I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason why high standards in a woman (especially a beautiful one) for a man bother EVERYONE so much is because:
1. A single woman may believe that should you find this “unicorn,” the likelihood of her also finding that unicorn decreases. It’s like a zero sum game. If you get that man, that reduces the absolute percentage of said available type of men. So “why don’t you settle and keep that unicorn available for me.”
2. A married woman needs consolation. Of her own decision. If you wait and end up finding that unicorn, she may question whether she too should have waited, or if she made the wrong decision. Of course this would only bother her should you find that man. If you remain single, you remain less of a threat, however the possibility remains.
3. Single men hate it for obvious reasons.
4. Married men hate it for many of the reasons that single men hate it, but also it forces them to reckon with the possibility that their wife settled for them.
That’s my new but probably obvious theory.
