I am a: Quirky sysadmin. Geek. Gamer. Comic fangirl. My little space, my home on the interwebs. I blog about personal stuffs, work, various coding projects, and anything else I feel like.

It’s funny the daily rituals many women endure to make themselves more “beautiful” to the outside world. Why do we do this to ourselves? Several reasons really …

1.) Sex.

Plain and simple, we wouldn’t be caught dead outside the house without at least a slap of makeup or our hair fixed and/or appropriately shaped if we are trying to catch, impress, or otherwise cajole the opposite (or same) sex … not if we want to get some.

2.) Competition.

By nature, we females are very competitive when it comes to catching (or sometimes keeping) a mate. We often feel that we have to “out-look” any surrounding females — to appear to be the best “catch.”

(See also, #1)

3.) Neurosis.

That’s right, we’re neurotic. From early childhood, it has been bored into our little heads that we have to always look our best and wear the mask of outer beauty, grace, and charm. To always appear prim and proper, and fully prepared for anything. We are to appear confident, but not too bold or empowered.

But we rarely achieve that … why?

Think about it, we women power the cosmetic industry alone. Billions are spent every year on things that supposedly make our physical appearance “more beautiful” …

Example: I was shopping for the final touches to my Halloween costume this weekend, and was looking at nail polish on sale. I’ve always loved doing my own nails, and pride myself on the varied rainbow of colors, tones, and textures in my collection. (especially glittered ones, I love glitter! but it’s a bitch to remove and glitter polish removers are harsh on your nails … but I digress … )

I didn’t see anything that screamed “You *have* to have me!” until I read the name of one of the colors: Naughty. The color wasn’t anything I didn’t already have: a deep crimson, a staple in my virtual nail palette in fact; but upon reading the name, the inner teenager in me instantly jumped up and down franticly screaming “I want, I want, I want!”

Nothing makes a woman instantly feel the need to have something faster than a mere title that inspires feelings such as: empowerment, intrigue, or the air of sensuality. Naughty is just one of those words. I don’t care who you are, at one time or another every woman wants to feel naughty … whether she admits it or not.

By nature, we are sensual creatures. It is only natural that we would want to feel “wanted” by someone at one point or another. As would we desire to feel attractive to our mate, or potential mate(s).

I mean, really … would this nail polish make me any more attractive to Jim? No, but for a fraction of a second, I felt as if my psyche needed that nail polish as validation or accreditation.

So why do we let ourselves continually be exploited by the industry? And made to feel inferior? And be told how we’re supposed to look by someone who probably wouldn’t know a real woman if she came and slapped them across the face?

Because we’re neurotic, and we’re needy, and we’re human. And these traits are what makes us desirable.

(or, that’s just my theory anyways!)