# What do you admire / envy about the opposite sex? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981 "2004-01-17T20:03:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/1 "2004-01-17T20:03:08Z")
Hey, life’s unfair. What’s the greatest perk that the opposite sex possesses and your gender unfairly got the shaft? I was going to suggest not naming which sex so we could guess, but only if posters feel like it. Probably going to be pretty obvious anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Crimson\_Teardrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@Crimson\_Teardrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crimson_Teardrop)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/2 "2004-01-17T20:13:22Z")
> [@The Controvert](#): > > Hey, life’s unfair. What’s the greatest perk that the opposite sex possesses and your gender unfairly got the shaft? > > I was going to suggest not naming which sex so we could guess, but only if posters feel like it. Probably going to be pretty obvious anyhow. Well this is obvious I’m a woman talking about males…cause I’m suggesting that men have it easy even if they don’t agree with that. If only they could go through childbirth and periods every month…I think they’d die. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/3 "2004-01-17T20:13:35Z")
Being able to pee effortlessly on the side of the road. Me, I gotta go trump through some bushes, awkwardly strip off most of my clothing, then perform a delicate balancing act in order to urinate when on long car trips with no gas station in sight. **sigh** ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/4 "2004-01-17T20:18:48Z")
I envy my wife’s ability to stay calm under extreme duress. Example: Last night’s meeting with our mortgage lender in Phoenix. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/5 "2004-01-17T20:21:32Z")
Ditto **Nicole’s** answer. Directional, stand-up peeing. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/6 "2004-01-17T21:21:43Z")
Logical clothing. Pockets in useful places, sizes with some kind of relationship to reality, lack of pointlessly weird features, styles that stay the same for _years_. ---
**Author:** ![SweetLucy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SweetLucy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetLucy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/7 "2004-01-17T21:26:51Z")
2 things I envy about men: 1. Being around other members of one’s sex and not having to endure horror stories about pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, etc. 2. Feeling totally confident in asking the opposite sex for a date without wondering if the woman will freak out or think I’m stalking her or think I’m un-masculine or pushy. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/8 "2004-01-17T21:44:02Z")
physical strength. less need to worry about weight (on average)no “biological clock” problems. no social pressure (in most circles, anyway) to wear make-up, shave pits, legs, etc. clothing sizes that go by actual measurements rather than some arbitrary 4/6/8/10 scale. less pressure to be a good housekeeper. ability to pee standing up, although did anybody here ever see _the full monty_? i think i remember a scene where women were peeing into urinals… ---
**Author:** ![Psalex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Psalex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psalex)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/9 "2004-01-17T21:48:06Z")
The ability to buy tools without unwarranted questioning or harassment. I work in a business professional environment (heels and skirts) and often run errands on lunch. Just once I would like to go into a home improvement store and purchase a router bit or chain for my saw without a “Whaddya gonna do with that, little lady?” from a grinning clerk. I actually got complete instructions a few months ago from a helpful hardware man about how to use Kleins. After he made sure that I didn’t actually mean to buy a pair of pliers. “See, these are for strippin wire. You cain’t make jewelry with them.” Man. What I wouldn’t give for a pair of prosthetic nuts. (Just for running errands, though. Wouldn’t want to go on a date with 'em. ) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/10 "2004-01-17T21:55:53Z")
Never having to worry about inappropriate erections. ---
**Author:** ![Psalex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Psalex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psalex)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/11 "2004-01-17T22:02:24Z")
psssssssst… **GorillaMan** - we don’t notice when that happens unless you are dancing with us. Your secret is safe. ---
**Author:** ![Cyrokk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Cyrokk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyrokk)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/12 "2004-01-17T22:04:59Z")
My experience has led me to conclude that women make better bosses than men, at least in office environments and in the general service industry. I can’t quite understand why, but women seem to ask the right questions at the right time, as well as provide the best solutions to problems and in a more timely fashion. Guys in management typically don’t have this talent. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/13 "2004-01-17T22:05:30Z")
I’m envious that woman can see/touch naked boobs/girl-butt anytime they want. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/14 "2004-01-17T22:06:31Z")
The peeing standing up thing is the only one, I think. ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/15 "2004-01-17T22:15:07Z")
I, like some other women, do envy guys that ability to write their name in the snow. Sadly, I can only do umlauts. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/16 "2004-01-17T22:27:39Z")
I envy the illusion of choices that women get; men get no such illusions. Men aren’t encouraged to decide if we _want_ to work or marry, if we _want_ to go to work or go to school or stay home to raise kids or get married and just take a couple of years off here or there to have a baby. Men are sent out to the job force to _work_; we must provide for our families, up to and after death, at which we’re expected to leave behind a good pension and money in the bank and our defunct Social Security Number for our widow to use. Society isn’t very forgiving for men who try to carve out new non-working roles. Women also get many more choices in things to wear than men do, although the sheer _amount_ of variety must seem paralyzing. We only get a few options (mostly in a variety of sports shoes), and Fashion barely trusts us to pick out ties. Men’s color selections are generally pretty bland. Someone said that she envied men for being able to ask women on dates without worrying about whether she’ll be seen as being too forward, too pushy, or too much a stalker. I really envy the fact that women don’t _have_ to ask men out on dates or try to guess if a man is interested. We’re generally pretty clumsy about making our interests known. The part about being a man that I like _least_ is trying to guess through one layer of alcohol and two layers of Just Friends and five layers of mixed signals if a woman is Really Flirting or if she’s Just Being Nice; I’m such a clot at trying to decipher those often-ambiguous signals. Once in a while it’d be nice to have someone come up to _me_ and say directly, “I like you, whaddaya say?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/17 "2004-01-17T22:31:50Z")
I think it’s pretty depressing that almost all of the more serious responses have been by women. ☹ The shallow one for me is periods. Not just the whole nasty mess, but the cramps. Those are just screwed up. Even more shallowly, the fact that virtually all band t-shirts are designed for the male frame, definitely not my 5’4" body. The more serious things I envy? Respect. Never having to worry about being taken seriously. A right to vote that stretches back more than 84 years. Fair and equal pay. Never having to _need_ something like feminism. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/18 "2004-01-17T22:33:15Z")
I envy the lack of breasts. I hate mine. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/19 "2004-01-17T22:37:58Z")
Why do guys ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL have better eyelashes than I do? I gotta damn near glue my eyes shut with mascara to get lashes like that. This complaint is directed generally to the gender as a whole, but specifically to a friend of mine from the eighth grade. He had every girl jealous of those lashes. Dangit. ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981/20 "2004-01-17T22:43:56Z")
Multiple orgasms Freedom to dress/act differently without others assuming that you’re weird or gay Having the closest relationship with your young children Your gender isn’t the one responsible for the vast majority of murders, rapes, violent crime, and most wars, so you don’t feel the sense of guilt/shame about that [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-admire-envy-about-the-opposite-sex/224981.md?page=2)