We all have heard that jodis are made in heaven, but in this picture-perfect world, would you mind if your partner stood up to you, literally? For it seems that while women want their perfect man to be eight inches taller than them, men are most satisfied when they are closer to their ideal partner, and look for someone who is only three inches shorter. A research paper says that both men and women prefer to be a pair where the man is taller than the woman, but not too tall.
In India though, Amitabh-Jaya Bachchan are considered to be the perfect couple where height transcends love. “These inches are just numbers. No one considers measurements. I never looked at how much shorter my would-be wife was than me when I fell in love with her. Even if she were taller than me, I doubt it would have affected my decision,” says Vishwabhushan Kamble, a 6ft 1” tall city-based lawyer.
It’s not just the married ones, even bachelors wouldn’t fuss too much about their partner’s height. “It doesn’t matter if a girl is three inches or more short or tall. What matters is the perfect match of thoughts and views. That’s what makes a perfect couple,” says Pushkal Gupta, an MBA student. On second thought, he adds, “Though I wouldn’t mind meeting my partner eye-to-eye.”
Guess a pretty face and a cute smile could win over the height issue, but it’s not enough for everyone. For girls, height may get a lot of attention and modelling assignments, but it can make it difficult to find the right partner. Mumbai-based marketing girl, Rupali Strivastava has rejected (and been rejected) many matrimonial proposals on the basis of height.
This leggy lass, who measures up to 5ft 11”, finds it hard to accept men who are either shorter or almost the same height as her.
“Honestly, I would like my partner to be taller than me. Somehow, it is difficult for women, of whatever height, to accept partners shorter than them. For men, it may not be such a big issue though,” says Rupali. Why people feel so strongly is not clear.
Dr Viren Swami, a social psychologist at the University of Westminster, says, “There are two main theories. The biological theory is that taller men may have higher status or reproductive success. The second social theory is that it reflects a cultural idea, where tall men are viewed as masculine and tall women violate cultural norms.” Whatever the research says, it seems the studies and surveys too fail in front of love, especially when we know that love is blind.
