Steve Sailer: iSteve: Sanford and Ensign

June 24, 2009

Sanford and Ensign

Compared to the GOP sex scandals of the last few years, the brouhahas involving the two Republican politicians are surprising, since they involve women.

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

67 comments:

Anonymous said...: These are just the ones we know about.; 6/24/09, 1:46 PM
Boss said...: Geez, what's the point of political power if you can't even get and enjoy some action on the side?; 6/24/09, 1:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I'd say the Sanford affair sounds much more like a love affair than it does a trivial, sexual dalliance. He has known her for years, and if his narrative as told in the presser is honest, it seems that they developed a really close friendship over 8 years, and that from that friendship developed something even more intimate.; 6/24/09, 2:44 PM
Geoffrey Falk said...: OT: Race bias and the menstrual cycle:

"[Studies have] found a link between the point in the menstrual cycle of 77 white women and various measures of race bias...."

"The authors explain the findings as suggesting that women show a preference to their 'in group', those who more closely match their own background and lifestyle, when most fertile."; 6/24/09, 3:28 PM
Richard Hoste said...: My first thought was why out of all the governors did it have to be one of only two or three whose sight I can stand?

I don't think this kills him politically. The wife says she wants to stay with him. Cry, bite your lip, say the experience made you stronger and move on. America loves that stuff.; 6/24/09, 3:44 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: A low blow!; 6/24/09, 3:46 PM
Anonymous said...: It's even more amazing that there are rarely ever any Democratic sex scandals.; 6/24/09, 4:36 PM
John Seiler said...: Too bad. If he was a Democrat, he might survive it. But now he's finished.

Sanford was one of the few small-government Republicans left. The rest say they are, but really are Neocons.; 6/24/09, 4:41 PM
Anonymous said...: I suspect the number of politicans who are faithful to their spouses can be counted on one hand.

What's amusing is listening to the left doing their usual bleat about "hypocrites" and "family values". As if the cheating Dems all told their wives up front that they don't believe in marital fidelity.; 6/24/09, 4:55 PM
Victoria said...: I'd say the Sanford affair sounds much more like a love affair than it does a trivial, sexual dalliance.

Now, who among us doubted for a minute that this guy was off on an affair? Oh, that 50-ish age, when a man wishes that the wife would die, so he could start over again. Ah, the passion!

Sanford said: "The bottom line is this: I've been unfaithful to my wife."

Well, surprise, Mr. Sanford, Nature didn't program you to be "faithful" to anyone.

Boss wrote:
Geez, what's the point of political power if you can't even get and enjoy some action on the side?

Ain't it the truth!; 6/24/09, 5:08 PM
Lucius Vorenus said...: TTIWWP.; 6/24/09, 5:36 PM
gwood said...: Anything but a live boy or a dead girl...; 6/24/09, 5:58 PM
master_of_americans said...: I don't really understand what the news story is with Sanford. I guess it's that he took an impromptu vacation. That was a dumb thing to do -- he could have planned it out a little beforehand. Other than that, it has nothing to do with anybody besides him and his loved ones.; 6/24/09, 6:04 PM
Anonymous said...: I had hopes for him, a real deficit hawk...

If you're GOP adultery is a career killer, as it should be. Plus, you're outed quickly. If you're Democrat no one will know, and if we do it's just another line on the resume, a notch on the belt. Ask Clinton. If you're a journalist they pay you to write about it.; 6/24/09, 6:35 PM
Bob said...: Oh there are plenty of GOP gay sex scandels waiting to unfold. Just in South Carolina there are three high level closeted gay Republicans:

Sen. Lindsey Graham
State Senate president Glenn McConnell
Lt. Gov. André Bauer

Though Graham has such an extreme "gay voice" that calling him closeted might be an overstatement.

http://www.q-notes.com/2710/former-candidate-linda-ketner-outs-sc-republicans/

This should be no suprise, as gays seem to be disproportiately high in the skills modern politicians need: High verbal intelligence, charm, and social/networking skills, and keeping one's appearance presentable for TV.

Likewise lesbians have the qualities the public rewards in female politicians: toughness and a willingness to put work ahead of family.; 6/24/09, 6:49 PM
Anonymous said...: "Oh, that 50-ish age, when a man wishes that the wife would die, so he could start over again. Ah, the passion!"

In his head, he's at that Viagra age--he wants something to wake up his you-know-what so that he feels like a kid again.

Remember the character Olympia Dukakis played in "Moonstruck"? Her husband has been playing around on her, old geezer that he is, and Dukakis, knowing she has been a good wife, is distraught, not knowing why he has strayed. In her befuddlement and pain, she queries everyone: "Why do men fool around?"

No one can answer her until finally, Danny Aiello, who plays her daughter's former fiance, takes a wild stab at it, just to appease her: "Maybe because they're afraid of gettin' old"?

"YES! That's it," she cries.

Ah, men--their sexual prime is in their past.

Ah, nature--a woman finds her sexual prime at a ripe age.; 6/24/09, 6:50 PM
Bob said...: Interesting scenerio: Right now there are 40 GOP Senators, and that will probably fall to 36 after the next election. Four GOP senators are female, leaving 32 male GOP Seantors. If Larry Craig had not gotten caught, and Charlie Crist as expected wins next years, that would leave the male GOP Senate Caucus 3/32 gay, or 9.4%. Make that 12.5% if the semi-credible rumors about Mitch McConnell are true.

That's way above the 2.5%-4% of the general male population.; 6/24/09, 7:03 PM
Bob said...: As sex scandels go this is pretty mild and forgivable.

He said he only met her _three times_ over a one year period, she's not a hooker, 19-year-old bimbo, or on his payroll. He admitted the affair to his wife even shortly after it started, and soon after they planned an amicable seperation.

The average handsome high-status man does far worse.; 6/24/09, 7:09 PM
Vernunft said...: "Interesting scenerio: Right now there are 40 GOP Senators, and that will probably fall to 36 after the next election. Four GOP senators are female, leaving 32 male GOP Seantors. If Larry Craig had not gotten caught, and Charlie Crist as expected wins next years, that would leave the male GOP Senate Caucus 3/32 gay, or 9.4%. Make that 12.5% if the semi-credible rumors about Mitch McConnell are true.

That's way above the 2.5%-4% of the general male population."

Small sample sizes include weird distortions, is that news to you?; 6/24/09, 7:28 PM
travis said...: It's clear from reading his emails that Sanford is much too sincere to be a successful politician.; 6/24/09, 7:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Chuck Baldwin wrote a column claiming that the Republican party has been thoroughly penetrated by homosexualists. link; 6/24/09, 7:49 PM
Bob said...: Vern: The sample contains all known members of the population (male GOP senate republicans), so literally speaking what you said makes no sense.

If you mean Republican politicians in general with the 32 Senators as a random sample, then this is a plenty big sample for most purposes. Or more precisely, counting the McConnell rumors as true we can say the percentage of male GOP politicians who'd be gay in the next Senate if Craig had not resigned, with 90% confidence level, is 12.5% +- 1.8%.

Speaking of Mitch McConnell, I did some Google-ing and found his ex-wife is now a women's history librarian at Smith College, aka Lesbian World HQ.

Her facebook page is pure lesbiana. She lists herself as a "fan" of EMILY's list, Rachel Maddow, Gloria Steinem, and the main gay rights organization in her home state of Kentucky.; 6/24/09, 7:53 PM
Unknown said...: Haley Barbour is exposing these indiscretions among his potential rivals for 2012. I think we will see a couple more over the next year. I suspect Palin will get hers at some point. Barbour knows where all the bodies are buried.; 6/24/09, 8:24 PM
Anonymous said...: "Though Graham has such an extreme 'gay voice' that calling him closeted might be an overstatement."

Okay, being serious here for a time... I have read innuendo like this about Graham before, on blogs, particularly during the election when he was quite visible. Is it the result of his being single? Or because he tags after McCain so closely that if Ole John stopped on a dime Graham would be picking crap out of his nose for a month? Or both?

My gaydar never picked up anything from Graham. Granted, his voice and his painfully determined enunciation is enough to send me up a wall.

I've heard plenty of Southerners who could stretch one vowel into five and who could stretch a one-syllabled word into a polysyllabic one, but I've never heard one who seemed to struggle so hard to do it as Graham does. It's as if his words are trying to climb a waterslide.

That's my California female bias, however. Admittedly, I'm an accent bigot.; 6/24/09, 8:30 PM
Anonymous said...: "I don't think this kills him politically."

Yep. It does. It's not the affair; it's that he didn't tell security where he was or, not wanting to do that, that he didn't hand over the reins to the Lt. Gov. while was "unavailable." He put personal matters over matters of state--calls his decision making into question.; 6/24/09, 8:42 PM
Anonymous said...: "Haley Barbour is exposing these indiscretions among his potential rivals for 2012."

Having said what I did about the accents of Southern men, I can't let this one pass. Ain't no way in hell Haley Barbour could ever be Prez.! The accent, the belly...NO, NO, NO. (Too bad too, actually. He's been a good governor). It's just that looks and voice do count. That's how we got Barry.; 6/24/09, 8:45 PM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: Ah, men--their sexual prime is in their past.

Ah, nature--a woman finds her sexual prime at a ripe age.

Whoa whoa whoa. Sanford has obviously found someone who "woke him up," enough to risk his whole livelihood, and is in his turn apparently tripping some woman's trigger, even though she faces the substantial risk she will get left out in the cold.

Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman selected second wives in their age bracket. The majority of second marriages I see are between two middle-aged people.

The idea that men are flaccid husks when women are hunks of burning love seems to be one of those myths that falls apart under closer scrutiny. Kind of like the myth of female prudery.

In fact, it's patently absurd. How on Darwin's green earth could a middle-aged woman's libido match that of a nubile female?

Next question, why would such facially absurd myths be propagated?; 6/24/09, 8:48 PM
Anonymous said...: One of the commentors above posted a link to a website for the South Carolina paper The State that has copies of the emails the governor sent to his mistress. The emails in the paper show his mistress to be an Argentine. First the deadbeat working for the Times and now an upstanding governor of a major state.

Is there any part of our upper class that doesn't turn to shit on contact with Argentina?

Hell, let me expand that thought:

Considering the Bush clan is enamored with Mexico, is there any part of our upper class (especially Republicans) that doesn't turn to shit on contact with Latin America?; 6/24/09, 9:05 PM
Anonymous said...: "How on Darwin's green earth could a middle-aged woman's libido match that of a nubile female?"

Easy--the "nubile female" was faking it so that she could reap other benefits. You didn't know that?; 6/24/09, 9:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Random comments

Arnold Palmer's first wife died, and if I am not mistaken, Arnie fooled around a lot. In an interview he said that had he had a son, he would have stayed at home a great deal more. That made me feel bad for his daughters.

Greg Norman? He's always been about the business of conquest, especially conquest in the business world. I think his ambition in the world of business is what kept him from winning more majors. As the pressure built to win those majors, he choked his way around Augusta and a few US Opens.; 6/24/09, 9:21 PM
Anonymous said...: "How on Darwin's green earth could a middle-aged woman's libido match that of a nubile female?"

Forgot to add--modern medicine has allowed us to live beyond our child-bearing/child-rearing days and freed from the kids---YOWZA.; 6/24/09, 9:28 PM
testing99 said...: Anon -- it seems libido peaks (unsurprisingly) in the teen years for both sexes. Wow what a aurprise. Most older women and men have lower sex drives. MOST.

As for Palin, no way will she get the nomination. Women HATE HATE HATE her. Mostly because of her class, her blue collar husband, her voice/accent, and ... her blue collar husband.

Women will forgive many things. Marrying a Blue collar guy is not one of them. [Palin's positions are no different from aristo Elizabeth Dole, married to Bob Dole, or Kay Baily Hutchinson. However they are definitely upper class and women will not tolerate, particularly middle class women, any hint of "lower-classness" among female pols. Palin's class is why Men love her, and women hate her so, with equal passion.]; 6/24/09, 9:32 PM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: Easy--the "nubile female" was faking it so that she could reap other benefits. You didn't know that?

Are you a middle-aged female? Because that's a great job answering the question I didn't ask.

The question is not why some (and it is only some) nubile females have sex with middle-aged men. The question is why we are told to accept as true that the libido of middle-aged women is equal (nay, greater!) than that of nubile females.; 6/24/09, 9:34 PM
Anonymous said...: A friend of mine once commented to me that the Clinton's looked like a couple that would have split up a long time ago except that they kept their marriage for the sake of appearances or politics. From all outward appearances, Hillary seems to be totally uninterested in Bill and that Bill would be humping anything he could have gotten his hands on. If we lived in a world where sex did not matter to voters we would probably see a lot more single but happy politicians who were getting laid regularly.; 6/24/09, 9:41 PM
Auditor George Danos said...: " 'That's way above the 2.5%-4% of the general male population.'

Small sample sizes include weird distortions, is that news to you?"

What makes you think that those figures are at all accurate? Considering the number of gay men who hide behind a façade of heterosexual respectability, I'd say the true proportion is at least twice that of highest mainstream reported surveys. So, 12.5% sounds right to me. I don't care who Kinsey interviewed - he happened to come damned close anyway.; 6/24/09, 9:48 PM
Anonymous said...: wait till they find out she was actually a spy.; 6/24/09, 9:58 PM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: "Random comments" is apt, because they do not support the thesis you seem to be trying to craft.

Palmer and Norman have enough money and status to get any kind of woman they want. They selected partners in their own age brackets. And again, to my observation, that's what most middle-aged men do, newly single and otherwise. If nubile women had less libido than middle-aged women (recall that the explicit assumption of the original post was that women hit their sexual peak in middle age), then we would expect far more nubile female/middle-aged male pairings.

So in light of this disconnect, why is it accepted as true that middle-aged women have at least equal and even higher libidos than nubile women, and that middle-aged men have dramatically lower libidos than middle-aged women?

Interesting to see what brings out the mace-wielding sisterhood at iSteve.; 6/24/09, 10:09 PM
Victoria said...: The idea that men are flaccid husks when women are hunks of burning love seems to be one of those myths that falls apart under closer scrutiny.

This is a myth I never heard of. Sanford knew this woman for years and, of course, is lying about his supposed brief encounters with her. This doesn't sound like childish being "in love," it sounds more like a long, close association where he grew to love her deeply. Even in his talk to the press, he still calls her his "dear, dear friend." He cannot abandon his feelings for her even under this stress.

All this psychobabble about how men get involved because they want to "feel young" is nonsense. A man yearns for other mates, because Nature is pushing him to fulfill his NORMAL urges, that is, to touch and fondle a new, different body. That's why polygamy is the institution that makes sense, whether or not we like it.

How on Darwin's green earth could a middle-aged woman's libido match that of a nubile female?

It can't, except in the world of feminist fantasy.; 6/24/09, 10:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Reactionary,

1. The Palmer/Norman comments were random, just as I said. No point was being "crafted".

2. A woman hits her sexual peak much later than a man. She enjoys sex more than ever she did when she was younger. Kids out of the house mean she can indulge herself in ways she didn't feel she could before their departure; she's more sexually experienced and more adventurous than when she was younger.

She sees herself as attractive, more attractive than when she was a teen or at 20, primarily because with age has grown a self-confidence, a confidence that was missing when she was "nubile." When she was "nubile" she cared about pleasing others, not understanding that she herself deserved to be pleased.

Anyway, best person to ask--lots of women or a gynecologist.; 6/24/09, 11:35 PM
Anonymous said...: BTW, Reactionary,

I'd hardly call myself a member of any "sisterhood." Laughable.; 6/24/09, 11:38 PM
Anonymous said...: That's why polygamy is the institution that makes sense, whether or not we like it.

It does not make sense from the standpoint of society or civilization. It is an inherently unstable system, as it results in a large numbers of single men without hope of a mate. Sooner or later they destroy the whole system.; 6/25/09, 12:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Steve have you noticed how burned out drudge is since the 2008 election? Maybe even since the 2006 election. Drudgereport is no longer updating anywhere close to round the clock or even all through the day. The page just sits unchanged for long extended periods now and especially on the weekends.

This afternoon drudge put up the sanford headline and then just let the page sit there even though congressman issa (ca) today publicly accused federal reserve chair bernanke of doing a "coverup" and cnbc went into red alert panic mode like they were doing a fire drill. Big daddy nbc network spiked the story though. It's all about compartmentalization!

Drudge is such a neocon poof. Why in hell do right wingers pay attention to him? To keep tabs on bruno updates? Perez hilton flair ups? To find out who israel needs bombed next?

The Iran propaganda campaign has been so clumsy and transparent. It's cia nonsense top to bottom. How much more are they going to take out there in gop land? After last summer's fiasco coverage of georgia (russia) you'd think the american media gods might have developed some sense of shame but no they just pump out their propaganda in the tried and true soviet style.

Anyway thanks for the memories matt drudge! Great coverage of that what's his name southern governor. You're the greatest american newsman since walter winchell.; 6/25/09, 1:34 AM
David said...: "Kids out of the house mean she can indulge herself in ways she didn't feel she could before their departure[...] She sees herself as attractive, more attractive than when she was a teen or at 20, primarily because with age has grown a self-confidence[...] When she was 'nubile' she cared about pleasing others, not understanding that she herself deserved to be pleased."

Huge turn-off. Sorry I read it.; 6/25/09, 4:28 AM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: 2. 2. A woman hits her sexual peak much later than a man. ... She sees herself as attractive, more attractive than when she was a teen or at 20 ...

Oh man. You have swallowed this one hook, line and sinker.; 6/25/09, 4:36 AM
Black Sea said...: "She sees herself as attractive, more attractive than when she was a teen or at 20 . . . "

I am, to say the least, highly skeptical.

How many women old enough to have "kids out of the house" (I assume that this means adult children) really believe themselves to be more attractive than they were at 20?

More sexually charged or driven? Less inhibted and more willing to experiment sexually? Just flat out more horny? Maybe so. But more sexually attractive? this would seem a little delusional.; 6/25/09, 5:52 AM
Anonymous said...: it's that he didn't tell security where he was or, not wanting to do that, that he didn't hand over the reins to the Lt. Gov. while was "unavailable." He put personal matters over matters of state--calls his decision making into question.

C'mon. It's not like South Carolina has its own nuclear forces or that constant vigilance is needed on the tiller of state in case a summer tornado hits Greenville. The whole point of federalism is so that we don't have to have such all-importance centralized into one person. I wouldn't blame my state's governor for slipping his security leash for one damn weekend.; 6/25/09, 7:24 AM
Anonymous said...: I, too, have noticed that about Drudge. But I don't know of a better place to go; does anyone have any suggestions?; 6/25/09, 7:33 AM
Anonymous said...: "Next question, why would such facially absurd myths be propagated?"

I can't think of any reason. Anyone?; 6/25/09, 8:12 AM
Anonymous said...: ObamaCo outted them.; 6/25/09, 8:12 AM
Victoria said...: . . . she's more sexually experienced and more adventurous than when she was younger.

And, depending on what she looks like, this probably translates into nothing more than fantasies for her. Lots of chatter with the girls. And sometimes a roll in the hay with the next door neighbor's husband.

She sees herself as attractive, more attractive than when she was a teen or at 20

Even though she's now 175 pounds?; 6/25/09, 8:49 AM
nosedive said...: Ronduck said...

It's even more amazing that there are rarely ever any Democratic sex scandals.

Of course you are right. But its assumed that the MSM is wholly biased against anything even faintly smelling like it may be conservative. Its been proven beyond a doubt that it is a systemic bias which will only be removed once the MSM establishment is somehow removed. Its like having ants around your house.; 6/25/09, 8:49 AM
Victoria said...: Drudge is such a neocon poof. Why in hell do right wingers pay attention to him?

Right wingers pay attention to him BECAUSE he's a neocon poof. I never understood the interest in that website and have hardly ever visited it. Years ago, Drudge had a radio show on ABC in NY, so I got to hear him then, and found him smarmy and irrelevant. So, I guess I never believed that any website of his could be worth anything.; 6/25/09, 8:59 AM
Stopped Clock said...: If polygamy results in large numbers of single men without hope of a mate, then monogamy results in large numbers of single women without hope of a mate. Which is worse?; 6/25/09, 10:44 AM
another anon said...: Anon is obviously joking about young women faking it. Your humor detector is broken.

And I doubt there are any women reading SS, especially hardcore feminists. Your common sense is also broken.; 6/25/09, 2:59 PM
Anonymous said...: Testing said:
"Anon -- it seems libido peaks (unsurprisingly) in the teen years for both sexes."

So all that I heard about women hitting their sexual peak around 32-35 is bunk?

-Vanilla Thunder; 6/25/09, 3:11 PM
anony-mouse said...: Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Amcon's cover girl outsourced his romantic life to a foreign country? Weren't there any American tramps available?

At least Clinton kept the (blow) jobs at home.; 6/25/09, 3:17 PM
Anonymous said...: "More sexually charged or driven? Less inhibted and more willing to experiment sexually? Just flat out more horny? Maybe so. But more sexually attractive? this would seem a little delusional.""

Women can be surprisingly delusional. I knew a 35 or 36 year old divorcee who was trying to convince herself she was all that because a 20 or 21 year old guy was willing to plow her. She bemoaned the lack of intelligent conversation and always felt kinda depressed after he left her bed, but hey, she must be hot if a guy will use her as a sperm dumpster.

-Vanilla Thunder; 6/25/09, 4:05 PM
Anonymous said...: Hmmmm. Think of tv shows. Let's take the one with Jim Belushi. Consider him--fat, clothes ill-fitting, balding; then consider his wife--still pretty attractive at her age, wouldn't you say? They seem rather the norm.

Think of the commercials you see with people about the same age.
Same thing. Take a look at those in your neighborhood, husbands and wives at their kids' sporting events or wherever such couples gather.

Compare and contrast. The women in their 40s look a heck of a lot younger, better than their husbands. American women over the last generation or so have taken much better care of themselves than their mothers did. Not so the men of the same age, on average.; 6/25/09, 7:05 PM
David Davenport said...: If I were doing a re-make of the movie Gone With the Wind, Sen. Lindy Graham would be upstairs at the olde plantation manor trying on Scarlet O'Hara's gowns, while Scarlet and the Clark Gable character are downstairs row-mancing on the veranda.

Haley Barbour would have a supporting role as Hizzoner the Mayor of Atlanta. Dressed in broad-brimmed planter's hat, string tie and white suit, Haley would give Confederate soldiers an upbeat, on-to-victory speech as they marched out of Atlanta to fight Sherman's invading army.; 6/25/09, 8:18 PM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: American women over the last generation or so have taken much better care of themselves than their mothers did. Not so the men of the same age, on average.

As somebody in the demographic you're talking about I'd dispute this. The majority of 40+ people of both sexes in the US are disgracefully unhealthy. But let's take it a step further: to my observation, the healthiest, best looking 40+ women are those married to high-income males. Now why would that be the case? It's a mystery, a paradox, a conundrum ...

Also, look at all the current campaigns about women and cardiovascular disease. That is an obesity problem, not a gender problem, but like the epidemic of sports injuries among female teenage athletes, it is verboten to discuss the real causes.; 6/25/09, 8:28 PM
Black Sea said...: "Hmmmm. Think of tv shows. . . Think of the commercials you see with people about the same age."

Hmmmm, ask yourself whether TV shows and commercials (which may purport to present couples of roughly the same age, though you don't really know the ages of the actors) offer up a statistically representative subset of the overall population. Do most 40 year old women look like Jennifer Anniston? Do most 67 year old men look like Harrison Ford?

Do the lives of most young(ish) singles living in New York resemble, from a statistical standpoint, the lives of the characters on "Seinfeld" or "Friends?"

Hmmmm, ask yourself whether, based on the actors and actresses you see on TV, Americans in fact tend to be among the most overweight people in the world. Most of the actors and actresses I see on TV look pretty healthy!

Hmmmm, ask yourself whether it makes a lot of sense to base your comments about human realities upon people you observe on sitcoms and in TV commercials. Then ask yourself whether you might need to think a little harder before posting a comment.; 6/25/09, 10:38 PM
Anonymous said...: What "epidemic of sports injuries among female teenage athletes"? More than usual? And what are the "real causes"?; 6/25/09, 11:55 PM
The Anti-Gnostic said...: What "epidemic of sports injuries among female teenage athletes"? More than usual? And what are the "real causes"?

Here.

And the cause? White women can't jump!

Nothing to do with basic anatomy and the fact that women didn't evolve to hurl their bodies around while running as fast as they can. Nope, nothing at all.; 6/26/09, 5:32 AM
Victoria said...: to my observation, the healthiest, best looking 40+ women are those married to high-income males.

Yes. What was that wonderful term that Tom Wolfe coined for these wealthy women in "Bonfire of the Vanities?" I've been trying to remember it. But we know why these women remain stick-skinny, because they get lots of help staying that way. They can afford all the help they need. It's an important status thing, as they would be ostracized as fatties when they showed up in the Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard.

Among average people, I don't notice that the men are in any worse shape than the women. Most of them look pretty terrible.; 6/26/09, 7:04 AM
Anonymous said...: How on Darwin's green earth could a middle-aged woman's libido match that of a nubile female?
-----------------------------------
Simple: Young women tend to take birth control pills which can really hamper their libido. Older women can experience a rise in relative testosterone levels as their estrogen levels decrease.

I've been in both situations, so I know.; 6/26/09, 3:54 PM
Black Sea said...: "What was that wonderful term that Tom Wolfe coined for these wealthy women in "Bonfire of the Vanities?"

"Social X-Rays," I believe, though I never read the book.; 6/26/09, 7:47 PM
Black Sea said...: For what it's worth, I happened across this article in today's Telegraph. It addresses the question of when women feel most confident, atttractive, and "happy":

"Researchers discovered women feel most confident and happy with their love life and body shape shortly before they reach 30.

It is also the period in their life when they enjoy the best sex –but the happiness is relatively shortlived.

Because by the time they have turned 30 they start worrying about growing old and developing grey hair and wrinkles.

According to the results, women are happiest in their career at 29 and most content with their relationships one year later at 30, despite having the best sex at 28."

I wouldn't claim that such research is definitive, but it may interest those debating these points here (if anyone is still checking this thread). You can read the entire article at the Telegraph website.; 6/26/09, 8:05 PM