It has to be one of the most overused phrases in the history of the universe.
A cheap ploy to excuse the way men and women act, a way of reckoning for those who are more then unimpressed with their other half and their lack of understanding. It’s a simple solution to the ever headache-inducing way we try and figure out why the opposite sex act the way they act. The truth is we’ll never really get it, and isn’t trying to figure it out half the fun?
If you know your films, you will have seen or at least cringed through What Women Want - Mel Gibson’s predictable, yet sometimes humorous portrayal of what can happen when someone begins to understand the opposite sex all too well. Don’t get me wrong, in the beginning it was all amazing sex and pre-empting what women really wanted to hear to his own personal advantage, but is that really what we want? A completely seamless, on par relationship with no bumps? Me thinks no.
I’m not saying a large degree of drama is required for a successful relationship, but a degree of intrigue and banter, disagreement and conflict resolution is almost integral to a relationship, without it, the spark can just fizzle out.
In an older episode of Ally McBeal (yes, i’ve been indulging) – office sexist pig Richard Fish explains (in one his many controversial yet bang on the mark ‘Fishisms’) that men and women are in fact made to be different, to house qualities that the opposite sex neither understands nor has themselves. If men and women were the same by way of thinking – then boredom would be inevitable.
You know yourself, as much as you love your girlfriends, a week on end with them would soon prove to drive you a little crazy. You begin to crave the company of someone of the opposite sex, someone who enjoys different activities to those of your girlfriends – someone that mixes it up a bit. If men were from Venus too, the whole brilliant diversity of the sexes would surely be lost.
The secret here lovers is to decipher the ratio that you require in a partner. How much would you like him to understand you? How much difference do you require in a partner? Should he be a blokey bloke? Or one that’s in touch with his feminine side a little more than usual? You may have a clear preference, but be warned, both options have downfalls when it comes to the ability to understand you. If you’re happy to accept that men and women are different for a reason, and you’re willing to welcome a bit sacrifice and understanding into your relationship – because you will not always agree with your partner, and you will often think that ‘the bastard just doesn’t get it’ – then you’ll be far happier and at peace in your own relationship than those who try to change their partners to be more like themselves. Who wants it if it’s too easy, right? We all like to be challenged a little on a daily basis after all, don’t we?
Yeah, munch on that, baby.
NQC x
Do you and your partner accept your gender differences and make it work?
Do you struggle to accept his man traits?
Does he shudder at your girl issues? Does it drive you shit mad crazy?