The past few months, my girlfriend and I have had LOADS of free time to simply sit around and stare into each other's eyes, as well as discuss various things on our minds. One item on MY mind was how much Recycling/Trash my girlfriend throws out on a weekly basis. I am the one who takes out our garbage each week, and each week it is GLARINGLY apparent how much MORE stuff my girlfriend CONSUMES versus myself. For example, she lives in the suburbs and has one giant blue recycling bin that I drag out to her curb EACH week (usually overflowing with stuff that she crammed into there), whereas I have a tiny little box in my kitchen which gets emptied maybe once every two weeks!
The fact that women consume more items than men should not come as a surprise to anyone, but it did shock me just how much more stuff my girlfriend consumes versus myself and it got me thinking. In general, women consume a LOT of products which most men have the luxury of not having to worry about. Tampons, makeup, hair products, skin creams, hair curlers, nail polish/removers, stockings, etc. Men do not require many of these items and all I need for example is a razor, some shampoo, and a bar of soap and I'm good to go!
But the multitude of products that women consume does not simply include personal care items. Women also buy LOADS of stuff for the kitchen and dining areas. If the woman cooks and bakes (which mine does, thank god!) then you purchase loads of special bowls, measuring cups, forms, and bread makers, etc. And all of these products not only take up space, but at some point they break and must therefore be replaced. Then there are cleaning products... my girlfirend does NOT go overboard on cleaning products like some women do (hallelujah), however many women out there are cleaning product fanatics that purchase special wipes for the wooden table, special sponges for the oven, etc, etc, etc.
Pretty much within every product category you can think of (except maybe car parts and accessories?), the persons buying most of those products is usually women... I'm not some male chauvinist here saying that women are only good for shopping or any bullshit like that. I am the proud son of a VERY modern woman and dating a very strong woman that I have the ultimate respect for. However, I cannot help but point out to her that in general, men consume LESS products than women do on a weekly basis, period. We could argue the point for hours if you so desire, but the fact of the matter is that if you were to take a gigantic box and have ALL women place the items that they consume (for themselves only) into that box, and you were to have ALL men do the same, at the end of ONE WEEK I guarantee that women would take first prize!
I remember at University we did a detailed study where we asked each student in my large class what products they consumed that week and the results showed that men consumed much less than women. But I think this is a test that each couple should do themselves TODAY to remind each other just how much stuff they consume together. For example, take one week where you each get a large blue bin and go about your daily lives as you normally do, and when you are done consuming something (whether it be a gallon of milk or an old iPad), you place it into YOUR bin and then count the items at the end of the week (as well as weigh the contents if you so desire). Then, take some pictures to remind yourself and tally up the winner to see if my claim has any validity.
Bottom line is, women consume a lot of stuff and the commercial industry goes to GREAT lengths to ensure that will forever remain true. What I find most ironic is that fact that most women have NO idea just how many products they consume and many women actually think of themselves as "environmentally conscious". Even though they may be buying 10 times more stuff than men, the fact that they buy "organic hand soap" makes them feel better about their environmental destruction I guess.
One contributing factor in all of this is that women like to be comfortable (and look good while being comfortable). This makes sense if you think about it... back when we were hunters, the men would go out for days/weeks on end to hunt for food and the women would hang out in caves and make things comfortable for themselves. When the men came home with food, everyone could relax in a nice and comfortable environment suitable for "making babies".
Women like to look good for their man and they like to be very comfortable in life, I simply call this "Princess Syndrome". Women buy loads of products as a result of Princess Syndrome. All those nice clothes and all that makeup, along with all the nice furniture and home gadgets to make life comfortable are very important products to women. Whereas most men (including myself) are quite happy with a bed, computer, and some food to munch on... LOL.
Princess Syndrome starts very early in life (especially here in the USA) where most little girls in America are spoiled rotten. They get all the little dolls, toys, glitter, and clothing they desire, they go to "Little Princess" contests and they think they are the only thing that matters on Earth. They learn from a very young age that "the environment doesn't matter as long as I get my new doll for Christmas". Boys are also spoiled in the USA, don't get me wrong, but little girls seem to have their parents wrapped around their finger because every little girl I know gets anything and EVERYTHING she desires, EVERY TIME!
It's no wonder that these little girls grow up to become adult women who are accustomed to consuming anything and everything they desire. Now they are simply consuming more expensive items that say "environmentally friendly" (which most products are NOT)!
After pointing this out to my girlfriend, she said:
"Yes, that is all rather true, but it's all men's fault! If it wasn't for men, women wouldn't care what they looked like, they wouldn't buy nice clothes or put on makeup without men."
Therefore MEN, the moral of this story is... #PrincessSyndrome is all your fault, whether you like it or not!