diff --git a/layout/html/forms/src/nsSelect.cpp b/layout/html/forms/src/nsSelect.cpp
index 3b76b0e564fc..9fc1be4ce42c 100644
--- a/layout/html/forms/src/nsSelect.cpp
+++ b/layout/html/forms/src/nsSelect.cpp
@@ -131,9 +131,11 @@ public:
   virtual PRBool GetNamesValues(PRInt32 aMaxNumValues, PRInt32& aNumValues,
                                 nsString* aValues, nsString* aNames);
 
-  PRBool GetContent(nsString& aString) const;
+  virtual PRBool GetContent(nsString& aString) const;
 
-  void SetContent(const nsString& aValue);
+  virtual void SetContent(const nsString& aValue);
+
+  void CompressContent();
 
 protected:
   virtual ~nsOption();
@@ -223,6 +225,7 @@ nsSelectFrame::GetDesiredSize(nsIPresContext* aPresContext,
   PRInt32 numChildren = select->ChildCount();
   for (int i = 0; i < numChildren; i++) {
     nsOption* option = (nsOption*) select->ChildAt(i);  // YYY this had better be an option 
+    option->CompressContent();
     nsString text;
     if (PR_FALSE == option->GetContent(text)) {
       continue;
@@ -571,6 +574,14 @@ void nsOption::SetContent(const nsString& aString)
   *mContent = aString;
 }
 
+void
+nsOption::CompressContent()
+{
+  if (nsnull != mContent) {
+    mContent->CompressWhitespace(PR_TRUE, PR_TRUE);
+  }
+}
+
 PRBool
 nsOption::GetNamesValues(PRInt32 aMaxNumValues, PRInt32& aNumValues, 
                          nsString* aValues, nsString* aNames)