Frocks, Frivolity, Boys vs Girls

I have worn heels more in the past few weeks  then I have in the past few years!  I know most ladies will take any opportunity to frock up, but I am more your thongs & shorts sort of girl, so having to rock out for a Melbourne Cup lunch, and the Sunshine Coast Business Awards was interesting to say the least LOL!  In actual fact, I rarely go anywhere that is not a family or friends 'do', never do the 'networking' thing, and the closest I get to meeting any strangers is sitting next to them and having a chat on the odd occasion when I go to the theatre to see a new play.  I know, real exciting people we are, thank God Leone 'has a life' or we would have nothing to talk about in the office...

Both functions were very enjoyable, but don't you love it how even as adults, we females in particular, never really change much from teenagers when it comes to a social occasion?  I mean, you would have to be Mother Theresa not to comment on what others are wearing, whether it is appropriate or not, do the shoes & handbag match, the list goes on...  Most people would consider me a pretty serious person, I am not terribly girly, don't get my jollies out of shoe shopping or the like, yet having said that, even I found myself having a terribly in-depth conversation at the table with someone I had just met, really enjoying the conversation, yet that little portion of your 'girly' brain is still there to tap you on the shoulder when you see a particular hat go by, of course not pausing in the conversation you are having, just filing away your 'hat' thoughts for a later time.

I am not normally a person who subscribes to that whole men & women are total opposites theory.  Personally I think that a lot of those generalisations are just excuses we use to explain away behavior that we may not necessarily like, but have to live with.  I mean, if your husband is not terribly social at a function, it feels a lot better to say to yourself, well guys are like that, only happy with other blokes.  Yet in reality, it is not difficult to be polite?  Same with women and their 'shoes' (or similar retail therapy), most men will just wipe off the expense as 'well that is a girl thing', when in reality, it is just that we like to look good, and keep purchasing more items in the hope that we will look even better.  Maybe just a little bit more self-esteem is what is necessary, not more shoes.

BUT!  The Social Frock Up Function really does prove the theory of Men & Women being 'different'!  You are always hearing on the news of some 'study' done by some reputable institution, but you know, why waste the money on all these studies, just pay for a ticket to a formal dinner, sit in the corner and make notes, much quicker and more effective LOL!  

The women are nearly always way more frocked up then the men, eyes going a million miles a minute checking out every other female within a 20 metre radius, still of course carrying on a conversation while they are processing the fashion data.  More importantly, they are performing this complicated function whilst enduring uncertainty (Was this really the right frock to wear? Does my bum look too big in this?  Maybe I should have worn the other shoes?  Maybe my hair would have been better in an 'Up Do' etc...), and of course the obligatory pain of the new high heel shoes, or really tight strapless bra.  You have to admire the females’ ability to multi-task!  

The men on the other hand normally fall into two categories.  The ones who have eyes like sharks, on the make for the next business networking contact, as 'work is life', and you never let a potential business contact slip by.  Personally I find these guys pretty scary, tad too intense for me, if I have a wine glass in my hand I really don't want to have to think that hard, and certainly not about work.  The other category of guy is more fun, the one who is finding all the noise a tad uncomfortable, really just wants to find their table and have a drink, hopefully they will have a few mates close by or at the very least, be near the same bar so they can chat up there, all the time praying that they don't get stuck holding the wife or partners handbag at the wrong time and having to endure those looks of pity from the same mates they were just chatting at the bar with LOL!

I still remember those school dances in high school, you know, not much has changed in our behavior since then.  The guys still tend to act the same, it may not be the business they are on the make for, but, they were still on the 'make', and the other poor blokes were still just trying to hide on the side with their mates hoping not to be caught dead on the dance floor.  The girls were still stressing about how they looked, yet at the same time, giving a fully complete précis on the surrounding fashion of the like that their English teacher had never seen in an essay, nor would hope to see LOL!  

It might be shallow, the expense of dressing up is ridiculous, as intelligent human beings we should not even subject ourselves to the stress of these social occasions as it is just not necessary, BUT, you have to admit, regardless of maturity, it is a hell of a lot of fun!

cheers
Noely
Community Site Co-ordinator