Beauty Is Only Skin-Deep, but . . .

And the winner is. . . . We are not going to tell you just yet. The Gallup Organization polled Americans about what they look for in the opposite sex--using the word “look” in a strictly literal sense. Do gentlemen prefer blondes? Do men admire hard bodies, or do they go for the more curvaceous physique? Do women like their men tall, dark and handsome or at eye level, fair and cute? Smooth or hairy, muscular or cuddly? Describe your “dream mate” from head to toe. Then we will compare your criteria against the national average.

Living Together Unmarried . . .

Once upon a time, cohabitation was an act of rebellion against social mores. Then in the ‘70s, it became a commonplace step in the path to marriage. Is “living together”--committed but unmarried--still an almost routine stage in relationships? Would you insist on it before setting a wedding date, or would you prefer to go straight to the altar? Have you ever “played house” with a boyfriend or girlfriend? Did it lead to marriage or to the realization of incompatibility? Do you currently live, unwed, with a lover, and why? Let us hear from you.

Triangle Time

Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro romanticized these lovers in “Falling in Love.” Glenn Close and Michael Douglas pulverized them in “Fatal Attraction.” Extramarital affairs--are they lovely, or are they lethal? If you, as a single, have ever been involved with a married person, we would like to hear from you. What led to your entanglement with an “unavailable” lover? Was the experience fulfilling or painful? Did you feel like a cheat, or did you feel cheated?

Send your comments to Single Life, Orange County Life, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Please include a phone number so a reporter can call you. To protect your privacy, Single Life will withhold correspondents’ last names.