Does Height Really Matter In A Romantic Relationship Between Men & Women?
How height preferences affect levels of attraction between men & women.
Personal preference is a big deal for everyone in the dating world and sometimes those preferences can make or break a potential relationship.
But what about height preferences — particularly for men and women in the heterosexual dating realm?
It’s well-known that many women prefer their men to be taller than they are and it’s generally more socially acceptable for a man to be taller than their female love interest, but, recently, there’s been a shift in how society perceives women who are taller than their male partner.
Tall women who are in the public eye, such as celebrities who date shorter men are now publically declaring their total lack of concern regarding height differences and walking much taller and prouder than ever before.
Celebrity couples such as Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, Tom Holland and Zendaya, and Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy are a few of the most notable couples in the spotlight. These couples have significant height differences, with the woman being much taller than her famous man.
In the '90s, Nicole Kidman was famously much taller than her then-husband Tom Cruise by about 4 inches and was never seen wearing high heels while out with him. Coincidence? Most likely not—some men are indeed self-conscious if the woman they’re with is significantly taller.
In an interview, Zendaya was asked about the height difference between herself and Tom Holland. She responded that she had no idea the height difference would be an issue and had never considered it. Well, Zendaya may not be thinking about it, but others are. A taller woman dating a shorter man does seem to be an enticing topic for gossip.
Is a woman being taller than her male partner really such a big deal? How much do women AND men actually care about height differences in a relationship?
In a study done by Dutch psychologists Gert Stulp, Abraham Buunk, and Thomas Pollet, they found that, in general, women were more likely than men to think that the man should be taller and they tended not to want to be in a relationship in which they were taller than their male partners. Men liked being taller than their partners, but they didn’t care about the height difference as much as women did.
The study found that men were most satisfied with women slightly shorter than them (about three inches), but women were most satisfied when they were much shorter than their male partners (about eight inches). Why this is, no one is sure. One reason could be that a woman might want to be able to wear high heels and still be shorter than her man, but that’s just my theory.
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In my internet research, I did find that some men love taller women for more generalized/aesthetic reasons such as perceiving taller women to be more confident, ambitious, and graceful, yet — practically — some men prefer a taller woman who is closer to them in height for better eye contact and kissing purposes.
Height doesn’t always factor into how attracted someone is to another person but — for many people — height can be a total deal-breaker.
Some men only like to date women much shorter than them because it makes them feel more dominant and masculine, while there are women who much prefer being shorter than their male partner because it makes them feel more protected and feminine.
Some people are simply attracted to one another for a plethora of other reasons besides height.
Growing up as a tall female myself, it was awkward always being taller than the boys in my elementary school classes and I often wished I could be petite like some of the other girls as the boys generally seemed to go for those types.
Personally, my preference has always been a man who is at least a couple of inches taller than me. I’m not sure I could be with a man who is significantly shorter than I am. That’s just my preference. Would I throw a phenomenal man away for being shorter than me? I don’t think so. Height is not the be-all-end-all for me when compared to other positive characteristics.
I think it’s probably safe to say that, traditionally, more men are drawn to shorter women than women who are drawn to shorter men.
In the end, height just matters more to some people than it does to others. Notably, though, women do seem to be getting taller. On average, American women are about 1 inch taller today than they would have been in the 1960s. Women in other parts of the world — most notably, South Korea — are getting taller at an even faster rate.
In the future, women being the taller sex may indeed be a possibility. Only time will tell.
Are you a woman who is taller than her male partner? Are you a man who is shorter than his female partner? Does it matter to you or do other people comment on it? What kind of height preferences do you have — if any?
Know someone who would appreciate this?