Whether or not "they are Human Biology 101," does not address the question of shallowness. It's an incidental objection.
It also presumes a deterministic quality for this "unconscious" drive toward your predetermined conclusion without ever addressing the numerous issues that tend to weaken your main contention (i.e. distaste for male facial hair, preference for petite women, poolboy syndrome, et al)
Claiming it makes zero point to criticize is nothing but dismissing the role of society and culture in pairing, arguably a more weighty factor than some vestigial programming.
Attraction based on these factors is not a choice, and not something we can change by pretending they aren't important.
Attraction may not be a choice, but that was never my point. My point was choosing a mate, and presumably, there is a choice to be made.
Personally, I think it's a bit "magic wand-ish" to conflate the atavistic attracting power of certain physical characteristics with the purely cognitive process of sizing up a guys bank account. "The ability to provide" is a concept only superficially similar to "picking the strongest breeder" in the same way a motorcycle and a bicycle are only superficially related.
a very nicely worded post.
I especially appreciate the artistry of the line: "Personally, I think it's a bit "magic wand-ish" to conflate the atavistic attracting power of certain physical characteristics with the purely cognitive process of sizing up a guys bank account."
However, in my mundane prose, I must state that you have overstated the issue in your post. I think that a woman, in choosing a mate, should (maybe "ought to") consider whether this man will be able to provide a stable and safe environment for the raising of children, i.e., for her and for her children. This demands a consideration of his "pocketbook potential."
Does that mean that a millionaire should win out over a tow truck driver? NO! But a stable tow truck driver should win out over a dude who can't keep a job for more than two months.
admittedly, there are some woman who marry for money, but that is not the issue here. The issue is whether the man's income or income-potential is a legitimate consideration in choosing a mate, and I agree with those who say "yes."