[quote Boatonthehorizon]@CoffeeTopUp
Haircut / colour £90
Nails £25
Eyebrows £10
Dress £50
Shoes £30
New tights £5
£210 and thats doing it cheaply. Expense is one of the reasons I dont bother any more.[/quote]
Quite a few people have picked this apart but I agree with your basic point that it generally costs more for women to get ready for a date than it does for men.
As much as most of mumsnet would be happy rocking up wearing rags or whatever they can find lying around, I'd usually buy something new at some point while dating.
I like to look nice on dates to make me feel good about myself. That may involve a new pair of boots and a new dress. I might get my hair cut more often than I usually would and perhaps buy a new lipstick. If I'm feeling a bit crap, I might have the odd beauty treatment too. It's nice to make an effort.
Of course, there's always going to be the exception of the odd few men who spend more than women, the ones who spend millions of pounds on a new shirt and overly expensive haircuts.
The point still stands, women tend to have more costs than men. I man can get away with wearing jeans he's had for a decade and just wear a decent shirt whereas a woman is probably going to want to wear a nice dress. Plus, women are more likely to have childcare costs to attend the date in the first place.