Sexism & Singlehood

Ok - so my nameless friend (and Marek) bring up the excellent point of sexism. This is, indeed, a sexist way of thinking.

Why is it that women are expected to pair up by a certain age, and viewed as a failure if they don't, while men aren't subjected to the same double-standard? (Note nameless's Clooney-Aniston comparison.) Why is it that men aren't advised 'marry her! she's good enough! she's the best you're ever gonna get!' (by anyone other than their mothers, that is....)? In fact, if a man seems to remain a bachelor for a while, then one day decides he should settle down, he's not criticized for having passed up a chance with a great girl but rather he's simply advised to 'date younger'.

That, and bringing up the movie analogy my good friend suggested (which I know I've blogged about before...). So why is it ALWAYS that we've got the hot girl and average joe paired up in movies?! I don't know why it bothers me so much, because I honestly don't view myself as a superficial person and I really can't say looks matter all that much to me, but it really really does. Well, in the reference my friend makes - Katherine Heigl & Seth Rogen in 'Knocked Up' - it's not as though Seth Rogen's character is average looking but the great humanitarian/family man on the fast track to success - according to my recollection, he's an unemployed pot smoker who enjoys watching porn on a daily basis.

I think my main annoyance with this subject is that I feel women are portayed as 'prizes' as opposed to equals in this ever recurring storyline. Here's a storyline I'd like to hear - Average Joe passes up the opportunity to be with some superhot leading lady for Average Jane with whom he has a lot in common and a strong emotional connection. It annoys me that it's completely socially acceptable for men to be blatantly superficial in picking a partner, however, if a woman rules out a man because she's not attracted to him/doesn't feel the chemistry, she is ripped apart.

Anyhow. I am not sure, necessarily, what I wanted to address in this post, but it seemed too long to simply be a comment. Is anyone else annoyed at the constant storyline of Average Joe getting the hot girl (whose role is simply being 'a hot girl')? Anyone else frustrated that women are criticized for being single? Can anyone think of some good examples/arguments I'm missing?