TABOO AND GENETICS 239 



which romantic love centres and v/hich there 

 fore play a prominent part in mating are not 

 necessarily indicative of physical and mental 

 health that will insure the production of sound 

 offspring. The modern standards of beauty 

 (at least in so far as feminine lovehness is con- 

 cerned) have gone far from the ancient Grecian 

 type of physical perfection. Influenced perhaps 

 by the chivalric ideals of " the lady," the demand 

 is rather for a delicate and fragile prettiness 

 which has come to be regarded as the essence 

 of femininity. The robust, athletic girl must 

 preserve this " feminine charm " in the midst 

 of her wholesome outdoor Ufe, else she stands 

 in great danger of losing her erotic attraction. 



Surface indications of the truth of this state- 

 ment are easily discovered. The literature which 

 before the war ran riot with athletic heroines 

 pictured them with wind-blown hair and flushed 

 cheeks receiving the offer of their male com- 

 panion's heart and hand. The golf course or 

 the summer camp was simply a charming new 

 setting for the development of the eternal love 

 theme. Even fashion has conspired to empha- 

 size the feminine charm of the girl who goes in 

 for sports, as a glance at the models of bathing 

 costumes, silken sweaters, and graceful " sport " 

 skirts plainly reveals. 



Just as the love which is directed in accord- 

 ance with an emotional reaction conditioned to 



