Monday 30 March 2009

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.

14 comments:

The Divine Miss M said...

I always say that girls do not dress for boys they dress for other girls and you've hit the nail right on the head ;)

I'm always more worried what girls will think than what boys will think!

Cocaine Princess said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cocaine Princess said...

I'm with you, the actress from all the black and white movies
I find them to be more attractive and glamorous. My favorite actress from that era is Rita Hayworth. I absolutely adored her in Gilda.
When I was little I use to sit on my bed and practice the hair flip scene she made so famous. I sometimes still do it. Every time I walk into a casino I think of the dance number she does to Put The Blame On Mame.

Elise said...

I bought my first LBD with Rita Hayworth in mind. I loved the dress she wore in that film. xx

Gorilla Bananas said...

But aren't all women bisexual? That's what Camille Paglia said.

Elise said...

I doubt that all women are bisexual. Just because we find other women attractive it doesn't mean we fancy them :)

e.g. It's a well known fact that Gok Wan thinks women are very attractive. He loves their boobs in particular. But he is gay. The fact that he likes women doesn't make him bisexual. He fancies men. He doesn't want to sleep with women.

So no, I don't believe that all women are bisexual xx

Malach the Merciless said...

Women, your all crazy, but we love you, I think.

linda said...

I dress for me. If I dressed for my husband he would have me in a twinset, tweed skirt and pearls. If I dressed for the women I know I would have to be much more into fashion. And that is not going to happen.

If I go out for a special event I dress to look good irrespective of everyone. One of the blessings of being middle aged, I know where I am at and how to make good use of my finer features.

Slyde said...

do you realize how fucking fast i clicked your link today when i saw the title of this post?

dont tease me like that...i almost broke my damn finger...

Elise said...

Women on Women? Oh I see! Yeah, well I'm sure there are many other men who would break their finger to see something like that... :)

Kitty said...

Perhaps there is an element of 'wanting to fit in' with the other women with whom we'll be mixing? I certainly don't want to stand out when in female company. My daughter is a preteen at that age where she doesn't want to be different - it kind of reminds me of how adult women don't want to 'buck the trend' too much either.

I agree that women can dress differently for different 'company' but I have no real idea WHY we do it.

x

presious said...

You have raised a good question and interesting question. I think overall, women are beautiful creatures. We are feminine and pretty when we take care of ourselves. I wish I could look like Jolie!

Unfortunately, I feel society has caused such a competition amongst women. Afterall, there are more women than men in the population of people.

Perhaps, we enjoy the attention of our counterpart, the male. Looking better than our fellow female then becomes a competition. If we are single, of course, we love that attention from the good-looking man that walks into the room. If we are attached, we may wonder if we are missing something else. If we have been attached for some time, we may be curious, bored, want to explore.

Then again, we are girls, we like to dress up and look pretty because it is our nature and that is what we do! :)

Interesting question

The Cool Commentator said...

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Bruce Johnson said...

I would have to agree, that the age of classic beauty in women has sort of passed us by. I don't think that Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie can hold a candle to Betty Davis or Joan Crawford in their heyday.