“Dear Prudence” is not my favorite advice column by a long shot, but it’s the one that I just happened to read, so I’m going to comment on it now.
One woman writes that she is “28-year-old single woman, … tired of being asked out on dates via text message,” and goes on to explain that she is “looking for a serious relationship with a man who has confidence in himself” and asserts that a guy who asks her out “via text message either isn’t terribly interested and can’t be bothered to pick up the phone, or is too scared to call and talk to me in person.”
What’s going on here? First, she’s completely right that a guy who asks her out via SMS is not terribly interested. It’s a subtle way to communicate that he has options and that the girl is not so important that he has to stop what he’s doing and speak with her on the telephone. It also probably indicates that he’s aware of the asinine and idiotic policy of many girls not to return telephone calls from boys. Second, she is 28 years old and her “last relationship went on for several years and ended nine months ago.” When she was 24 or 25, she was probably hot, but now she’s probably declined considerably. I’d estimate that her physical decline has been aggravated by having spent the last few years comfortably in a relationship. In short, she can no longer expect the kind of fancy treatment at 28 that she got from guys when she was fresh out of college. Too bad for her.
Another woman writes that she has “twice had the experience of sitting at a table with a male student and seeing the student ‘adjust’ himself. Both times, the student actually put his hand down his pants.” I was raised to be civilized; if I ever put my hands down my pants near anyone, I would have regretted it immensely. The first time I ever saw a teenaged boy do this was when I was one myself. I was so appalled that I had to leave the room and, well, more than a decade later I still remember it. Men, I understand if you’re in public and you need to adjust. You should be using powder down there to minimize the chafing and awkwardness (I recommend Gold Bond), but do a temporary adjustment outside the pants and then, if absolutely necessary, go to the bathroom and complete the adjustment there. Please.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to use powder down there precisely for that reason, but then a couple years ago, my then-girlfriend said it tasted funny, so I quit doing so, except when the heat made it necessary (and she was long out of the picture).
I run into the same concern. I use a good bit of powder every day because I can’t deal with the chafing that would otherwise happen down there. I wish someone would develop some powder for men that tastes appealing to girls.
When a girl is coming over, I’ll often shower right before she arrives, so as not to taste like powder. That’s the only way we can both be comfortable.