What Women Dislike About Men

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 2

What Women Dislike About Men

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” and apparently many women consider themselves scorned by the article in “The Press” recently on the small things which annoy men.

The women have been given a chance to retaliate. Whereas many of the men were inclined to treat the matter in a semi-humorous fashion, many of the women were in earnest.

“My pet peeve is the joker who displays his braces when his coat’s off. I object even more strongly to the chap who won’t take his coat off, like everyone else, because he is wearing braces,” said a Christchurch business woman. When asked what the man in the second category was to do, she suggested that he tie his braces round his middle like a belt. She also objected to men who take off their coats but leave their waistcoats on. “They look ridiculous and half undressed,” she said.

“I strongly object to the type who looks a woman over, starting at her feet; and to the man who, when he sees a car doing something wrong, shouts out: ‘Look at that. It must be a woman driver.

“Why is. it that the man about town appears so dull and massproduced, whereas the women look so bright and distinctive?” demanded one ardent feminist. “The women are invariably smartly turned out and one can tell by their erect carriage that they take a pside in their appearance and that each has a little touch of individuality. The difference may be slight—a gailycoloured scarf, a different style of hat or handbag—but it does set her apart from the crowd. She is an individual. “Now take the male,” she said, warming to her subject, “What a contrast—hands in pockets, down-at-heel shoes, the inevitable sports coats and trousers, as he shuffles along beside his better half like an elephant with its ringmaster. Comparisons

“Where is the sportsman with the international reputation of Yvette Williams?” she asked. “In radio, who is to compare with Aunt Daisy; in literature, with Katherine Mansfield and Ngaio Marsh. I could go on for ever but you haven’t got the space. “That is not all,” she said determinedly as the reporter began to edge towards the door. “Discussion groups and amateur societies of all kinds are dominated by women. “One listens with impatience to the three subjects which seem to be the total range of most male conversations. The ladies are always intelligent, bright and lively —and they can tell better jokes.” The woman failed to mention what the three subjects were. “In conclusion, I want to refer to that predominantly male institution —. Parliament Anyone who has had the harrowing experience of listening regularly to the monstrously dull debates in Parliament has my sympathy. A friend who, for business reasons, has to listen to' these nightly broadcasts, told me that she has to buy sleeping tablets when Parliament is not in session. The drug firms should sue them for unfair competition. Oh for Aunt Daisy and a merry band of widows to guide our destinies.” New- Hiding Places

“What would you do with a man who finds a new place to hide his dirty socks every week, who leaves his books and papers scattered all over the place, and who says when butter knives are put qn the table: ‘Are we having company for dinner?’ ” said the wife of a journalist when she was asked about the things which annoyed her about men. “You come down to breakfast only to find that the sweet you had gone to a great deal of trouble to make for dinner has disappeared. Your husband has come home late the night before and gorged himself on everything he could find in the refrigerator. “A wife spends a very tiring day washing, preparing meals and doing hundreds of other household chores, as well as looking after the children,” she said. “Then the husband comes home, slumps into an easy chair with a great sigh, complains of how tired he is, and in a tone of voice that indicates that you must have been sitting around twiddling your thumbs, asks; ‘what have you done all day?’ “You spend many hours of painstaking work to make a dress, and when it is finished you congratulate yourself that it looks like a 20gns. Paris model; but the first time you wear it your husband announces to all and sundry that you made it yourself. It wouldn't be so bad if it was to people you knew, but it’s always to strangers. Waiting Time

“Then there is the occasion when you are going out to a formal function and your husband is .constantly urging you to hurry up as he becomes more impatient with every passing second. You are about to leave, when denly he announces that he can’t find his left shoe and you have to spend 10 to 15 minutes looking for it.

“A friend from down the road comes to the house, remarks on

how great the garden looks and congratulates your husband. Does he tell the friend that it was his wife who spent many hours tending the garden and cutting the lawns and edges? No, he just stands there and his chest swells with pride. “Mind you, I’ve just told you some of the minor points I don’t like about men,” she concluded. Eccentricity

A young married office worker said she disliked men who went out of their way to draw attention to themselves by wearing beards, eccentric clothes or long ard elaborate hair styles, and men that did not dress to suit the occasion.

“A girl goes to a great deal of trouble to be .well dressed and her partner turns up in the same old greys and sports coat he wears all the week, and then to top everything off he makes no comment about her appearance,” she said.

The unreasonable employer came in for some stringent criticism from this young woman. “Some of them think they’re infallible, and when Mr High and Mighty does make a blue he immediately looks around for someone to blame it on, or makes some lame excuse. I also dislike men who carry small change purses,” she said.

“I can’t stand the man who takes a girl to a party and then flirts with every woman in the room, or the one who spends most of the evening in a corner with the other chaps,” said a telephone operator. “It’s the same type who usually, rings up at the last moment and expects a girl to go out with him.” Long Search

“With a married friend, I have searched all day with the aid of a fine comb and a microscope to detect the blemishes in men,” said a prominent Christchurch woman who is not married. “We dislike effeminate men—give us the caveman type every time. A crack on the head with a sandbag when things go wrong, and the argument is settled. We do not like a man who talks too much about his sport (golfers are particularly blatant offenders), his girl friends or his car, one who crows like a rooster and never gives us a chance to do a little boasting too. We dislike naggers—let them leave that to the women—men who copy women in dress or manners, but we certainly do like the kilt,” said the woman, betraying her Scottish ancestry.