For some time I’ve
wondered why women weren’t knocking down my door while seeking a mate. I thought I had some qualities they sought.
Things like a secure job, own my house, healthy and in shape, a good listener
and sympathetic soul. However, I have now discovered that they’re not falling
all over themselves to reach me because I have too many pictures of me with various
cats. I’m not the macho man they really seek.
The Models
Researchers at Colorado
State University compiled data on whether women liked a man pictured with a cat
or the same person sans cat. They preferred the cat-less guy.
More Neurotic Guy
"Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more
neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable," the authors wrote.
Macho Man
A short time ago I blogged about macho men. Basically
talking about how society tends to push us towards that image. However, at the time it didn’t occur to me
that women would be drooling more for macho men then those wimpy types who hold
cats.
Wimpy guy
For years, we’ve heard stories or read articles by women who
claimed they wished men were more caring, willing to show emotion, or
had a more compelling desire to talk about their feelings.
Macho, Macho Man
Little did I know that they were kidding. Nope, women want
the tough, macho guy. Oh, you probably
clicked on the link above and read how the data came from women who were 18 to
24 years old. You may have said to
yourself “well, those young women aren’t like us more mature, experienced ones.”
However, stereotypes and beliefs are not independent. They are taught or
ingrained—from our elders. So this means
that it’s not just young immature females seeking macho men, it’s all of them.
They’ve passed that desire to the younger generations.
Agreeable and open guy
A few years ago I blogged about how women were just as superficial as men. I stated they stereotyped men just as much as men did women. However, I missed this new, important point. Then I posited that men tend to stereotype women based on looks while women did it
towards men based on status and wealth. Wellllll, I should have guessed that
women stereotype on looks just as frequently as men.
I wanna be a Macho Man
Let this be a lesson to all men. Oh, you should keep your
cat, they are great creatures with distinct personalities and qualities, but be
careful about having one around when there’s a camera. And if you make a
mistake and a woman you are attracted to discovers a picture of you with a cat,
act fast. Tell her that the cat was your sister’s or better yet, an
ex-girlfriend who insisted you hold the fur ball. That may actually get you a
few extra points in her eyes.
Ahhhh, James Thurber
We at The Thurber Brigade apologize for once again making fun
of the foibles of women. We thought that it would be good to get away from
another sidestep about police brutality or the idiocy of the guy occupying the
White House. We also thought it would make us feel better as it points out that
women are just like men and have a variety of tics, faults, misgivings and
other less than perfect qualities that make us all human.
