i can tell you a couple of attempted evolutionary explanations...

if you do feature analysis then you tend to find that people find certain features attractive for reasons that make good evolutionary sense. these are somewhat stereotypic but then we are dealing in general tendencies:

- men tend to prefer women with big breasts. all the better to feed their infants.
- men tend to prefer women with broad hips. all the better to push their infants out.
- men tend to prefer younger women. all the more child-bearing years ahead of them.
- men tend to prefer women with accentuated sexual characteristics (e.g., lipstick that makes lips look a little like... well... you get the picture)
;-)

- women tend to prefer men who are in positions of social power. all the better to provide for them and their infants.
- women tend to prefer men who are older. all the better to mate with a guy who has an established record of successful mating.

i can't remember anymore...

but that is the general spirit of the rationale for the stereotypes. but then times are changing lol.

people will say what people will say. imho don't worry about them.

one thing that really really really really really really really surprised me, however, is oprah's episode on 'mixed dating'. i was completely dumbfounded at people cringing at that. cultural difference? i don't know what else to say really...