We have all heard it. The guys rules jokes about “when we have to go somewhere, whatever you are wearing is fine”, and of exasperated husbands pacing the lobby at home in dinner jackets while there wives promise them that they’ll be done in 5 minutes (i.e within the next 2 hours). But is it really true. I alway thought so, but last night for the first time in recorded history my GF got ready earlier than I did. True, I needed to go to the bank unexpectedly and, I could not find the cuff links I wanted, and she had a 3 hour headstart, but she was still ready sooner! This begs the question, is the male always ready early?
In my own experience, whether in relationships, or at home with my mother and sister, yes, always even after we started much later.
Women’s hair and makeup take time. If men were expected to style their hair and put on makeup, they would take more time. Oh, and pantyhose. Can’t put that on too fast, or it will run, and then you have to waste more time putting on a different pair.
If it’s “throw on a pair of jeans to go to the grocery store”, then, no, I don’t think women take more time, unless they are the type who can’t leave the house without makeup.
Anyone who thinks this is a strereotype or unfounded cliche has never lived with a woman. Ever.
I mean they must have been dropped off on the doorstep of an all-boys with minutes of being born, gone on to an all-male college and then gotten a job at an all-male country club while living somewhere on the grounds. Not just any country club, but a crazy he-man woman haters country club that won’t even let women in. And then he has to die young, probably caught in an explosion when some yahoo tried to blow up a gopher that was mucking up the golf course.
I am just about always ready to go before Mr. Athena, and it’s not because I start earlier than he does. I have no problems throwing on jeans and a t-shirt to go someplace.
People who take 3 hours to get ready drive me nuts as well. Nothing in the world would be worth it to me to spend more than, say, 20 minutes a day on personal grooming, and that includes a shower.
I can take three hours if I really want to put things off. But if I really want to? Drying/styling hair can take as little as 20 minutes (and I have a BUTT load of hair), make up is five, maybe ten minutes, and then putting on clothes (as long as I know what I want to wear) is five minutes.
Women are also often stuck getting the rest of the family ready, too. The man will throw on his suit and tie and sit there at the computer playing World of Warcraft while the woman is getting dressed, doing hair and makeup, wrestling dress clothes on the kids and combing their hair (Man won’t do it because “I won’t do it right”) and checking on the green bean casserole that’s in the oven.
Pantyhose takes long to put on? Thats a new one. A tie now that takes a while to get the exact right knot that you want. But still the gents are ready earlier.
If it’s a “dressy” thing we’re going to, of course it will take me longer. My boyfriend has to shower, shave, brush his teeth, add a little gel to his hair, and put on a suit. Even if he has to jack with the tie for a bit, that’s still going to take about 20 minutes total.
I have to wash/blowdry/style my hair and apply makeup. The makeup takes less than ten minutes, but the hair? Between the extra shower time to wash and condition it, plus the time to dry it/style it, there goes half an hour.
Add 5-10 minutes to this total to get dressed, and you’ve got a 45-50 minute total here.
I don’t see anything wrong with taking 45 minutes to get dressed up; a problem would only arise if we both got ready at the same time with the assumption we would have the same finish time.
If we’re just going to run errands, I can be ready in five minutes.
I always seem to be ready before my husband, and I pace around looking nervously at the clock, making pointed comments, while he tells me to relax already. I probably do start before he does, but still, he is incredibly slow at just putting on a shirt and tie. I can put on a dress, pantyhose, contacts, makeup, and do my hair in very little time.
My SIL, however, takes ages to get ready to go anywhere and drives me bonkers. I would love to go stay with her for a week, and I will someday when I can afford it, but I’m pretty sure I would go mad within a few days waiting for her to be ready to get out the door.
For many its the things we get done while we are rushing around getting ready. Packing for a trip or leaving the house for the day and it’s one person making sure 3 out of 4 have everything they need and the house is buttoned up and nothing is forgotten, while the spouse burdens you with style points and bag inventory and is the reason you leave your skirt behind!
There’s nothing wrong with taking as much time as you need to get ready, but give yourself enough time, damn it! I usually tell my husband we’re leaving a half-hour before we need to just so we’ll be there in time. If you know you need to leave at 1:00 and it takes you 2 hours to get ready…uh, start before 11:00! I just don’t get people who are always late. If it were accidental, they’d be on time at least once in a while! Perhaps that’s for another thread, though. Anyway, it really bugs me when women take too long getting ready or to use the restroom, because it perpetuates the stereotype. BUT, here’s why it does take us longer in the restroom. We have to enter the stall, hang up our purse, pull down pants/pantyhose/undies, pee, pull everything back up, retrieve purse, exit stall (and here it comes…) WE WASH OUR FREAKING HANDS!
Most of the women I’ve known take about the same time as guys for usual stuff. If it’s a gussy affair, they start earlier, but are generally ready at the same time.
I’m probably more guilty, not for taking longer, but for putting off getting ready until later. I hate arriving early for anything. When I was in the military this one squad leader I had joked that he set his watch by when I arrived for formation, because it always exactly 30 seconds before the time to call it together.
I think women are more likely to feel judged for their appearance, so they have to make sure every detail is in place. Especially for an attractive woman, whose looks are always noticed. I’m sure they feel pressure to keep everything maintained.
Furthermore, if it’s an evening out, getting ready can be part of the event for many women. The night has so many possibilities – why not go through all the possibilities for hair, makeup, and clothes are you fantasize the perfect evening? If you run into an old friend, for example, what will you want your hair to be doing?
With a group of women, it can be a bonding thing. I’m someone who can get ready in under 20 minutes, including a shower, but I usually hang out with the other women while they get ready. A typical get-together for my friends starts with the women chatting in the bathroom, drinking beer and discussing what might happen that evening (whether the food will be good, what reviews we’ve heard of the movie, etc.). Meanwhile, the men are all in the living room, staring at the TV, not talking. I’ve tried to stay with the guys before (figuring, “Hey, I’m done getting ready!”), but it was too boring. It’s similar to why women go to the bathrooms in groups: to talk away from the men.
I refuse to go to the bathroom with a group of women (more stereotype perpetuation.) Even if I have to go to the bathroom, I’ll wait until they come back. The more women that go together, the longer it will take for them all to return.
I’m always ready before my husband. I’m obsessed with being on time and he is only punctual for “official” appointments and work. He doesn’t feel he needs to be on time for family gatherings or friendly visits.
Oh, no doubt. I wasn’t trying to claim it was anything else. I was trying to explain, within in the context of this thread, a possible reason why women who go in groups or take a long time to get ready act the way they do. Personally, I usually only go in a group when someone else drags me along so they can vent about someone else at the table.
At home my dad and I would take the last possible miniute before we would get ready, but we would be done always before my mom and sis. Women in my experience are often “almosy ready” about an hour before the gents even get up, but the men are usually “done” an hour before the women.
