My husband is relatively short. He says he's 5'9" but he's more like 5'7", and Im 5'6". I always thought that the man I marry would be very tall. My dad was 6'5" and large build, so it came as surprise to everyone that I fell for someone of smaller stature, since women supposedly like guys that remind them of their fathers.

I think in theory women want a tall, handsome man. The motive for that want I believe is a feeling of protection and safety. However, women don't stick to their "standards" the way men do, women have a lot of flexibility if a man has confidence, a sense of humor, and shows that he has a drive to one day live a comfortable life and beable to support a family. Nothing is more of a turn-off for a woman than a man with no ambition. And you cant feel safe and protected by a big, strong, tall man who doesn't have a job, or lets himself stay stuck in a dead end job.

Its apparently a fact that tall men are more likely to get promotions and make more money, and I think women have a subconscience awareness of that reality, that definitely could also be why tallness is a desirable quality as well.

But women are flexible with whom and what we find physically attractive. Thats what makes us so awesome, lol. I dont know many women who will say "I'll NEVER marry a fat man" or "I'll never marry a short man." I do, however, know many women, including myself, who dont have hesitation saying "I will not be with a man who lacks direction." "I will not be with a man who cannot or will not provide a comfortable life for his family or at the very least contribute to the effort of making the home comfortable, safe, and secure and the best it can be to his ability." What makes me laugh is that many find the latter examples to be the shallow ones. What the fuck ever. You being good-looking and tall benefits me very little if you aren't a contributer to our happiness and well-being. You being a stud fades away over the years. My equating your looks with your value is what's shallow. But sizing you up based on your ability to be productive and driven for a higher quality of life for yourself and/or your family, thats not shallow at all. Its smart, and gives a man value because he deserves value. Not because he happened to have the right DNA. His parents can value him for crap like that, haha.