# Ginger or Mary Ann? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104 "2018-05-13T23:49:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/21 "2018-05-14T05:24:29Z")
Fucking Underachieving Poll. Both. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/22 "2018-05-14T06:04:50Z")
There have been many Ginger/Mary Ann threads through the years, the oldest one I could find reaches back to 1999! MA always wins. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-21675.html](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-21675.html) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/23 "2018-05-14T09:57:08Z")
I will be delighted to invite both into my harem. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/24 "2018-05-14T13:18:34Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > There have been many Ginger/Mary Ann threads through the years, the oldest one I could find reaches back to 1999! MA always wins. > > [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-21675.html](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-21675.html) Yeah, it’s always Betty over Veronica, Mary Ann over Ginger, Bailey over Jennifer. Although, as an older person now than when I first saw them, I can appreciate the charms of Ginger and Jennifer much more. Makes me wonder if my youthful impressions were somewhat based on picking the “safer” female figure than the unattainable knock-out archetype. Doesn’t hurt that the supposed beta females were very attractive themselves in addition to being less threatening. Now that I’m older and slightly less afraid of girls, I can think “_Ooooohhhhh!_ I see what the fuss was about now!” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/25 "2018-05-14T13:31:03Z")
~5 years ago, my wife and the Firebug and I watched the entire _Gilligan’s Island_ series, every episode. (Won’t do that again, once was more than enough.) Any time Ginger came on to any of the men, it was because she wanted something from them. If Ginger were a real person and was in your life somehow, you’d want to run the other way as fast as you could. While Mary Ann was every bit as good-looking and a hell of a nice person to boot. So it’s a very different discussion than Betty v. Veronica, because while Betty always wins those polls, there’d still be nothing wrong with winding up with Veronica. She’d definitely be high-maintenance, but that’s the worst of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/26 "2018-05-14T13:41:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Any time Ginger came on to any of the men, it was because she wanted something from them. If Ginger were a real person and was in your life somehow, you’d want to run the other way as fast as you could. While Mary Ann was every bit as good-looking and a hell of a nice person to boot. This. Ginger would be more attractive if _either_ she was smart enough to use her looks subtly like WKRP’s Jennifer, or truly dumb-bunny enough to be more innocent. Instead she comes across as whorish. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/27 "2018-05-14T17:37:43Z")
Mary Ann was cute and sweet and fun to be around. I’d date and/or marry her. Ginger knew how to work it, if you know what I mean. I’d bang her. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/28 "2018-05-14T19:44:24Z")
Mary Ann; brunette, can cook, and I love that shirt and jean shorts. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/29 "2018-05-14T21:31:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Yeah, it’s always Betty over Veronica, Mary Ann over Ginger, Bailey over Jennifer. There will not be a Bailey/Jennifer poll—not from me, anyway. Three similar polls in a row? That would be like saying Beetlejuice three times! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/30 "2018-05-14T21:43:09Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > There will not be a Bailey/Jennifer poll—not from me, anyway. Three similar polls in a row? That would be like saying Beetlejuice three times! :eek: We’d summon Jan Smithers? ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/31 "2018-05-14T23:55:51Z")
I always loved it when Mary Ann had on that short night shirt. If she would have just bent over… ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/32 "2018-05-15T01:27:33Z")
Ginger was always trying to come on to men, like she just had this one asset (even though she might have had others). She overplayed the sexy bit, and those types of women are never really sexy. I think she was a poor man’s Marilyn Monroe. Mary Ann was maybe a little Pollyannaish, but at least it wasn’t an act. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/33 "2018-05-15T06:06:42Z")
How about Monica versus Phoebe? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/34 "2018-05-15T09:29:14Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > How about Monica versus Phoebe? You sound like Moni-can’t, not Moni-… caaa. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/35 "2018-05-15T09:55:31Z")
And I wondered if this thread was about slang words for gay men (ginger+beer=?). All Mary Anns are ginger, but not all gingers are Mary Anns. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/36 "2018-05-15T11:39:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > What happens on Gilligan’s Island, stays on Gilligan’s Island. After 98 episodes, that kinda goes without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/37 "2018-05-15T22:08:33Z")
I voted the 3rd options since there wasn’t an option for “Why is there a poll that should never have been asked after 1990?” I kid, I kid… besides everyone knows that Mary Ann is the only possible correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/38 "2018-05-16T02:48:08Z")
How about Zoe, Inara, Kayle, or River (latter-day River, not younger River)? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/39 "2018-05-16T03:27:20Z")
Are you serious? Down-home, cute, semi-innocent Mary Ann by a mile. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104/40 "2018-05-16T03:27:48Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > How about Zoe, Inara, Kayle, or River (latter-day River, not younger River)? [Way ahead of you](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854773). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ginger-or-mary-ann/814104.md?page=3)