When I first came to the United States of America, a country described by my friends as "heaven on earth", I worked for some time in a print shop. Since the machine I was working on was unbelievably old, and constantly broke down, I often had time to talk to some of my coworkers. During one such conversation a friend of mine, who came from Ecuador, asked me a rather simple and banal question: "What kind of girls or women do Poles like"? Without any thought I answered that all men on earth like women who are young, beautiful, and smart.
When I came back that night to my apartment and told this story to my flat mates, it turned out that it's not that easy to find an answer to this question. Each of us had different preferences when it came to women; some of us liked brunettes, and others saw their hearts explode when they noticed a woman or a girl with light shiny hair and pale eyes. I became so interested in this question that when I came back to Poland I tried to find out what kind of girls are the most suitable for us Poles, and what is the reason behind our choice.
It's important to distinguish between two things here: Sometimes Poles have a very narrow preference towards someone with whom they would like to spend the rest of their life, and sometimes what is meant by that are the characteristics a girl must possess so that she could attract, like a magnet, a Poles' eyes, no matter whether they're still the so-called "lone wolfs", or already carry on their fingers a symbol of belonging to the caste of happy or unhappy husbands.
What turns out is that some Poles have a very specific request with respect to the women of their lives, and others don't quite know what sort of things a woman should possess so that she, as they say, could "catch their eye". There are also those who don't quite think about this because they believe it simply doesn't make sense to do so. According to them, when they find the right girl, they will instinctually know that she is the one, and whatever characteristics she has will not matter much.
A great majority of Poles don't consider this earnestly at all. A certain friend of mine, asked by me what kind of girl would really be appealing to him, said in all seriousness: "My future girl must be beautiful, loyal, she must be able to cook well and has to be intelligent." His answer made me laugh, but after some time controlling myself I asked him whether his requirements aren't a bit high. He thought for a second, and after a moment of silence answered: "You know, you're right, I'm expecting too much: the girl doesn't have to be too smart."
Another of my acquaintances was futilely looking for a girl with a "grain beater". He had a large farm, but had no grain beater, hence he was looking for a girl who would bring with her marriage this kind of farming equipment. Notwithstanding whether he found one or not, his preferences for a future life partner must be considered quite specific.
Once we move aside these humorous but still very real preferences towards women, and we begin to study which kind of women we like and which we don't, the results of these findings can be quite surprising. As I found out from my friend's answers, which are supported by scientific publication, to the minds of Poles the "long legged beauties" are not the main target. It comes out that a much better success rate is had by girls of medium and short build. The reason for this is very simple and banal, and women would probably call it carnal: Smaller women have... much shaplier and pronounced hips and breasts. This is certainly not a joke, and no matter what women would think about it, these characteristics have a great impact on what physical things in women stimulate and interest men. When it comes to things like eye or hair color, the preferences are so varied that it's impossible to generalize. Perhaps a small advantage belongs to brunettes, which really means nothing since, as they say, "the woman is a master of disguises" - and that could be taken both literally and as a metaphor. Most women in Poland change their hair color more often than men are able to notice it.
While discussing the theme of men's preferences towards women we can't of course forget the inner characteristics, although the vast majority of men considers these as irrelevant since they believe that "it doesn't matter whether the cake has chocolate pudding or peach pudding; it tastes similarly, and is eaten the same way."
Leaving these slightly chauvinistic arguments on the side, it is necessary to point out the fact that men are increasingly more bothered by the increasing maleness of women. Polish women are increasingly more resembling men in terms of the way of thinking, their values, lifestyle, etc, which definitely impacts on their attractiveness. I won't go in to this never-ending argument whether it's right or not, and to what degree is it necessitated by the battle for equal rights vs. whether it is some feminine aspiration complex.
The fact is, to Poles the women who are the most attractive are the ones who don't forget that they are women in the broad meaning of the word - starting with the most visible (i.e., not using words such as "bitch, shit" like commas in a sentence) to the more concealed thing like being delicate, being able to show love and sacrifice, creativity, patience.
Ending these contemplations on this deceptively banal and simple topic it's important to note that the number of women ideals mirrors the number of Poles themselves. Some will not be able to turn their eyes from a pretty girl in a tight shirt and a mini skirt (which hint at the idea of the world's oldest profession), while others will do the same for a moderately clothed girl who can simply highlight her natural beauty. Each of us has different expectations both towards women in whose eyes we already see our future children, and towards those whom we meet on the street so that we could later exchange some more or less crude remarks about them.
Contributed by Mateusz
When I came back that night to my apartment and told this story to my flat mates, it turned out that it's not that easy to find an answer to this question. Each of us had different preferences when it came to women; some of us liked brunettes, and others saw their hearts explode when they noticed a woman or a girl with light shiny hair and pale eyes. I became so interested in this question that when I came back to Poland I tried to find out what kind of girls are the most suitable for us Poles, and what is the reason behind our choice.
It's important to distinguish between two things here: Sometimes Poles have a very narrow preference towards someone with whom they would like to spend the rest of their life, and sometimes what is meant by that are the characteristics a girl must possess so that she could attract, like a magnet, a Poles' eyes, no matter whether they're still the so-called "lone wolfs", or already carry on their fingers a symbol of belonging to the caste of happy or unhappy husbands.
What turns out is that some Poles have a very specific request with respect to the women of their lives, and others don't quite know what sort of things a woman should possess so that she, as they say, could "catch their eye". There are also those who don't quite think about this because they believe it simply doesn't make sense to do so. According to them, when they find the right girl, they will instinctually know that she is the one, and whatever characteristics she has will not matter much.
A great majority of Poles don't consider this earnestly at all. A certain friend of mine, asked by me what kind of girl would really be appealing to him, said in all seriousness: "My future girl must be beautiful, loyal, she must be able to cook well and has to be intelligent." His answer made me laugh, but after some time controlling myself I asked him whether his requirements aren't a bit high. He thought for a second, and after a moment of silence answered: "You know, you're right, I'm expecting too much: the girl doesn't have to be too smart."
Another of my acquaintances was futilely looking for a girl with a "grain beater". He had a large farm, but had no grain beater, hence he was looking for a girl who would bring with her marriage this kind of farming equipment. Notwithstanding whether he found one or not, his preferences for a future life partner must be considered quite specific.
Once we move aside these humorous but still very real preferences towards women, and we begin to study which kind of women we like and which we don't, the results of these findings can be quite surprising. As I found out from my friend's answers, which are supported by scientific publication, to the minds of Poles the "long legged beauties" are not the main target. It comes out that a much better success rate is had by girls of medium and short build. The reason for this is very simple and banal, and women would probably call it carnal: Smaller women have... much shaplier and pronounced hips and breasts. This is certainly not a joke, and no matter what women would think about it, these characteristics have a great impact on what physical things in women stimulate and interest men. When it comes to things like eye or hair color, the preferences are so varied that it's impossible to generalize. Perhaps a small advantage belongs to brunettes, which really means nothing since, as they say, "the woman is a master of disguises" - and that could be taken both literally and as a metaphor. Most women in Poland change their hair color more often than men are able to notice it.
While discussing the theme of men's preferences towards women we can't of course forget the inner characteristics, although the vast majority of men considers these as irrelevant since they believe that "it doesn't matter whether the cake has chocolate pudding or peach pudding; it tastes similarly, and is eaten the same way."
Leaving these slightly chauvinistic arguments on the side, it is necessary to point out the fact that men are increasingly more bothered by the increasing maleness of women. Polish women are increasingly more resembling men in terms of the way of thinking, their values, lifestyle, etc, which definitely impacts on their attractiveness. I won't go in to this never-ending argument whether it's right or not, and to what degree is it necessitated by the battle for equal rights vs. whether it is some feminine aspiration complex.
The fact is, to Poles the women who are the most attractive are the ones who don't forget that they are women in the broad meaning of the word - starting with the most visible (i.e., not using words such as "bitch, shit" like commas in a sentence) to the more concealed thing like being delicate, being able to show love and sacrifice, creativity, patience.
Ending these contemplations on this deceptively banal and simple topic it's important to note that the number of women ideals mirrors the number of Poles themselves. Some will not be able to turn their eyes from a pretty girl in a tight shirt and a mini skirt (which hint at the idea of the world's oldest profession), while others will do the same for a moderately clothed girl who can simply highlight her natural beauty. Each of us has different expectations both towards women in whose eyes we already see our future children, and towards those whom we meet on the street so that we could later exchange some more or less crude remarks about them.
Contributed by Mateusz
