As yet another 5'7" - great! I revel in the knowledge that there are millions of women who could care less how tall I am (OK, maybe not revel since I married one of the above, but you get my drift).
This "women only like tall guys" thing has as much validity as "men only want hot skinny chix with big tits." Sure there's some truth to it, but in the aggregate, people can't be reduced to simplistic statements.
Thank you for that, though. It was a fascinating read.