One of the benefits of becoming a flatter world is that we begin to move closer to the rest of the world. With the advent of the Concorde (now kaput) and other jets, the other side of the world is 16 hours away at most? Add the arrival of the computer, foreign dating services websites, and take me home as your wife sites, and men who look like Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, and Snuffy Smith are suddenly very attractive catches to the women of Russia. Provided, they can afford the ticket to the US and keep them in a reasonable manner of life they would not find in Russia.

Newspapers, computers, and TV have played a big role in introducing Russia to a different life-style beyond shit-kickers for shoes and caribou hats and coats. But there is also another reason why the West may be more attractive to Russian women. Americans talk about the new 40 as being te same as 30 years of age a decade ago. In Russia, the new 40 is 30 years of age. Since the sixties, each new generation of Russians are shorter lived and 700,000 more die than are born each year. Life expectancy at birth felt by 5 years for males since the sixties with a concentration at the working age. Between the ages of 25 and 59, women had an increase in deaths of 40% which increased to 50% for men between 30 and 64. <link>

Why? Many would blame the poor health practices practiced by any Russians such as smoking, drinking, and a sedentry life style. Some blend their vodka with pure alcohol to make a more potent drink and stretch the vodka. Pure alcohol is cheaper in Russia (NPR). Russian men have a 50-50 chance of seeing 65 as compared to the fastest growing population in the world being the eighties crowd.

Why are we now seeing so many hot Russian women hanging around Elmer Fudd type of men? Poor health conditions in Russia, lack of suitable men who will live long enough, and a desire to come to the West where things are paved in gold. A few hundred on some clothes and the hook is baited!

Your idea of Russia is about 10 yrs old. The main reason women from the very Eastern Europe think they want to live in the USA is a good PR by Hollywood. Those who come to the US are usually for a bitter disappointment, unless they marry some nice engineer making 100k a year.

As to the rest of Central / Easter Europe - well, my mom is 60 and she still has a better figure than most American women 25 yrs of age.

Unfortunatelly due to extreme cost of high quality food in the US about 1 in every 8 women at the age of 30 in South Carolina looks exactly like my grandma at 84.

The rest barerly keeps up with my mom at 60 and as to my 28 yrs old sister - everybody thinks she is 18.

paxterminus:

I had it right with the clothes and stuff and wanting to come to the US. The computer world, Hollywood (as you mentioned), and faster transportation has helped build up the image of the US to what it is not, which I admitted. As far as health in Russia and the declining population, it is true and very current as taken from a recent demographical study to which I added a link detailing a summary of population issues worldwide.

While I would not doubt your description of your mom and sis, I tend to doubt your description of 30 year olds in South Carolina. Extreme cost of high quality food? You mean veggies in South Carolina? South Carolina has great veggie farms and ranks in th top 10 for it. Kind of hard to think that veggies would be that expensive. 50% of our food source is still in the US.

The problem is.. they don't eat veggies. Everybody is eating from cans and boxes, American women do not like to cook.. if they do, the directions reads like this: take a can of this, ad a box of that, mix it all together, put in microwave, eat the whole thing!! Or, better go to McDonalds and supersize everything you can, and stuff yourself silly. Then, if you feel guilty, go throw up.

The food Russians eat is natural, unprocessed, although, unfortunately, they are beginning to feel the positive influence of civilization now. But I agree with paxterminus, your idea of Russia is cold war old!

Marina:

Having watched a number of American men bring Russian women over to the US and watching them rapidly change their ways and convert to your silly far fetched version of American women is hillarious. Often times they come with the same attitude which you possess until they begin to socialize with the housewives loally. I know a number of "American/US" women on The Fray itself and can safely vouch for their ability to cook, clean house, and provide for their families. I can vouch for my own wife and daughter who are damn good cooks and I have picked up their recipies from them.

I believe the one suffering from envy of the US is yourself. The deomgraphics I cited are from 2006 and put out by a very credible source. The mixing pure alcohol with the vodka was a recent NPR broadcast. Yourself? Its time to put down the "People" magazine.

See, you don't like when I try to stereotype. And you are right! There are different people everywhere. I have a lot of friends among American women (I am a proud American myself now:) who can do all those things your wife and daughter can. What I tried to do, intentionally, is show you how awful stereotypes can be. And they can hurt too. Every woman is somebody's daughter or/and wife. I am not suffering from envy.. how can I? I came here because I think it is the greatest country in the world and this country wanted me to be here..no man "brought" me here.. I am not an object.
The article we discussed (we went far from it) is the worst kind of stereotyping ..trust me. The author immediately puts herself above those poor women and begins to "study" them as if they were some insects. "Where did they come from", asks she. She says things she knows nothing about and everybody else is believing her.

I apologize if I offended someone. It was just a trick to show how this article and some comments here may be offensive to some Russian-even-though-now-Americ­an women. By the way I do not read "People" magazine and I do listen to NPR.

run75441:

I think you should apologize too for what you wrote in your original post.. please, re-read it and think. How can you be so arrogant? Or brainwashed? Do you like when people say things about ALL American women? And all your "sources".. do not trust them. Life is not white and black.

Martina:

I did not write about stereotypes as much as what the demographics of Russia are today. Russia has severe issues with its population if it intends to remain Russian, I assume you are aware of the "have a baby day:" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20268426/ Men in Russia have a severe problem and are dying very young in life.

Look, I have no problems with you or Russian women. They are beautiful and I understand the need to find a way to survive. Most European women I have come across are intellectual and capable in taking care of themselves. If you had looked at the other threads you would have come across this: www.khersongirls.com as taken from here: fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/­thread/766838.aspx Something to think about?

As to American women, I already knew the answer as we are not wealthy and just middle class. You could not insult what I already knew to be fact. I am sure you have many stories to tell and I hope you stay around The Fray.

You do not owe me an apology for defending your stance as a woman, a person, and a human being. You are entitled to an opinion and to speak it without reproach. Women love who they love regardless of looks. As to you my lady, listen to NPR, I think you make like it as it is truthful.

Thank you for your "continued" response. I am honored by it and am not disappointed in reading it.

Bill

You wrote:

"Newspapers, computers, and TV have played a big role in introducing Russia to a different life-style beyond shit-kickers for shoes and caribou hats and coats"...

Is this the demographics of Russia???

You also wrote:

If you had looked at the other threads you would have come across this: www.khersongirls.com as taken from here: fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/­thread/766838.aspx Something to think about?

Yes, there is a lot to think about -

The owner of this site is an American, as you might have noticed. He is selling what the market wants and does not care about anything else. Ann, in her article is also trying to say, that there is a market for beautiful Russian women in America and in the West in general, that is why they all of a sudden became beautiful and came over here. Can Americans think in terms of anything else, rather than a market?

Also, it is almost bad taste to say something positive about Russia.. and if it is something obvious, like beautiful and smart women, let's mix it with some mud and present it together with other awful realities of Russia from the cold war period.

When you visit sites run by Americans, selling Russian brides, do not forget, that the women Ann wrote about are not from that category, believe me. Women from those sites never end up in the "best appointed drawing rooms" and dinners. They are most likely eating hamburgers in McDonalds, shopping at Wall Mart and trying to survive a very abusive relationship with a guy, who has tens of thousands of debt on his credit card and so on.

That is why, I think when you put everything in one pile it is called STEREOTYPES.

Marina:

The demographic I cite with regard to life longevity can be found under <link> in the top post. With some careful reading, in place of quick condemnation, you may find it. I think in there you may find a reason why women may be leaving Russia which is what the website even admits is a reason.

Sure, everything bad that happens in Russia can be blamed on everyone else. I understand completely. If it was so wonderful, I would have to wonder why so many people want out? Sounds like the food is good, longevity in age is on the rise, etc. Are you sure there are no Russians doing the same as the other gentleman?

As far as newspaper, computerization, magazines, and TV playing a role, it is true and has even played a role in the US changing. The world is flatter with regard to changes, technology, and communication. All play an influence here and globally whether we like it or not.

-- I would have to wonder why so many people want out?

-- Because they can and are free to do so. Thousands leave, whatever their personal reasons are.. Millions stay and try to fix the mess the Communists have created

--Sure, everything bad that happens in Russia can be blamed on everyone else.

-- I am not blaming anyone, just leave Russian women alone

-- Are you sure there are no Russians doing the same as the other gentleman?

-- If I were you, I would not call him a gentleman

-- The demographic I cite with regard to life longevity (in Russia) can be found under.......

-- While America is the greatest country in the world we should not get too self-conceited.. remember all those poor people all America all of a sudden saw after Katrina and was truly surprised? Have you ever been to the Apallachian villages? You know.. we in the former Soviet Union were MADE to live behind the iron curtain. It seems to me that you CHOOSE to live behind the iron curtain and it runs right through your front yard. And even computers do not help.

It was nice talking to you :)

Marina

oicuateonetwo:

I am not sure myself. Maybe there is an inherent weakness on our (male) part in dealing with females. So we look to where we think the grass might be greener? One I knew in the neighborhood, divorced his wife and child and married a Russian lady with child. She taught piano in the neighborhood and seemed nice enough.

As for me? After 37 years in the same pasture, I am pretty happy with this green grass. My guess maybe wrong . . .

run75441

I couldn't help it.. You are a very nice person.. I wish all the best to you and your family. I am glad you are happy :) There is a good Russian saying - the best equivalent in English would be - Let well alone!

It was really nice talking to you. I only visited this site because of that article, but I found a lot of interesting people here.. I might be back!

Bye!