A woman's observations of why often men need their mate.
In the beginning, God created man. Later, he saw that man needed help so he created a complement for him, in the form of woman. Therefore, from the beginning, women were designed to be a helper to their men. Although men are physically stronger than women, the strength that women impart to men is of a much more subtle nature. For instance, Hillary, Clinton once said, "WE are the presidency" while her husband was president of the United States, demonstrating that wives are often working behind the scenes, for the advancements of their husbands. Since we feel our strongest when we look our best, we desire to empower the important men in our life with this knowledge and help them when they require our many faceted expertises in successful maintenance of our lives, while still having time for personal appearances.
One way we are able to look successful, while keeping up with the daily hassles we face every day is by becoming proficient at multitasking. For instance, juggling school and work schedules, shopping lists, and social calendars, we literally choreograph our family's lives, while still making sure our houses are clean, our closets are appropriately updated, and our husbands, socks successfully paired.
One thing men could learn from our multitasked, choreographed life is to strive for the perfect balance of family, career, and self-maintenance, which is a recipe for true success. This calls for developing the fine art of coordination, regular family gatherings, keeping up with course assignments in college, and getting to the job every day on time, in addition to regularly sharing in religious activity, all the while keeping one's hair fashionable and legs shaven (or their face, in the case of men). Since men and women must equally compete in the world, both must view it as a personal goal to always look their best. In order to successfully fulfill each role in life, one must educate oneself. Men may view it as wholly leisure and maybe even wasting time, but they could learn from our swapping ideas with girlfriends, checking out the storefronts of the shopping mall, and keeping up with the current fashion magazines, as they are helpful to women in their endeavors. These experiences help us help them face the world each day with much needed confidence. Another way men can greatly benefit from female advice is in the matter of dressing.
Granted, the apparent lack of good styling with many men could be merely an inattention to details. For instance, on occasion I have seen a guy in an attractive shirt with a great pair of pants or a suit and tie, and notice that he has ruined the whole look by wearing white socks, or shoes that are all wrong. (I'll never understand this fixation some men have with tube socks.) For instance, For instance, though fortunately my husband doesn't share that love of white socks, he does choose shoes that are on the bland side of the style spectrum: the ones with the small, raised, stitched seam on the top of the toe. I encourage the sturdier, heavier looking pair with the bluntly rounded end, but they're not as "soft" as ones he wants, therefore, not the ones he chooses, whereas I will search for the perfect combination of style, comfort, and versatility, sometimes for weeks or months. I know women, my sister for one, who will always select the better-looking pair over the more comfortable ones, which may explain why she has so many pairs of shoes in her closet. Thus, I feel that most women are pursuing a balance of fashion and comfort in their selections and therefore own at least five times more pairs of shoes than the average male, allowing for specific attention to detail in every outfit.
To be fair, maybe the problem with this inherent masculine lack of style appreciation lies with the fact that men just don't enjoy the needed shopping and the magazines that pass on style tips are intended for feminine audiences. In any case, men should feel fortunate when their beloved points out a faux pas for them, or brings attention to a tired pair of jeans or outdated jacket, thus saving them from the time-consuming chore of studying this for themselves. Unless their female companion has already taken the initiative to trade in their old, favorite pairs of shoes, a guy will decide to buy replacements only when they bursting at the seam or they begin to feel the pavement through the hole in the sole. Then, after finally taking action, they will settle with the first pair they find that fits them. Women, on the other hand, love to shop and will try on every pair remotely similar to the exact ones they need, and only when they find the "perfect" ones will they make the purchase.
Of course, success and style are purely subjective, and some men can find their way through a mall like a pro, however, they are few and far between. Either way, one thing is sure: the style of women everywhere is reflected in the man at her side. Just as I'm sure Bill doesn't make any important appearance without passing inspection by Hillary, I know I will continue to scrutinize my husband's outfits, from the t-shirt down to the toe of his shoes, just like every other woman I know. It's our job. After all, I don't remember Adam donning that fig leaf until after Eve came around.
