Evening star., 1942-07-20

Sne is gOOQ-lOOker or not, IN redlllys
he cares very little for it. The pret-
tiest girls are not the most popular,
nor do they have the most dates, nor
do they make the best marriages. A
man may like to be seen out with
Helen of Troy whose face would
launch a thousand ships. but when
he chooses a wife he generally picks
out Sallie whose plain pan would
not rate even a canoe.
This phenomenon may be ex-
planned in two ways. One Is by the
old axiom that beauty is in the eye
of the beholder, and that every
woman is as good looking as she
looks to some man. In the eyes that
seem pale and colorless and unat-
tractive to others he sees tenderness
and intelligence that make them
more beautiful to him than any
starry orbs with nothing of brains
or sweetness behind them. In the
too-big mouth he may perceive
sweetness and humor that makes 1t
far more kissable than the cold,
sculptured lips of living picture.
So when we say that we don't know
what a man saw in homely woman
to make him marry her we are
speaking the literal truth. We don't
know because we don't see her With
his eyes.
Then there's no disputing about
tastes, as the old proverb says.
Especially in women. Some IKE
'em tall. Some like 'em short.
Some worship goddesses and some
adore pocket Venuses. Some men
fall for red hair and others for
platinum blond. Some like chubby
girls who are a nice good armful,
while others prefer living skeletons.
And 80 it goes, with hardly two
men agreeing on what really con-
stdtutes beauty in a woman.
Which is lucky for us, as other
wise most of us would be old maids.
Understand, I am not underval-
uing beauty. It's a swell asset as
a come-on, but a girl needn't be
Miss America In order to have men
fock around her as bees around a |
honey pot in order to make a good
marriage.
OF course, no one can positively |
say what makes . man fall In |
love with a woman. Men don't even
know themselves, but. Judging from |
the kind of women men marry, I
would say that woman's most
potent attraction is not her looks
but her personality. It is not her
ANyS1nIaY1nn nnT |
her willowy figure, but her charm.
It Il her having way with her.
It is her having the come-hither
look In her eyes. It is her having
that intangible, undefinable some
thing that draws men to her.
Perhaps she is intelligent and is
q fascinating companion. Perhaps
she Is gay and vivacious and is
the life of the party. Maybe she
Is q good sport and playing games
with her Is fun. Maybe she Is a
marvellous dancer. Maybe she is
tactful and makes a man not only |
feel at ease with her, but draws
him out 80 that he shines in COM |
pany. Maybe she is sympathetic
and understanding and he feels
that he can go to her with all his
Joys and troubles and that she will
rejoice with him in his triumphs
and that he can weep out his dis
appointments on her shoulder.
But, whatever she is. she is what
some man wants and needs and
desires to possess. He isn't think
ink of the beauty of her face. He
is thinking of what a good chum
she will make.
Hence I think that the psycholo-
gist is wrong in saying that men
fall in love with women because
of their looks. I have seen too
many cold, selfish, dumb beauties
left on the old maid shelf, while
sweet, gracious, homely girls car
ried OF the catch of the season to
believe that a woman's greatest
attraction for man Is her pretty
face.
Theoretically a man may worship
the beauty, but he generally lets
some other man marry her.