Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 November 9, 2001 f

Forget about "type"- take a second look
KARA OPPENHEIM

As we walk through the Union and across the Quad, as we mingle at parties and sit in class, we see and talk to many different people. We are not attracted to all of them, but there are always those that stick out: the guy you hope is single, the girl whose last name you bother to find out so you can look her up on the directory.

But why do we do this? How can we see two people and so quickly decide that one is right for romance, but the other is not? One word: "appearance." Lots of people say "he's not my type" or "she's my type of girl," simply based on appearance.

So this week I investigate CAN PEOPLE REALLY HAVE A 'TYPE' BASED MERELY ON PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND IF SO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Brad is quite predictable, as far as romance is concerned. His friends joke that they can walk into a room and point out exactly which girls he likes, and they are never surprised when he asks someone out. Moreover, all of these girls resemble the first girl he was ever in love with.

This brings up the question of whether or not type is dictated by our first crushes or first loves, if there is a prototype that we create based on what we first learned. But how far back does this go? Is this Oedipal? Are all of the girls Brad is attracted to really just like his mother?

Carrie says, "I certainly find that there is a type of guy who attracts me the most initially. I am not attracted to all guys like this and there are many guys who, once I get to know, I am also very attracted to. But there is no denying that there is one type of guy who catches my attention first."

Who knows how she got this idea into her head, but somewhere along the line she figured out that there was one type of guy for her. She knows exactly what he looks like and can always pick him out of a crowd. Whom she will not pick out is the nice, sweet guy next to him who just doesn't have that 'look.'

Charlotte supports her friend when she says, "If we are at a party, I can point to someone and say, 'Carrie, you are definitely attracted to that guy,' and generally I'm right. It's pretty sick."

Brad appears to be even more set in his ways, to the point where his friends sometimes wonder if he could ever be attracted to someone who did not look like the standard model. Whereas Carrie knows she has a "type," Brad is not even aware that all of the girls he dates look alike.

But both have been heard to say the same things such as the following: "S/He is really good-looking and I really like him/her, but s/he's just not my type."

Thus they both can, in essence, be attracted to someone and reject him or her because they do not fit into a physical mold!

Will, on the other hand, is utterly in opposition. "What are you talking about 'type?' I am attracted to so many different types of girls. It would be ridiculous to say that I am only attracted to people with certain physical qualities."

He has found himself attracted to tall girls, short girls, thin girls, heavier girls, blonde girls, and brunette girls. Will finds that he has the potential to be attracted to virtually anyone and would never want to hinder that by adhering to criteria.

Will appears to be the healthiest of the three. Since he does not confine himself, he has a greater chance of really finding someone. As long as Brad continues to ask out only girls that look alike and Carrie never considers guys romantically unless they look like what she considers to be her "type," then they are most likely going to simply become frustrated. They should strive to be more like Will, who understands that first impressions based on looks alone are not indicative of who the person is inside; someone who looks just like every other girl he's dated might not be right for him, and someone who does not look like them at all may be perfect.

And so I urge you to throw out these notions of "type." Do not limit yourself to only those people who look one way, because you have convinced yourself that they are the only people you can like. If you take a second look, you could be very surprised at who you may be attracted to.