In all my years as a shopper, and trust me there have been a lot of them, I have always wondered why women insist on dragging their husbands and boyfriends to the mall. I feel such pity for the obviously bored significant others who try not to fall asleep as they wait patiently outside the fitting room.
However, on a recent mall outing my pity turned into true empathy as I found myself parked in a leather armchair for more than an hour watching my boyfriend try on suits. As he obsessed over sleeve length and stitching I thought to myself, hang on a minute – wasn’t it my job to be the best dressed person in this relationship?
Blame it on GQ or Mad Men, but it seems a growing number of young men are suiting up in the name of style. These Don Draper wannabes aren’t just dressing the part; fitness fanatics are crowding gyms in search of washboard abs and male-only spas are popping up to wax, buff and pamper an evolving breed of guys who actually care (a lot) about grooming.
And sure it’s nice to have a mate who takes care of himself, but when he accuses you of stealing his moisturizer and his suits encroach on your closet space you start to wonder if maybe he’s getting a bit too neurotic.
So how do you know if you’ve partnered up with a high maintenance man?
He orders salad instead of frites with his steak and never misses a workout. He has a close shave, white teeth and perfectly manicured nails. His shoes are definitely more expensive than yours and I won’t even get into his below the belt “manscaping.”
But do women really want these dapper gents with their perfectly coiffed hair and wrinkle free suits or would they prefer a mate who’s more easygoing and, dare I say it, a bit more manly? Watching a body conscious prima donna spend hours in front of the mirror whining about his BMI can be a serious turn off.
Men always claim they love a girl in “jeans and a T-shirt” and guess what fellas, so do we. So why not forgo the three-piece in favour of some denim, grown out that ruggedly handsome facial hair and remember how good it feels to answer yes to the question “Do you want fries with that?”
