I live in the south and, while a lot of has been discussed here is true, there is so much generalizing going on about "the south," it makes my head hurt.
First, when you are discussing a place, name the place. "The south" is 10,000 places with different cultures and attitudes depending on where you are. We have rural farm areas, snuffy smith mountain areas, coastal towns, swamps....you name it. We have at least one major city, several not much smaller, a lot of mid-sized cities of all types, port cities, beach towns, etc. You will find a lot of small conservative church going towns, but you will also find a lot of liberal and progressive pockets, as well. This isn't the Midwest where its, basicly a handful of cities connected by corn and trailers. The south is just too big and our cultures are just too diverse in 2013 to make sweeping generalizations.
Second, the only people who think Arkansas is "the south" are people in Arkansas. It's not. It's the southern wing of the midwest along with Missouri and Kentucky. While I'm on it, for the record, Florida and most of Virginia are no longer "the south" nor is a great deal of North Carolina at this point. The reasons are too myriad to get into, but that's pretty much the case in modern times. Texas is Texas. It was once its own country and is, to itd credit, its own place.
So when you have an experience in Arkansas, say "Arkansas" not "the south," please. The dynamic that's being discussed is neither universal to all parts of the south, nor unique to it. And the bible belt, by the way, also includes a lot of the Midwest, Oklahoma (which also isn't the south), etc. You will find this very thing in any small town or rural area of the south, but also in the midwest, the west, or rural new england. Seriously, as I was reading this, all I could think about were the times I've stopped for food driving thru places like rural Connecticut, upstate New York, or Maine. It's a small town thing. Not a southern one. Honestly, I've never seen better looking women with more choades than places I've been in New Jersey.
All of that said, they do marry young down here. The really hot ones are accutely aware of their value long before they get out of college. And that's a lot. I've lived all over the country but, depending on where you are, you won't find more hot women per capita than anywhere else in the country aside, maybe, from southern california or arizona, in my experience. And I think that's because people, in general, tend to take better care of themselves in those places where, here, they tend to rely on good genes which doesn't carry them as far as they age. I would put any random number of southern women up against the same random number of the same age group from any other area of the country for a neck-up comparison any day. In a neck-down comparison, especially over 25, California would probably win, though. Our women are better looking, theirs are in better shape, essentially. Most of ours are actually from here.
Anyway, I've never really understood why people, the guys at least, get married so young in non-rural areas down here. Had lots of friends who married right after college. We just do. The religion factor might have something to do with it, but in 2013, in cities especially, not everyone is particularly religious. But we do tend to be a lot more traditional than a lot of other areas of the country and that, I think, is a bigger factor overall. Had I not been adamant about pursuing my career, which took me out of the region and caused the breakup with my college girlfriend, I probably would have too. It's worth noting that as a young professional in NYC I knew no shortage of married people my age. It just wasn't most everyone. I think a lot of it has to do with smaller numbers of people so its mote noticable. Not every single person down here marries young but it might seem that way out in the country or in small towns.
As a not unrelated aside, I just saw on the news last week that a new study found that the Midwest is, statistically, the most obese region of the country with the south in second.
Also, bear in mind that anecdotal experiences will vary based on where you are from, who you are, and your own personal perspective. White southern women of quality don't tend to go for men of color (although this is changing in a lot of places), guidos, guys with slick hair or some weird shaved design, or gold-chain wearers of any type. If you look like you have any remote chance of being cast on "Jersey Shore," you have zero chance with the overwheming majority of women down here. Keep going to Florida and you will do okay, if that's the case. If you look like you just got out of a boardroom, just came back from hunting or fishing, or just got off the golf course, your chances improve dramaticly, depending on where you are. In the cities, its pretty much like any other place. With redneck women, all bets are off....they will go for anything, really.
Point being, when you see a southern woman with a guy that looks low status to you, she probably doesn't see it that way. They will be polite to anyone, because that's how we tend to be, but they tend to know exactly what they are looking for in men and will stick to their guns. I went to a fairly large southern university and girls who you saw with foreign students and most yankees, floridians, and west coasters tended to be the art chicks with tons of peircings and blue hair.
A northern civil war general once commented during the occupation something about how they needed to stop fighting the men on the field and start fighting the women because they were the ones driving the whole war. Things change slowly down here. ;p
