who don’t even like women’s bodies so design their clothes for the taller body shapes of young men – have tried to convince us that tall is desirable in a woman.
De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum. People come in all shapes and sizes, different sorts of men will like different sorts of women. Wouldn’t it be boring if people liked just one particular sort of person, personality wise, but also physically speaking?
i am 34 30 36 i am 53 is my body appealing for a guy as my life partner or boy friend i am 26yrs old still not married
this was an interesting post…I am 5’5> and I weigh like 110( dude I wanted to gain weight so bad and I use to want to be a lil more taller, and then I wanted to be shorter but now I am content with my height and weight. We have to how to be content with what we cant change….I dont want to be taller. It wasnt meant for me to be taller, or shorter than what I am..if guys like my height or body type ok.if they dont.it wont kill me…..
…ppls opinions are none of bi ne ways… so be happy with yourself and stop comparing yourself to every chick you meet bc you will be miserable. As India arie says in her video song : ” i know my creator didnt make no mistakes on me”…so be positive and in time all of us will be what are destined to be! 
Mina, I know that I have short legs. How mean it is of you to act so shocked and appalled at the thought. Congrats on having long legs for your height, but just as you had no control over your proportions, neither did I. Thank you for making me feel even worse about my physical appearance.
is gud 2 b slim though am nt slim. Bt in anycase, lets appreciate our body.
As a man who is 6 foot 2, I prefer tall women an heres why…I dont want short children, I want tall children, so my wife is five ten and absolutely hot even after 3 kids
Tall women look better in clothes and sexier when pregnant, I am not attracted to short women, short legs dont turn me on, neither does a short torso, i love love love a long sexy torso on a woman, so all you tall women dont worry, men love you! esp tall men who are not insecure
Mina, the truth is, we all face criticisms(from both sexes). Men has different tastes. Some prefer them tall, short, round and all the other descriptions we are all labelled with. the thing is, it wont go away, its best if u just find peace with ur body and be happy. Its a pity ur partner is such an a-hole though. U deserve better. Im also 5ft 4 inches with 126 pounds and my hubby is 6ft 5inches! and he is in love with me and my body
. i’ve never had insecurities about my height or body because i love ME!…i personally think men perfer the average height too… dont us averagers just love wearing high heels without towering over our men and even reaching the same height ?! well i love being in them and can still look up to my man!!…come on women, its time for us to love us!! @ mina-shame on u, u make it sound as if its something to be all shocked about,ITS JUST ANOTHER BODY TYPE! – , @ steve- how narrow minded, im slim and have curves, 26inches waist and 36inches thigh/hip. just because u prefer heavier women, the slim ones are curveless?…lol!
I’m a short man, but I prefer women taller than I am. I’m excited when I have to look up my date. Unfortunately, this is a no-no for tall women.
I think this tall vs short is more pathetic than thin vs chubby. It really depends on the guy. Unless the guy is over 6ft and weighting under 140, the average 5 ft 4 inch 142 pounds woman isn’t going to have a problem finding a guy. … unless the fat bitch is as shallow and stupid as the picky male whores. >_> I mean really… I am 5ft on the line and when I got my boyfriend I weighted 148 pounds. He is short too… just 5 ft 4 inches tall and weighted over 280 pounds. If we’re only talking about the shallow a-holes on tv, than yea men ONLY want tall thin females, but coming back into the REALITY world the men who want chubby women out number those who only want tall thin females. I think this study is extremely culturally bias and only referring to western men, who are only a micro percent of the total male population of the whole world. Have they ever conducted this study in any tribal societies?
BTW I’ve dated men shorter than myself and I find that many of them have more confidence , make better providers, better fathers and smarter than the typical tall, dark and handsome types. Unfortunately, many of them have been brain washed with the so-called ideal woman of the western society. It’s truly unfortunate how indoctrinated many of the men within western societies have become. No wonder in some societies they have view these men as effeminate.
I am height weight proportionate 5’7” male. I prefer women my height or taller, the problem is in American women do not like to date shorter men, unless they are famous or wealthy, despite that my ex in college was an inch taller than me and I loved it. When I decided to leave the country I met a beautiful south american model and she was 5′ 11” I also loved that, the taller the better, even though she had virtually not bust and a small behind, the height was such an attraction for me those long beautiful legs, I enjoyed every minute of it, unfortunately I am back in America and alone. I would love to find a taller women to date and marry.
I am a 26 year old male, 5′ 7” athletic/muscular, I love taller women unfortunately in American most women only like to date taller men, even shorter women 5′ 1 want to date a man that is 6’0 tall.
In college I dated a girl who was an inch taller than me and I very attracted to her, later when I started a business abroad, my ex was 5′ 11 and it was a huge turn on for me, I would love to meet taller women and marry one.
I would prefer a taller slender, flat chested woman to a shorter ample woman, I love tall women, I just with they would love me
i am of indian ethnicity and i grew up literally in a country of midgets. it was really hard growing up because i was taller than everyone. i was treated with different sort of names : giraffe, etc. and found it really hard to date a boy because in my country most guys feel intimidated by tall women. am 5’11 and weight 110. today am 21, and i will never ever trade my height and body for anything in this world. its my best assets. the legs that stretch miles when you wear heels, the well toned thighs and slim waist i have certainly make many people envious. but however even today my grandparents worry. they think il remain a spinster because am too tall for guys in my community
. well thats a good laugh!
I’m a black man who absolutely adores taller women. Tall and voluptuous with curves all around is where it’s at for me! Don’t get me wrong, I love the short ladies too but more often they avoid me in favour of the taller guys. I’m only 5’5 and most taller women like a guy to be taller and won’t deviate from this physical preference. There are some tall ladies who really don’t care about a man’s height and will date a man several inches shorter. Problem is, “some” is more like “very few.” What I’ve discovered is that girls with issues about their own weight are a lot less likely to date a guy shorter than she is. It’s ok to have a few extra pounds but when the world constantly tells the tall girl that it’s wrong to date a shorter guy and she’s looks like a giant beast next to him, what’s a short guy to do? It does make the dating world very difficult with all these social barriers against us. Still hasn’t stopped me from trying even though sometimes it does suck to be short.
monica i feel your pain
i am 5″2 and slim. my husband is 6″1 and he adores tall girls. even i love him i am regrating whole thing. i am trying to be strong . i will live with low self esteem for rest of my life.
when i read this i had to laugh where did u get ur info from? i know alot of men who love short woman and alot tell me they wanna be taller cause it just a man thing they want to feel like they protect there woman i think short woman are cute and sexy curves and just cause ur short doesnt mean u cant have sexy legs im a dancer and i have nice tone legs ive been told that by so many men now i think im a lil short to some i might not be im 5′ 5 130lbs 37′ 31′ 38 and i love my body and u girls should too
Well, let’s put it this way. Women with boyish-looking and athletic figures tend to have less sexual partners and affairs while in relationships. Women with curvy, feminine figures (wide hips, large breasts) are more likely to be promiscuous and have affairs while in relationships than boyish figure ones because feminine figures easily attract other men. There’s been numerous stories of curvy women being involved in affairs.
Lame. So very very lame. All of us have the same, SAME issues, stop tearing people down who are already down. And to those of you who are down, stop kicking yourself down by listenting to those others faking they aren’t down by kicking you down, really, they feel worse than you! It really shows the selfhate to say “lal la la la la la, I’m bettter than you because of physical appearance!” Really? Get your head outta that magazine, because uh duh, you don’t live there! Ok, bye!
it is true that tall leggy women do command a lot of attention and this has been fostered by the media and press as the most desiable in a women. I say that it is misleading and marginalising so many beautiful short women. I LOVE SHORT WOMEN they are just and in fact even more sexy, especially when they look after their bodies and keep them in fine tune. every time i see a short cutie i just want to take them home and spoil them. thats my contribution from Cape Town CHEERS
this is sooo funny natural beauty ur hilarious girl i agree, and Monica girl, u shud have married a person who loves you for you, if they dont appreciate you for who u r y did u marry them in the first place? well all i can tell you is appreciate urself da way u, cuz for otherz to appreciate u u have to appreciate urself first, and really how bad cud u be if he married u, i think all the negative thoughts u are thinkin is all in ur head hun learn to appreciate urself. i personally believe beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and heightz, i also believe we all have preference, but we wud be wrong to say tall is better than short, or short better than tall, jus cuz u prefer sumtin different dont mak the other thing bad come on people lets not do this SMH!!!!!!!!
I’m 5’1 and my boyfriend of four years is 6’5 but we both happen to match each other’s favorite body type. I love being short, in fact I would prefer to be shorter but I can’t change that. I think tiny is the most beautiful, but tall is beautiful too! I need to follow my own advice and stop wishing to shrink, but women should be confident in themselves and their height!
“Now we know why tall and slim women look the most appealing to men.” DO we…? That’s a load of tosh…. I’m a man… I’m 6’4″ and I am not attracted to tall women at all.. slim or otherwise. I like women to be around 5′ 4″ with an hourglass figure and 8-10 stone. so a standard height and a healthy weight.
Tall, thin and square… describes a male shape… I don’t fancy that, and few men do.
ooh!wat da fuck is wrng wit people??!fuck da media!fuck da modern world!@monica,plz be hapi n raise ur self esteem,,if ur husbnd doesnt lyk ur shape,am sure he doesnt love u as wel.am short bt blv me i turn heads,,,,being tal slim round is all 4 men weto b hapi. ¥¥