Careful, you aren’t allowed to ask questions on Fluther that suggest that there may be patterns in human behavior. Didn’t you get that memo?
This is simply speculation on my part, but I suspect that it may be possible… based on this: some studies suggest that women may shift the type of men that interest them based on hormonal fluctuations. During ovulation, women tend to be more attracted to more masculine men, but may be more likely to be attracted to men with less masculine features at other times of the month. I think the theory is called dual-pairing or dual-mating…. I’ll Google and update this when I find it. The idea is that from an evolutionary standpoint, there were benefits to mating with man that exhibits high levels of testosterone, but that men who do not have such masculine traits were more likely to stay and help to raise the offspring, and less likely to be pursued by other women.
That could account for some of the “variety,” but studies also indicate that women are probably at least slightly less concerned with physical appearances than men are. Most men, after puberty, can produce sperm. Not all women are capable of carrying a healthy baby, however, and biologically men are more likely to be drawn to women who look “healthy.” It may be affected by societal standards, but there are biological explanations on both sides, which I think supports the suggestion that you’re asserting.
Yes, we all have our preferences. Yes, women can be just as superficial as men, who can be less superficial than women, and yadda yadda blah blah.
As a woman – I’m attracted to a very wide variety of men. I have an “ideal” physical type, but I can go way off the charts in several directions.