The Meme Machine

‘AN ORGASM SAVED MY LIFE’ 127
fatness or thinness of women – with our present obsession for thinness being
rather exceptional – but there is apparently a consistent preference for women
with narrow waists and broad hips. The reasons for this are still disputed but
broad hips appear to suggest a wide birth canal for safely delivering a bigheaded
baby (of course they may only suggest it and the fat be a deception). A
small waist suggests that the woman is not already pregnant, and the last thing a
male should want is sex with a pregnant female who may trap him into caring
for another man’s baby.
Large, clear eyes, smooth skin, fair hair, and symmetrical features are good
indicators of youth and health – fairness because in fair-skinned peoples hair
colour darkens with age, and symmetry because the effects of disease are often
to create asymmetrical blemishes. A long genetic history has created men who
respond with sexual arousal to the signs of a young and fertile woman (Matt
Ridley 1993).
Meanwhile, the woman need be less concerned with beauty and physical
appearance. Her need is for a high-status male who will prove to be a good
protector and provider. This fits with the frequent (if depressing) observation
that rich and powerful men pair up with young beautiful women. It also fits
with the results of surveys showing that men consistently rate physical
appearance as important in a partner while women are more impressed by signs
of wealth and status. Indeed, looks are critical in women but not men. In all the
cultures studied by Buss, the men placed more value on a woman’s looks and
women placed more value on a man’s financial prospects.
But is this the whole story? What exactly is it about men that women find
attractive? According to evolutionary psychology, the genes determining female
mate choice should be those that would have been selected for in a hunting and
gathering life. In that way of life there are few possessions because people are
always on the move, but providing regular supplies of meat and useful tools
would presumably help in providing for children. Status might be earned by
prowess at hunting, or fighting or protecting the group from enemies, or perhaps
by impressive clothing or decoration. Can the genes for choosing these qualities
in a man really lead us nowadays to choose men with big bank balances, fast
cars, high-profile jobs, and beautiful houses? Possibly, although as we shall see,
memetics takes a different view.
Another important biological fact is that a woman can be certain that her
baby is her own, and may have a good idea of who the father is. Men cannot (or
could not until the advent of genetic fingerprinting). This difference is
especially acute in humans because women, rarely among primates, have