By JOANNE BUTTERFIELD and CASEY STEPHEN
People come in all shapes and sizes, and BYU students are no exception. Tall students, short students and students somewhere in between are all in the same boat when it comes to dating and finding an eternal mate.
For some, height may make a difference when choosing that special someone.
Most couples around campus seem to consist of a male who is taller than the female. Partly because males, on the average, are 4.7 inches taller than females. But not all couples restrict themselves to the 'taller male' stereotype.
Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog have entertained audiences for the past two decades, and neither one seems bothered by the difference in height (not to mention species).
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, and Morticia and Gomez are all famous examples of what some have jokingly termed 'flea couples' (male fleas are smaller than female fleas).
A non-scientific survey of 128 married and single BYU students indicated that height plays a part in many of their dating decisions.
While 65 percent of men said they would consider going on a date with someone taller than them, only 56 percent said they would consider dating the same person seriously.
Women were a little more willing on the dating front, but sooner to cut things off before the 'serious' point. Seventy percent said they would consider dating someone shorter than them, but only 34 percent would date that person seriously.
But, of course, actions speak louder than words, and only one male who was married to or seriously dating someone taller than him. No females surveyed were seriously dating or married to someone shorter than themselves.
Craig Day, a junior from Meridian, Idaho, majoring in human biology, and his wife Erin, are almost the same height. Craig said Erin's height has never bothered him.
'It bothered me,' Erin said. She said she had always dated shorter guys and now has to wear flat shoes instead of heels.
Erin said the hardest thing was finding white flat shoes to wear for their wedding.
Craig said: 'I told her to go barefoot.'
Craig and Erin said when you are 35 or 40 years old it doesn't really matter anymore, and in many cases, it doesn't even matter now.
For BYU students, it seems to matter most for shorter women and taller men. Chances that a 6'4' man would date anyone taller than him are probably pretty slim.
Seventy-two percent of men under 6 feet said they would consider dating someone taller than themselves, but only 54 percent of the men over 6 feet said they would do the same.
One female respondent said, 'I haven't had much problem with guys who are shorter than I am -- I can't even find them. But, if there is, I don't think I can be attracted to him at all.'
Thirty-two percent of women 5 foot to 5'2' said they would men who are shorter, while 80 percent of women 5'3' to 5'8' and 65 percent 5'9' to 6'1' said they would do so.
Bridget Anderson, a freshman from Casper, Wyo., majoring in early childhood education, said because of the activities she likes to do, it is much better when her date is taller.
'I like it when they are taller because you look up to a guy country dancing,' Anderson said. She said she has gone with dates who are shorter than her and it is much more difficult to country dance with them.
'I'd rather look up to him than down,' Anderson said. She said it is more romantic when the man is taller