WOMEN: Hair cut, hair dye, hair accessories. Shirts, skirts, jeans, leggings, dresses. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets. SHOES-- flats, boots, heels, sandals. Nail poslish; manicure, pedicure. Makeup--various. Perfume, lotion. Waxing-- eyebrows, down there, other. MUST NOT REPEAT often, MUST come up with different combinations. Shower, hair blow dry, hair straighten/accessorize. Design outfit. Put on makeup.
MEN: Cheap hair cut, or do by self. Buy clothing and shoes a few times a year, who cares if it is worn more than once. Shoes, repeated often. Cologne. Shower, shave, dress.
Listed above are the various steps that each gender has to take in order to prepare to look nice, presentable, and attractive before going out. Especially in the single life when one wants to impress others who they will possibly encounter, it's important to be prepared to look great. It's obvious that women have much more maintenance that they need to take care of before hand--planning to take care of things during the day, much different than men who mostly focus on just getting ready that night, maybe just less than an hour before. Not to mention the female lifestyle being MUCH more expensive. And this is EXACTLY why it is expected that men buy us drinks, and why it's acceptable for a girl to get a drink bought for her and ultimately not be interested in the guy. The price of a girl's maintenance, time, and products are equal, if not more, then the price a guy will pay for a $5-$10 drink. Both are tactics to impress the other, and equal out financially in the battle of the sexes.
I get mad when I hear a guy complain about buying a girl a drink and not even getting anything out of it, even just a number. I understand the feeling of rejection isn't great, and that does take more of an emotional tole. HOWEVER, isn't it the same for a guy being interested in a girl only for one male-drive purpose, and not for the longer-than-one-night desire that a woman may have? Same/similar emotional tole. It ALL equals out!
Men should be respectful when they find a girl attractive and do something or pay the price for all the effort she went through to look good for someone just like him that night. My bottom line is this-- MEN: Don't be cheap and think your good wasted dollars aren't going to use--she paid just as much or more to look nice for you! And WOMEN: don't feel guilty or think you owe a guy something because he spent a few bucks on you. Think about all the time, effort, and cash you spent on looking nice for that night!
I appreciate the notion that time is money and that a $7 drink in light of the extra hour it takes a girl to get ready (that's not even minimum wage!) isn't that big of a deal in the long haul, but I am not sure whether it is a fair expectation to be bought drinks because you're hot.
ReplyDeleteJust to turn the tables, Megan, I expect you to buy me a drink next time we hang out after you notice my mani/pedi and well done mascara...
Only if I can curl your hair too :)
ReplyDeleteThe guy who buys a girl he doesn't know a drink is a fool in the first place, so the woman should reap the rewards!
ReplyDeleteTaking a girl out on a date is a different story, but otherwise, a man shouldn't feel obligated to buy a stranger he doesn't know a drink in exchange for (what he hopes) will be her showing interest in him.
Here's the compromise: Each should buy each other a round!