Women on Women

Solicitor asked me an interesting question;

"Why do women make an extra effort to look good when they know they'll be in the company of other women?"

The question arose on Saturday night. We were meeting for dinner with a few of Solicitor's old university friends. Before getting ready I asked him if they were bringing their girlfriends.

"What difference does it make?"

It makes a big difference to the way I dress. For some strange reason I feel that I should make more of an effort if I'm going to be around women.

I should point out that I am not a lesbian.

But it did get me thinking. Do I make the extra effort due to the competitive side of my personality?

I don't think so. I don't spend longer on my make-up and choosing a dress so that I can look better than the other women. I don't get a buzz out of standing out amongst them. (Well not much of one anyway!)

Actually I feel the opposite. I feel better when I see that they too have made an extra effort. It's nice to see them dressed to please. It's nice to see evidence of a flawless hand in applying make-up.

When I see an unusual item of jewellery I compliment them. In fact many women compliment others within the first few seconds of meeting them.

Whilst we were out with Solicitor's friends and their girlfriends I brought up the subject.

One of the women flicked back her extra straight silky blond hair and said "Women are extraordinary creatures. We can blatantly look and admire each other. Being admired by a women is worth more than being admired by a man. And it works both ways. A woman's attraction to another woman is stronger than her attraction to another man."

The more I think about it, the more I can see the sense in what she said.

I have decorated my blog with pictures of Marlene Dietrich the 'original femme fatale'. Although I love Film Noir I didn't upload pictures of Humphrey Bogart or any other male actor. In fact I realised that the reason I love watching black and white films is because the women of that time period were classic, sexual, beauties. When watching them I feel a pull towards them. More than sexual. It's almost hypnotic.

Perhaps women who dress up for other women do it because they are seeking that kind of admiration. Perhaps that's why women can look at a picture of Angelina Jolie and not only understand that men find her attractive, but find her attractive themselves.