to hate "ladies events"

[FriedaRoam]

race for life
ladies days at races
pamper evenings

jsut all make me ITCH

Can't stand the way living up to society's demands for hair removal and make up is sold back to women as 'pampering'. Capitalism's very clever at making us pay for stuff while selling us the idea that we are actually enjoying ourselves and relaxing.

Ladies nights or days make me want to heave.

BUT I do go along to some women-only stuff - Women in Journalism is a good networking event with a few glasses of something nice. And it's justified because traditionally men had loads of male-only networking events. And still do to some extent, from Rotary and golf to strip clubs. And the Womens Institute do lots of good things.

I used to work for GE and they hada brilliant women's network.

When the first meeting happened at my site (GE took over a very old fashioned company) a load of the blokes came to the meeting for a sit in/protest, and sneeringly mocked.

They were managed out in the end. Good.

Agree edam about pampering is a big old con. I loathe stuff like spa days. I can't imagine anything worse than spending a fortune to some bored NVQ student to smear cream on my haggard old face and wipe it off again. To soothing mood music. And pretending to enjoy it.

I am also conducting a one woman campaign to STOP the fucking head massage madness in jairdressers. The hairwashers always look at me as if I am mad when I say 'please do NOT give me a head massage, just wash my hair thanks'

oh they can give me YOUR head massage
i love all that
dont need to call it pampering though, just essential maintenance of the ROamMachine

I can't stand it. I don't do massages either, or pedicures. people fiddling and prodding.

I like contact lens checks though, weird. And having stitches taken out.

Oh dear I sound insane from that last post.

I like taking my own stitches out..

I would quite like to wear a pink cowboy hat!

And white silk suit.

Connect with my inner Dallas Barbie.

Quint and her horse

I hate the head massage thing! Once, the hairdresser held three different vials of essential oils under my nose one at a time, and ran her finger up the bridge of my nose each time to "open up my airways" so I could tell her which one did the most for me (I lied and picked one at random - they all smelt the same to me) and them proceeded to massage the sides of my face and my earlobes. I was horrified but she was so nice I couldn't say anything, just sat there wishing it was over. This was in Canada though, where apparently all sense of good old fashioned British decorum and reserve has gone totally out of the window

I repeat, she massaged my earlobes. Slowly.

I don't even like the hairdressers. I might be a man.

oh i can't bear the hairdresser's

think it's having to sit in front of a mirror for hours with crazy-looking hair pinned up all over the show while they cut/dry-it's so undignified and i can't bear the sight of my own reflection... but then if i take my eye off the ball and read a book or something they do something awful to my hair like put really short layers in it or make it all bouffant or something

I like the head massage with the hair-wash though - definitely the best bit !

Aqua Aerobics "It was octogenarian soup" Brillant !!

I am failing this thread

Have already admitted to enjoying women only socialising. Now also have to confess to liking the hairdressers (incl. head massage) and LOVING body massages and, in particular, foot massages. They hurt so good. How can you not like it when you come out and all your knots are gone? I can only plea that I live in Asia and they are possibly better out here, for the price.

......or maybe I was a cat in a former life, and this is how I'm getting my stroking fix.

Pinkified 'Girlies', drunk on Smirnoff Ice, wearing glittery cowboy hats, swaying on the dance floor to 'I Will Survive' at the end of a night of hilarity. Shoot me now. Nice to have some company in this lonely existence.

Personally, I absolutely detest spas, romcoms, cupcakes etc etc and consider myself very fortunate to be old enough never to have been invited on a hen night of the publicly pink variety.

However, I do wonder if we sometimes fall into a male trap of denigrating all things feminine. Why, for instance, is cricket considered less frivolous than fashion? I work in a very male environment and like male company but I really love the occasional evening when I get to go out with my women friends.

Perhaps the thing which most people here to dislike is not female company, female humour, female conversation or feminine interests, but rather a commercially-driven construct of femininity which pushes women into believing that they have to be, for want of a better word, "pink".

I will never forget being at a local swimming pool, which was also part of a rehabilitation center, which had a big communal Jacuzzi in the middle. A small child poked his head out of the changing room doors, took one look at the jacuzzi and shouted back to his mum:

"Mum, mum, come and see, they are boiling old ladies here!"

I don't think you can compare women-only sporting events and hen nights or Anne Summers parties or ladies days at races (I assume these are left overs from the days when women weren't allowed at such events and a ladies day was seen as a major breakthrough in terms of sexual equality?) I'd consider doing a women-only sporting event but have never been on a hen night and hate the whole concept. Not interested in Anne Summers parties either - have been to a couple but found them really naff. You can buy vibrators etc elsewhere anyway so can't see the point, except for the host, who I assume gets a discount for sales. I'm not interested in "pampering" days either, but I do like a good sports massage and in general have always found massage really beneficial in terms of general aches and pains caused by muscle overuse/fatigue and imbalance, for injury rehabilitation and for relaxation. I don't see what massage has to do with women-only events though.

I'm continually baffled by 'parties' a la Ann Summers and Body Shop which as far as I can tell involved being pressurised to spend significant amounts of money on crap. This is not a party, it is the ultimate triumph of consumer capitalism at its most vile.

In my experience most all-female events are exceptionally tedious, unless they involve a quorum of feminists and/or lesbians at which point they suddenly become very good fun.

'Perhaps the thing which most people here to dislike is not female company, female humour, female conversation or feminine interests, but rather a commercially-driven construct of femininity which pushes women into believing that they have to be, for want of a better word, "pink".'

You have hit the nail on the head pointissima

or ladies days at races (I assume these are left overs from the days when women weren't allowed at such events and a ladies day was seen as a major breakthrough in terms of sexual equality?)

Actually, no. What is now called Ladies Day is the third day of Ascot, which was always the most popular (when the big races were run). In the days before fashion mags, the day used to draw big crowds because women wanted to see what the Aristocrats were wearing and so judge the seasons fashions.

On the whole "Layddez events" I think what Pointissima said sums it up very well

I always find women's business networking a teeny bit condescending almost like "the women need SPECIAL help to actually do business". And invariably these ghastly things turn into a mother's meeting anyway with anything but business being discussed...

The exception to this is the GirlGeeks meetings (and those of you who are not pink girly squeaking chardonnay swilling will love these!).

What are GirlGeeks meetings?

Here you go Trills: girlgeekdinners.com/

And have just proved how not a geek I am by not hyperlinking that properly:
girlgeekdinners.com/