Attraction Ladder

[Sethomas]

I've yet to read up on the Ladder Theory, but what I understand of it so far seems to be an overextension of common sense. I think it's tangential to this thread, but I may be way off.

I was taught in sociology that one force that perpetuates the human race is that people are most naturally attracted sexually to members of the opposite sex who have the same "rating" as far as physical attraction goes. The thing is, this attraction normally takes place on a purely subconscious level; that is, although there are cultural standards by which some people seem to be universally attractive, people are ideosyncraticdally attracted most to people who are equally attracted to themselves.

My problem is this: I have been attracted to a huge range of girls in terms of universal (sic, "cultural") norms, and the handful of relationships I've held reflect this same variety. I've held low to high-end average girls for various periods of time, and I've been definitely led on by very attractive girls but I was generally too intimidated to follow through.

The thing is, I honestly have no idea where I stand on the ladder because I've received all kinds of mixed signals from my own experience. Most of these were people I knew in context of high school, where my personality and eccentricity probably stood out much more than my appearances did. Now that I'm in college, I'm attracted to a huge range of attractive girls, and so in my conversations it's become impossible for me to decipher whether or not a girl is attracted to me. A friend of mine told me "you don't know they like you until they stick their tongue down your throat," and I disproved this by bedding a girl who flatly denied me any chance of a relationship with her shortly thereafter. (The two of us are on much more congenial terms now.)

So, right now I'm getting positive signals from a very diverse mix. Keep in mind, part of me doesn't want a relationship with anyone at all, but even with my happy pills I want a lay every once in a while. The downside is that I have too much respect for everyone, so I don't plan on having any one-night stands unless such a desire is mutual.

So, really, what do you guys think my odds are with noteworthily attractive females, say in the 8-9 range? Keep in mind that I'm in the QuasIvy League, as I call it, so brains and eccentricity aren't all that novel. I ultimately think that personality is more important than looks, but I should at least know where to aim.