Why do women take so long to get ready ?

Capt'n Midnight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3839193.stm

"With 11 pieces of clothing there are 39,916,800 ways of getting dressed. Trying out one method every minute would take 76 years of life."

But seriously why do women take an hour to choose what to wear ?

They've know what's in the wardrobe, they already know what is supposed to match and it's not like they haven't tried the clothes on before, so why do they still have to go through it all over again.

Maybe try each combination on, and take a quick photo, so you could leaf through them a bit faster. "I'll wear what's on page 7 because we are going to cinema which will be dark and filled with people I don't know"

Haven't a Clue

This an why do men like football have pissed off the opposite sex since the dawn of times.

You're not going to find the answer in this thread.

Rb

Because they want to look their best and are just quite picky?

Alter-Ego

They know it bothers you.

Unpossible

well I know when Im waiting for YOR MA.....

connundrum

I don't mind it, once I got to know how long it takes her to get ready then I could plan stuff around it ie. If we've to be somewhere for 9.30 then she might start getting ready at 8, which leaves me some quality time in which to take in The Premiership

If you're sitting there huffing and puffing about how long its taking her, then you're a dope. Go do your own thing and then meet her when she's ready.

biko

I know, it's bugs me too at times.
Just don't get ready before her.

And if there is two of them and a bottle of wine, forgeddabouddit, they'll never get ready

Rb

connundrum wrote:

I don't mind it, once I got to know how long it takes her to get ready then I could plan stuff around it ie. If we've to be somewhere for 9.30 then she might start getting ready at 8, which leaves me some quality time in which to take in The Premiership

If you're sitting there huffing and puffing about how long its taking her, then you're a dope. Go do your own thing and then meet her when she's ready.

Fully agree Connundrum. Actually, take it as a bit of a compliment if they take their time getting ready (providing its a date, and not a group night out or something), shows they're making the effort, even if its not required.

Backtoblack

some women takes ages getting ready sometimes...
Because it takes time to do our hair, make up etc.
coz we are vain sometimes, and insecure at other times and buy things that look great in the shop sometimes but it turns out not-so-hot when we go home and try it on, coz our ass looks fat in this, coz our boobs look too big/small, coz we might enjoy spending the time in front of the mirror anyway, coz we want to. I dunno.

Sam Vimes

Backtoblack wrote:

coz our boobs look too big

not possible

_Kaiser_

Commander Vimes wrote:

not possible

Quoted for truth!

JC 2K3

Insecurity and vanity usually.

Bob the Builder

Commander Vimes wrote:

not possible

...Unless your a boy?

Rb

JC 2K3 wrote:

Insecurity and vanity usually.

I'd imagine its mainly the former tbh.

brianthebard

Last semester I was waiting in the pub for a friend-who-is-a-girl for an hour and a half. Had about four drinks and left. To make it worse, I had turned up ten minutes later than we had agreed cause I knew she'd be late, plus the only reason I was going out was to support a band she knew from home! The icing on the cake was it started bucketing down half way to the pub, was soaked, had to buy an umbrella in Dunnes and ended up with a cold.

Stopid women.

IvaBigWun

If you're a couple and the girl is getting ready then I think alot of it early on in the reletionship is to test the patience of the guy sometimes, or maybe Ive just gone out with a couple of complete psychos?

Once the reletionship hits its groove the guy should just go off and let her get ready at her own pace. Thats what the beers in the fridge and the TV's for.

JC 2K3

rb_ie wrote:

I'd imagine its mainly the former tbh.

Indeed.

It's not necessarily a girly trait either. I remember being younger with short hair standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom gelling in my hair for 20 minutes. It's not like it looked any different than it did when I simply slapped the gel on and spiked it up, but for some reason I was always unhappy with it at first and had to keep making adjustments before I was moderately happy with it.

In the same way a girl probably looks no better in the first outfit she tries on as in the one she decides on finally, probably doesn't look any better after spending ages getting a hairstyle perfectly right and probably doesn't look any better after making sure the intricate details in her makeup are flawless. But insecurity will make her endevour to make sure she has everything perfect.

For some reason(probably society, media, commercialism etc.) girls are more insecure than guys in general. And any insecurity guys may have about their looks tends to go after they get into a relationship, whereas with girls it doesn't.

Black Swan

Check out and read the book, Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus. Yes, it's a bit corny, but does suggest that there are marked differences between the sexes in terms of how they think, feel, and act. Then again, you probably already know this, and are just trying to be humourous on AH...

JC 2K3

Actually I personally believe that the perceived differences between the ways men and women think, feel and act are all down to social conditioning. There's been many critcisms of that book.

This is a topic for another thread, however.

Dirk Gently

JC 2K3 wrote:

Actually I personally believe that the perceived differences between the ways men and women think, feel and act are all down to social conditioning.

I'll second that. Not "all" perhaps but certainly the majority.
Still though, they do take forever to get ready.

Victor

I know this wonderful, pretty, articulate Polich girl. I saw her the other day with her hair dyed and too much make-up and fake tan and was embarrassed for her.

Why do women take so long to get ready ?

Drying time between the coats of plaster. :d

Black Swan

JC 2K3 wrote:

Actually I personally believe that the perceived differences between the ways men and women think, feel and act are all down to social conditioning. There's been many critcisms of that book.

Agree that the book is non-scholarly, a bit cheesy, and deserving of criticism, but there are physiological differences between the sexes that influence behaviour, well beyond social conditioning. See the research writings of Corianne Hutt, et al, in the scholarly domain of the behavioural biology (and the like). For example, there are major hormonal differences between the sexes that influence behaviour. Female PMS, postpartum depression, and the monthly cycle comes to mind, as well as increased male aggressiveness when compared to females (but these are but a few of the differences).

There are also major differences in the incidence of certain kinds of diseases that are genetically linked to sex. For example, recent research suggests that males are markedly more prone to autism than females, which in turn dramatically influences their socially dysfunctional behaviour.

Now, is there a biological basis for taking longer to dress, or can it all be attributed to social conditioning? I would think social conditioning would explain it, but just for fun, we could play with the idea that females that didn't take time to improve their looks and be more attractive to males did not contribute to the gene pool as much as those that did? Didn't Spenser take Darwin's theory and apply it to human behavior in his suvival of the fittest (including mating behaviour)?

Hope you had your boots on, cause it was getting pretty deep to shovel!

embee

It takes me about 15-20 minutes to get ready. The main reason for that is that I just put on the first suitable outfit and I stay in it. My sister is one of these girls who will ring all her friends to find out what they're wearing before they all go out - I'll never understand that. I just put on decent trousers/jeans, a dressy top and boots and I don't second guess it. Make up these days is just a bit of mascara and some lipgloss. I used to wear more make up, but I can't be arsed anymore.

Going out is a pain tbh.. I'd rather sit in and have a few drinks.

InFront

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

recent research suggests that males are markedly more prone to autism than females, which in turn dramatically influences their socially dysfunctional behaviour.

Well that's a long established fact, but I don't see how it relates at all to a man's "socially disfunctional behaviour?".
Hormonal differences between men and women do influence behaviour in some ways, but I don't see how dressing time can be argued in any other light than the social conditioning already mentioned.

I can never understand the lengths women go to with beauty products in order to make themselves look exactly the same as they did an hour earlier.

Cunny-Funt

I get the impression its because they simply enjoy it. It's fun for them.

Infact it would seem its one of the highlights of the night, the fact that they can play dress up for awhile.

Like playing with their toys (not saying its childish or anything)

Well sometimes we change our minds. Or we feel like wearing something different so we'll try on stuff to see what matches.
Personally if I'm going on a date or out somewhere I'll have planned my outfit days in advance, or however long notice I have... and then possibly change my mind at the last minute. If I'm wearing makeup it takes maybe 15 mins. I don't really take an hour to get ready, even including showering and doing hair.

Katykaboom

I like getting ready, every Saturday, the girls head to mine. There is usually about 4 or 5 of us, we have a few drinks slap on the war paint and then head out about 11. Its a great start to the night. They normally come down about 8.30, but there is lots of starting and stopping, so it doesnt take a full 2 and a half hours.

I got ready completely on my own once. Took 25 minutes. I was amazed! But Im not one to change outfits. I usually pick one, that I havent planned and stick with it.

petes

biko wrote:

And if there is two of them and a bottle of wine, forgeddabouddit, they'll never get ready

What about one of you and two bottles of wine while she gets ready?

Villaricos

I like getting ready. besides we like to look our best and its what we do. A night out will probably involve an hour and a half getting ready, if I know what Im wearing! which normally I do but sometimes an outfit just doesnt feel right and you want to change. I dont really know if its vanity exactly but if you look good, you feel good!
If Im going out with a guy on a date well then feck off with your complaining, I want to look good for you - do you not want a girl who looks good by your side inside of one who looks like she got dressed in the dark??

_blank_

Cunny-Funt wrote:

playing with their toys

Maybe this is the reason.

All the girlies playing with their 'toys' to get in the 'mood'.

JC 2K3

Villaricos wrote:

I like getting ready. besides we like to look our best and its what we do. A night out will probably involve an hour and a half getting ready, if I know what Im wearing! which normally I do but sometimes an outfit just doesnt feel right and you want to change. I dont really know if its vanity exactly but if you look good, you feel good!
If Im going out with a guy on a date well then feck off with your complaining, I want to look good for you - do you not want a girl who looks good by your side inside of one who looks like she got dressed in the dark??

90% of the time your date won't notice the difference in how you look if you take 20 mins or an hour and a half. And in fact, many girls who take ages getting ready totally overdo it and look a mess.

InFront wrote:

I can never understand the lengths women go to with beauty products in order to make themselves look exactly the same as they did an hour earlier.

Hehe, may I steal that for my sig?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

why do women wear make up and perfume?

because they're ugly and they smell

Terry

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

Check out and read the book, Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus. Yes, it's a bit corny, but does suggest that there are marked differences between the sexes in terms of how they think, feel, and act. Then again, you probably already know this, and are just trying to be humourous on AH...

Bah.
women are from Omicron Persei 7, men are from Omicron Persei 9

seamus

Women should never be allowed to get ready together. They pause for substantial periods of time to talk about things. The same way they do when eating.

And women always go on about Men not being able to multitask.

I know one particular guy who has a girlfriend who dresses up in a full Whore/Goth ensemble (leather and tights). On a Saturday night herself and the friend will go upstairs around 9pm. Most of the time, they don't emerge until 12.30. Some nights we simply don't make it into town because it's too late to go in by the time his girlfriend is ready.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

just tell them you're leaving at 11pm, then at 11pm if they're not ready go..

ray tried this on everyone loves raymond and it all worked out perfectly.

Sam Vimes

i wonder does it take saudi arabian women as long to get ready....


saudi arabian woman

Pythia

If I'm going on a big night out, it'll probably take me 90 mins to get ready.
This involves shower, hair drying, hair styling, make up and clothes.

I put on quite a lot of make up and try to apply it properly with blending, etc which takes a while. Fake tan will have been done the night before.

My hair is very long and it has to semi dry naturally before I dry it with the dryer. I also put products into it, then straighten it and put it into a style.

It's difficult picking what outfit to wear and what shoes match, whether you should accessorise.

As you can see, this all takes a while.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

that's an hour and a half you could more properly spend pleasuring your other half

Pythia

I have no other half. /cries

IvaBigWun

Pythia wrote:

I have no other half. /cries

*cue more stalking*

St Bill

Victor wrote:

Drying time between the coats of plaster. :d

So why does it take so long? Hair needs to be straightened, boobs need to be lifted AND separated, legs need to be hairless, nails and face need to be painted, perfume must be sprayed in the air in front of you so that you can walk through it (a la Phoebe in the romancing Chandler episode in Friends), knicker lines need to be invisible, appropriate shoes and bag are a must (if, like men, we had a choice of only brown or black with low heels, it would take us just a minute to pick shoes too!!), coat must match outfit, outfit must be different to what anyone else is wearing....the list goes on. But then most girls like the detail that goes into getting ready for a night out. It might be boring for most men, but football is no more interesting for most women. And that usually takes an hour and a half too, w/o commentary

JC 2K3

Pythia wrote:

whether you should accessorise.

lol, what are you? 8 years old


(Ok, perhaps "accessorise" is a legit and common word used amongst ladyfolk, but I've personally never heard it used outside ads on TV for tacky plastic jewelry marketed towards little girls)

dr.bollocko

Every evening Mz. Bollocko is dragging out Mr. Bollocko is an evening full of "When in the **** will you be ready?" "Are you ****ing ready yet?" "How ****ing long does it take to get in a ****ing shower" "Why in the **** do you need fake eyelashes?" "Why in the **** do you need to re-adjust those ****ing fake eyelashes for a ****ing hour? "The pub won't let us in by the time we get there."
Its basically all me, moaning vaguely in the hope that I get to stay in with my booze and ciggies and scowl at small children through a crack in the curtains.

Terry

Pythia wrote:

Fake tan will have been done the night before.

Why do you bother with fake tan?
That's one that has always amazed me.

dr.bollocko

Some women simply adore terry's chocolate oranges. Eating them isnt always enough.

free2fly

Cunny-Funt wrote:

I get the impression its because they simply enjoy it. It's fun for them.

Infact it would seem its one of the highlights of the night, the fact that they can play dress up for awhile.

Like playing with their toys (not saying its childish or anything)

I honestly can't say that I enjoy getting ready. In fact I find it to be a pain in the neck. But it doesn't take me hours, and I do like the way I look when I put in the effort I always know what I'm going to wear. And I always have a backup ready in case I don't like the way the first outfit looks or fits.

daiixi

St Bill wrote:

So why does it take so long? Hair needs to be straightened, boobs need to be lifted AND separated...

Uhh why would you separate??

TheNog

Why bother with the fancy dress cos it will be destroyed by a passing car driving into a puddle, the fabulous hair will be tossed by gale force winds, the make up will run in the rain and the man in the relationship will get the blame or at least the brunt of the moaning. It takes me 20-30 minutes to have a shower, shave and shampoo, iron my clothes, get the kids something in the shop so they dont annoy the babysitter too much.

To overcome the long wait on my girlfriend and risk getting their late, I always tell her that, for example we have to be there at 8pm when we are expected at 9pm. If that fails I change all the clocks in the house.

St Bill

daiixi wrote:

Uhh why would you separate??

It's another place to hold a drink

Backtoblack

St Bill wrote:

So why does it take so long? Hair needs to be straightened, boobs need to be lifted AND separated, legs need to be hairless, nails and face need to be painted, perfume must be sprayed in the air in front of you so that you can walk through it (a la Phoebe in the romancing Chandler episode in Friends), knicker lines need to be invisible, appropriate shoes and bag are a must (if, like men, we had a choice of only brown or black with low heels, it would take us just a minute to pick shoes too!!), coat must match outfit, outfit must be different to what anyone else is wearing....the list goes on. But then most girls like the detail that goes into getting ready for a night out. It might be boring for most men, but football is no more interesting for most women. And that usually takes an hour and a half too, w/o commentary

Go girl! Get that football dig in there good and hard!
I mean, what is that about like??? :rolleyes: footie tsk!

Victor

Pythia wrote:

I have no other half. /cries

And you wonder why?