I’m only 5’10 and somehow I prefer slightly shorter (but not too short) women for some unknown reason. But this is not a strong preference.
I always heard women care more about guy’s height than guys care about women’s height.
For Asians in HI, 5’8" for men is fairly average. 
I always felt huge and that I was towering above my friends who were around 5’ or under in middle and high school. It was interesting to go to Eugene and find myself labeled a petite female at 5’5" or so.
Well, when I say 5’8 I really mean 5’7 and a half, standing up as straight as I can. I round up.
And I’m White and Midwestern so it’s short around here.
" Well, when I say 5’8 I really mean 5’7 and a half, standing up as straight as I can. I round up.
And I’m White and Midwestern so it’s short around here."
Hey, that’s about my husband’s height, and he’s taller than me. I don’t want to wear heels, so he’s just about perfect.
^ I heard that in some east asia countries (Japan, Korea, etc.), a higher percentage of women (and men as well) are not heavy. Actually, for women, they tend to be petite. I heard wemen there often rent their wedding dresses because their body sizes are not much different from each other. It may have something to do with their diet, thinner bone structures and maybe they naturally exercise more than Americans do in their daily life (i.e., do not drive.) It may also have something to do with the fact that the food there is more expensive and they do not eat as much as we do. (And they eat more fish than red meat.)
I was considered slightly on the taller side before I immigrated here. In US, at 5’10, I guess I am below average in my height.
Many of my friends are envious of me because I could somehow eat whatever I want to eat without any limit and I still rarely gain much weight. (Except when I was after a botched surgery two years ago and my weight shot up to 200 lbs because of water in my body, 50 lbs of it being water.)
Irrational jealousy and spying on email/cell phone are deal breakers. Personally I don’t want someone tall or rich.
There are many levels of being rich.
What is the potential (real or perceived) problem of being rich?
After being married 20+ years im sure I’d be the undateable one.
I wouldn’t date a smoker, a vegetarian, someone too obsessed with their looks. I probably wouldn’t date someone who didn’t have a college degree or an atheist or liberal.
I’d struggle dating someone who wasn’t successful professionally, but I’d consider being the sugar mama. 
I have to be with someone smart and witty, kind and generous.
Smoking would be a deal breaker. Cats would be too. I am very allergic and there’s just no way I could live with a cat under any circumstances.
Yes, smoking is a deal breaker.
And not dating someone because they are heavy has more to it than vanity (for me) - it is likely to indicate significant different views on nutrition, exercise, cooking styles, etc. that would be difficult for me to “accept” at this point in my life.
I couldn’t stand a smoker or a real drinker. I’m a home body, and I wouldn’t want someone who wanted to be out all the time. I feel very blessed that my husband and I met so young. It allowed me to train him to be the perfect man! When he was younger, he was very thin with a lot of dark hair (he is Italian-American), but he is now beefy and bald, which I find much, much more attractive. I would like him to lose a bit of weight around the middle, but I like the muscles. I think it comes from being the size of a 12 year-old, myself. Having a larger husband creates more possibilities for opening jars and reaching high shelves. I don’t think I would ever have been attracted to a very short man for the exact reason that having both short partners would create challenges that would annoy me.
My D is engaged to a young man who is about 5’9 and very slender. It is a point of major contention to him that my D2’s boyfriend is very tall and very muscular. I find that so funny I can’t tell you.
Power imbalance in the relationship? This can happen with different incomes. Why not with different amounts of assets?
Differences in the lifestyles that the two people are accustomed to and comfortable with? For example, with my middle-class background, I could not tolerate the idea of live-in staff. The loss of privacy would outweigh any possible advantage. But a person from a wealthier family might have grown up with it and consider it natural and comfortable.
Non-smoking is a must, partially because I used to smoke many years ago and I feel it would suck me back into the habit to be around a smoker again.
I also have terrible allergies and don’t think I could live with a cat. That being said, somehow my D2 (also allergic) manages. Since her fiancé combs the cat with the Furminator every day it helps.
The first things that attracted me to H were/are the most enduring things: his intelligence/active mind–he’s interested in just about everything. H is also very entertaining–good sense of humor, talented.
Looks aren’t all that important to me, but I don’t like facial hair in general, and I prefer a slim/in shape guy, and one who is taller than I am–but at least my height (5’7") But these wouldn’t necessarily be deal breakers. Personal cleanliness/good hygiene is required, though.
H did have a beard when I met him, but he shaved right before he proposed (like, a minute before).
I guess I was looking for someone who was interested in ME, and committed to marriage and family.
Someone who forgives my mistakes and accepts my weaknesses/limitations/quirks without holding a grudge. Someone who has the same religion, values and similar family background. Someone who is not overly materialistic.
Deal breakers would be: non-English speaking, ignorance/lack of education, chronic health problems, smoking, drug/alcohol/porn/gambling addictions, swearing, tattoos/piercings, materialistic/selfish, intolerance of kids/my big extended family/cats, different religion, lazy/unemployed. (Some things I thought would be absolute deal breakers in the beginning turned out not to be during marriage.)
Re: height–I also read that women care more about the man being taller. About 5" or so taller is about average/considered “ideal.” It seems natural that couples prefer this size difference, because that’s the way humans are, in general.
Haha, bus, he was too short for me. But that did matter to other female because he was both good looking and a smooth talker. I saw how he could smooze very good looking, above average females in my neighborhood.
There are many tall men in my family, so I don’t think being tall as a female is a problem. One is 6 foot 4, the other two nephews are around 6 foot 2ish but I think they are still growing. Who knows what height they end up. Too tall is a problem for my neck, I need to look up and talk all the time. My husband is sort of average, about 6 foot.
Jealousy is a problem to me too. My husband is pretty laid back.
“Haha, bus, he was too short for me. But that did matter to other female because he was both good looking and a smooth talker. I saw how he could smooze very good looking, above average females in my neighborhood.”
Funny! I remember the first time I met my husband, I thought this guy is really gorgeous, but a little shorter than I’m used to dating. However, being tall certainly wasn’t a set requirement. Plus, I can steal his shorts and workout clothes when I run out of mine.
My sister is 5’2 and she was dating a guy who is 6’8 (no, I didn’t make a typo, they had an 18 inch height difference - yes he is extremely tall).
“Differences in the lifestyles that the two people are accustomed to and comfortable with? For example, with my middle-class background, I could not tolerate the idea of live-in staff. The loss of privacy would outweigh any possible advantage. But a person from a wealthier family might have grown up with it and consider it natural and comfortable.”
I didn’t grow up with that type of thing at all. It wasn’t until I was in college that my mother started having a once-a-week housekeeper; before that, she did it all herself and household help was for lazy women. It was a culture shock because H grew up in a house where his mother didn’t work and they had full-time help. I initially resisted it and thought it was evidence of snottiness and laziness and all other kinds of things. However, it sure as heck came in handy when I had twins and wanted to resume my career - having a H who was open to household help made it a lot easier than if I’d had to fight an uphill battle. You never know what you’ll get used to, IMO.