Some things don’t translate across gender lines
Had a drink with a friend who is moving back east today. Well, he had a drink and dessert; I had club soda, a calamari appie and a side salad. We commented that though the waiter treated us as a stereotypical couple, bringing a dessert and two spoons, there was nothing stereotypical about either of us - a straight 30-something guy and a gay 50-something woman hanging out. We also commented on a difference between men and women: he said that men think about sex every 3 seconds. I said that women think about food or looks every 3 seconds. Food because though women’s beauty products come in every “flavour” under the sun, we can put these substances on our bodies, but heaven forbid we actually put anything will flavour into our bodies. Being attractive, ergo, being thin, is put out there as an impossible ideal to be achieved, and it takes vigilance: is the hair good, the make-up good, nothing showing that shouldn’t be showing, skirt straight, legs arranged in a provocative but not too provocative way? And the food obsessions! How many calories is that? That looks really yummy, but if I have one of those, I’ll have to find something to give up, to keep the calorie count low. It’s insane.