Not quite sure how we missed this from a year ago - but I found this study quite illuminating.
Frank Sinatra advised in the song Wives and Lovers: "Don't send him off, with your hair still in curlers. You may not see him again."
However, it seems that British women couldn't care less after a survey showed they are the least likely to put effort into their appearance for the sake of men.
They have the lowest levels of concern in the world for what husbands, boyfriends and other male observers might think, with only 51 per cent caring whether men liked their appearance, the study said.
Japanese women were second bottom with 53 per cent followed by Americans at 56 per cent.
Indian, Spanish and Korean women were far more worried about having a man's seal of approval, but it was Russia which topped the poll of 10,000 women, with 77 per cent saying that they cared what their men thought.
Janet Saunders, of Clinique, the cosmetics company which commissioned the study, said: "British women like to feel confident and beautiful for their own pleasure and take pride in their outward appearance." Susan Quilliam, a relationship psychologist said: "It's a delicate balance. It's a positive thing in an equal relationship to reference the other person's tastes and preferences sometimes."
The survey also showed, that Britons are among the keenest on cosmetic surgery. Thirty five per cent of British women said they have gone, or are willing to go, under the knife for beauty.
Only Korean women were more likely to consider surgical enhancement, while just three per cent of Indian women condone it.
The survey also asked which of the 12 countries polled had the most beautiful women. Although most found their country's own women the best looking, Britons rated Italian and Indian women more beautiful than themselves.
There is a more than 20 percentage point disparity between American women (at 56 percent) versus Russian women (at 77 percent) and their concern over what their men think about them. It stands to reason that if RW are (generally) more concerned, they are also more likely to cultivate an environment in which men will be more satisfied with the relationship.
Perhaps one more factor in explaining the attraction to RW?
- Dan
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