Ancient Barbies and Kens. Obviously the "ideal" body shape has changed.

Reminds me of this archaeology project I did in middle school, where we split into two groups and buried "artifacts" for the other group to find.

We were each assigned a particular part of our virtual civilization's culture to create an artifact for, and I got chosen to do religion. At first I was really disappointed--why would I want to have to make up a religion when I could care less about the ones already in existence? Then I remember having a moment of joy when I realized I could come up with virtually anything and it would still make sense.

That mother goddess thing does sound suspect. Next anthropologists will be finding badger or cougar goddess statues all over the place.

Cougar goddesses? You mean the ancient precursor to 50 year old women looking for a man half their age?

Donna B says:

Cougar goddesses? You mean the ancient precursor to 50 year old women looking for a man half their age?

According to the female anthropologist on Bones, all women are cougars.

(I should stop getting my science from crappy TV programs.)

Why yes you should, Richard Sharpe. Unless you sign on to being as irreverent as possible, which is my choice.

While I can certainly fall for the idea that a male might consider a more corpulent female to be more fecund than a skinny one, I don't think it follows that a post-menopausal female is desirable at all.

If I were a male (which I am not), I would try to mate with young females regardless my own age. Why should I worry myself with females unable to spawn?

This, of course, requires that one think that all males are interested in reproducing. That in itself is a falsity, I think. Personally, I think that males are interested in sex and love the idea that it might not result in reproduction.

Yet, what do I as a past middle-aged female know? I do have memories of being totally in love with a man older than myself. I wanted to have his baby with all my heart and could not understand why he did not want this baby of his that I could produce.

Do not underestimate the cruelty of the female. I remind my husband that if he's let me have my way we'd now have a teen-aged son mowing the lawn for us.

There's a lovely classic sci-fi story about future archeologists investigating the ruins of a 20th century town and discovering that every building contains an altar. What a devout people they were! One is quite a ways into the story before realizing that the "altar" is a toilet, except upside down.

Well . . .lots of joke possibilities.

Prairie Mary