The Fallacy of 6 Foot

There seems to be a decent amount of females that want a man taller than 6 foot. It would be interesting to look at a dating site or dating app data to see what percentage of women want a man above 6 foot. Particularly never married women in their 30’s. It’s likely not a majority but it’s probably a pretty good amount of females that don’t want to consider a man below 6 foot tall. It definitely feels like a benchmark for what females look for when they date.

It makes sense from a biology standpoint because taller people have advantages like picking fruit out of trees and getting things off higher shelves. Being tall definitely has its physical advantages. When it comes to relationships finding someone 6 foot tall shouldn’t be a show stopper. If it is, you’re taking a lot of quality guys out of your dating pool for a reason that’s based solely on biology. The reason could be even worse because you want someone that’s tall for pictures or because you’re afraid someone will make a negative comment because your mate isn’t as tall as they think they should be.

According to Wikipedia the median height for an American male is 5’9”. That means half the males in the US fall on one side or the other. Let’s just assume the standard deviation is around 3 inches so a rough estimate is that 75% of all males in America are 6 feet or less. Let’s estimate males at 6 feet being around 5% which means 70% of American males are below 6 foot tall. Not exact but it’s a pretty decent estimate. If you only consider guys 6 foot and taller you’ve eliminated 70% of the American male population.

With an already crappy dating pool in your 30s you’re making things even more difficult on yourself. If this was a hard and fast height requirement in your 20s then you really should consider moving it down a few inches or eliminating height as a factor all together if you truly want to find a long term mate. You’d be surprised what you might find when you stop making height such a requirement in your dating life.

Shorter guys are kind of like the rescue dogs of men. If you’ve ever had a rescue dog you know what this means. They tend to get mis-treated by women in their 20s because women are looking for that elusive guy that’s 6 foot or taller. Guys above 6 foot are kind of like the pure breed of men. While they may look better their attitude won’t be as friendly and likable as a rescue dog. Men older than 30 that are under 6 foot are a lot more likely to treat you better than someone that’s never been married and 6 foot or taller. It’s just the way it is. Appreciation goes a long ways in a long term mate.

You can absolutely hold out for a man over 6 foot for breeding purposes or because you think they’ll look better in photos or people will comment less. However, you’d be surprised how big of a smile you’ll have in photos when you realize how awesome a rescue dog is. You’ll be gushing and your friends will think it’s the cutest thing in the world. So, the choice is up to you. Hold out for a pure breed that won’t be as lovable or give a rescue dog a chance and find out what you’ve been missing this whole time.

NOTE - If a short guy has a complex from not being tall then none of the above applies. Sadly, he'll be a rescue dog that never finds a home.