The selling of women

Recently I was reading a friends blog in which she was questioning the images that our blogs present to others. She was wondering whether we can really know someone from their blog, can we really understand that person from the picture they present in an electronic forum. Her point being that blogs may only show one side of a person and that even that picture may not represent the real person behind the blog. Things only a woman would worry about!

But her blog did get me to thinking (and that occurs about as often as a full moon), do we ever present the true picture of ourselves to others? Too deep a thought I said to myself, perhaps a better question is - why do women wear makeup? (It’s on the same topic line at least).

Packaging my friend - strictly packaging. Women are great at hiding their true physical self by excessive, smart packaging. At an early age they begin with make-up, bras that are constantly battling against the true nature of gravity, nail polish, ear rings, rings of all types and in all locations, $200 hair cuts (sorry - hair styles), exfoliating agents, anti wrinkle creams - lotions, potions and decorations of all kinds. I suspect that women believe that their true self is enhanced by all this packaging. Experienced men, however, know better - packaging is packaging and it often bears little resemblance to the actual article inside.

In the old days men did not take part in this packaging scam. We were who you saw before you. At best we ran a comb through our hair once a day, changed our underwear every second day, bathed once a week and occasionally used underarm deodorant, usually on a Friday night if we had a date. But even that has changed. Men are now waxing, getting their hair styled, piercing their ears and other parts, wearing contacts, and opting for plastic surgery in an attempt to stem the advancing tide of old age. In fact I will admit that even I have resorted to dyeing my beard to keep me from looking like Santa Claus without the red suit.




But can you blame women,or for that matter even the metrosexual males of today? Look at our society. Do most of us buy our meat from a butcher shop anymore or do we prefer the nicely wrapped & packaged cuts at our local supermarket? When we select a car, is not our decision primarily based on looks and sex appeal as opposed to functionality or gas mileage? Do we not pick up books - in part because of how the the cover appeals to us? Think about it - almost everything we buy from Advil to Zoodles is packaged to attract and heighten our interest as consumers. We have become slaves to the pretty packages that assault us in all aspects of our daily life.



Now don’t get me wrong. I love the packaging. After all, isn’t it a known fact that sexy girls in bikinis will suddenly spring from the very earth we stand upon if we were to open a beer at the beach? When I go to buy a car I do so with an image in mind. I walk right past the boring family car without a second glance. I want a car with chrome, leather, shiny tires, and fancy digital crap stuck all over the dash. The advertisements of hot babes laying across the hood of the car certainly influence my decision. I am all for packaging. But, unlike most women, men my age (I’m not so sure about the current generation of males), understand that what we are getting is 90% packaging - and we are ok with that. In fact if it were up to us - we wouldn’t even open the package. We know from experience that in most cases the packaging is superior to the gift inside. After all - if packaging was less important than the product, Victoria Secret wouldn’t sell a single garment in a size 12 or above.




Women on the other hand, can’t wait to rip off what little packaging the male has managed to wrap himself in. Women don’t care about the packaging since they want the gift inside. For it is only when they obtain the gift that they can set about modifying it to their liking or in the worst case scenario - returning it, usually in a package deal with a worn out canoe.

Someone once said; “A man marries a woman with the hope that she won’t change - while a women marries a man with the expectation of changing him”. This is too true - we love the packaging - the more the better - and the longer it is before we are forced to open the package - the better. Packaging my friends - the timeless art of seduction.