I'm not sure if I agree with this or not. But it's kinda funny.
To all the women out there:Let's say a guy asks you out. Stop and think about
your comparative economic situations. The odds are,
he makes more money than you do. Guys don't generally
date "up", and even if professionally you're at the
same level, he's getting paid more money for doing the
exact same job. So he can afford to pay for you.
(Frankly, if you're hoping to marry and have children
with this man, he's making enough money to support a
family when you have to take a maternity leave andraise his offspring.)
But, in case you need more justification, read on:
Now, for him to ask you out, think about how you
looked when he saw you. Your haircut? It cost more
than his. Your clothes? Not only are they more
expensive, but women's fashions change more rapidly
than men's, so you've spent far more money gettingdressed. And when
you take it to the dry cleaners, or the laundry, they
charge you more, even though there's less fabric.
Even if every line item in your wardrobe was
identical, think about the two items that you have
that he doesn't: that bra (and probably not a cheap
one,you were wearing -- the Wonderbra, or he wouldn't
have bothered in the first place) and pantyhose.
Expensive, and they run. Oh, did I mention cosmetics?
So, it's cost you a lot more money, just to get to the
point where he's inclined to ask you out. And HE
asked YOU out. In business, if someone asks you to
lunch, they're paying, right? You don't even think about
this, do you?
Okay, then!So, he comes to pick you up. That apartment of yours?
Because you're a woman, you have to think about living
in a safe (eg. more expensive) neighborhood. You
insist on an "upper" apartment, which is at least $10
more a month. How about the pepper spray in your
purse, or the cell phone for emergencies? How many
guys have that stuff to defend themselves from those
marauding bands of female rapists and muggers? How
about all the times you've valet parked because you
don't want to walk a block or two in THAT
neighborhood? If you live in New York, all the times
you've taken a cab home instead of the subway because it's not safe
for a woman to be out at that hour?You go out, you let him pay.
It goes well, (because even if they bitch and moan
about it, paying does make them feel like a man) he
keeps asking you out. So, why not reach for thewallet now?
Are you planning to have sex with him?
So, that annual check-up you get just to make sure
that all the parts are working properly? Unless your
gynecologist knows the insurance scam,that's at least
$100 a year that's not covered. And then, there's
the birth control issue. Okay, at first, maybe for
awhile, you're using condoms. He might even be paying
for some of those, at pennies a pop. But we've done
the math. We know what the failure rates are there.So
even if Trojan Man is paying a visit, we're probably
employing a backup method. You read Cosmo. You know.
Everything is expensive and laden with hideous,
probably not entirely known, side effects. The only
inexpensive, side-effect-free method of birth control
is the word NO. Which doesn't always work, and that's
expensive and really shitty if it fails.
So there you have it. He asked you to dinner, he
picked the restaurant, let him pick up the tab. Be a
charming companion - you know the expression "dining
out on that story..." If you want to do something
nice for him, make him dinner once in awhile. Buy
really nice lingerie. Stock up on his favorite brand
of condom. Pay for your half of the vacation. But
never, ever, pay for the date. No amount of sushi at
Matsuhisa can possibly compensate for what it cost you
to get your butt in that chair.
I'm all for equality, and letting a guy buy you dinner
once in a while is a very fair way to even out the
financial (and psychic) costs of being an attractive
female that men want to buy dinner for.