Given the state of the world’s economy, perhaps the time has come to rein in the funding of stupid scientific studies to ensure that they are limited to really important matters. I bring this up because some scientists claim that the pill has changed women’s taste in men away from the masculine to what is sometimes called the metrosexual. From the story:
The Pill may also have changed women’s taste in men, according to a study. Scientists say the hormones in the oral contraceptive suppress a woman’s interest in masculine men and make boyish men more attractive. Although the change occurs for just a few days each month, it may have been highly influential since use of the Pill began more than 40 years ago. If the theory is right, it could partly explain the shifting in tastes from macho 1950s and 1960s stars such as Kirk Douglas and Sean Connery to the more wimpy, androgynous stars of today, such as Johnny Depp and Russell Brand.
Oh, please. What about George Clooney? What about Brad Pitt? What about Bruce Willis?
These things are cultural. Feminism played a role, I think, in which the macho man became passe`. Indeed, I remember the pressure for men to carry man purses in the 1970s, which was a way of demasculinizing society.
We’ve seen similar changes in the ideal woman. Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe were the epitome when I was young. Today, they’re 20 pounds overweight.
Like I said, perhaps the time has come to cut funding for “scientific studies,” and triage where the money goes.
