Kemi Olatunde

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Women are naturally sociable, and that is why in most gatherings they don’t only register their presence, they most times ensure they look their best, hence enabling them fit for such gatherings. Women can be lauded for always being supportive during occasion, but truth be told, many times they don’t keep to time as they are either a bit behind the time or extremely late to occasion.

According to findings, they are always behind schedule, due to their desire to be well dressed, accompanied with a captivating look, especially when it involves social gatherings. Makeup is a confidence booster; while some women cannot do without it, others pay little or no attention to it. In fact, there are many women who don’t want anyone to even see them until they have put on some makeup. This could be termed as a bit of an extreme obsession, though. While a lot of women do accept that makeup helps them feel more confident, even minimal makeup is good enough for many others. Hence, the amount of makeup required to boost confidence varies greatly from woman to woman.

Before now, young ladies used to be the ones conscious of their looks, but these days women are not left out as the make up application on their faces attracts the attention of all. It is often said that most unmarried ladies apply makeup to impress the opposite sex, but this in most cases isn’t true when it comes to women. They just want to belong and have a feel of themselves. Some use it to boost their confidence, have a younger or older look, enhance their beauty and even cover some spots on their faces, among several other reasons.

A public servant, Mrs. Aderonke Jamiu, said that women take longer time while preparing for an occasion due to the application of make up, including headgear.

She said; “Women need to look good while going for any occasion. They need to apply make up on their faces and also ensure that their headgear is one in town. I  remember an occasion over a decade ago when I was supposed to attend the wedding of a staff in my place of work. I took my time to have my headgear well placed, and when I got to the office the vehicle had taken off to the venue which was in another state. I had to find my way there.”

A gospel artiste, Mrs. Nike Olaitan, said; “Why does it take women so terribly long to get ready? This is the question every man asks in his lifetime at one point or another. Trust me, whether he is married, someone’s boyfriend, or even someone’s little brother, that thought will cross his mind eventually. Now, being a woman, I know from personal experience that it does take me a rather long time to get ready. I’m aware of that. No need to sugar coat it. What men don’t understand is how many different tasks go into the process of getting ready that requires so much of our time. That’s why I’m here. Let me enlighten you, men, on exactly what women are doing to get ready, and why it feels like hours pass before they are eventually ready to go.

“First, the shower. Personally, I am always getting complaints about how long it takes me in the shower. Sorry, I can’t shampoo and condition my hair, shave my legs and armpits, wash my face, and wash my entire body all in 10 minutes or less. My bad.

“Girls put in a lot of work to get clean in the shower. Do you know why women always smell so nice and clean? Long showers. There’s your answer. Also, did I mention perfume?

“Second, our skin. We all wish we could have flawless, smooth skin, but the unfortunate reality is that not everyone has that. Therefore, we apply lots of creams and lotions to our faces to moisturize and heal our skins. It’s very important in keeping our skins healthy and glowing, and it’s not just for our looks.

“Third, make up. Right now I’m sure you’re imagining the inside of Ulta or Sephora with the rows and rows of foundation brands and skin tone choices available. You can picture the rainbow of eye shadow colours being displayed next to an abundance of mascara and eye liner options. Different shades of lipstick line the walls and isles, waiting to be held up next to a customer’s skin to see if its the perfect match. Now, imagine all of that shrunk down to a very small miniature and that is a woman’s cosmetic bag. With all those choices, how can you expect a women to be able to choose, much less apply, all that in a short amount of time? Exactly. It’s practically impossible.

“Fourth, hair. Once again, there are many options to choose from, and choosing the right one could take all day. Just kidding, but it will take at least a solid five to 10 minutes to pick a hair style. Then most likely she’ll change her mind and try a different style instead.

“There are tons of choices like putting it up, leaving it down, or even half up and half down. Then there is the question of straightening the hair, curling the hair, or leaving it all natural. Different headbands and hair clips are something to not take lightly, either.

“Fifth, the outfit. In my opinion, before even thinking about an outfit to wear, every woman should check the weather. You can’t pick  an outfit if you’re not sure whether it’ll rain or be windy that day. It’s impossible! Next, is there an occasion? Is she trying to look nice for  someone or does she just want to be comfy? Another huge part of an outfit is shoes. They have to match, of course, and I’m not just talking colour. It’s important to have the style of the shoe match the style of the outfit, too. Most times, there are more than one choice of shoes, so that requires even more time to decide which one looks best. Decisions, decisions.

“Finally, a woman has to double check everything. Is the hair going to stay in place? Does she really want to wear this outfit and not the other one she had picked out to wear? They just want to be absolutely sure before announcing that they are finally ready to go.

“It takes women so long to get ready, not just because we are slow; we have a lot to do.”

According to Udoh Blessing Okon,  “Women are wives, mothers and daughters. This simply means they have a lot of responsibilities to carry out along their outing preparation which occupies time. Secondly, as a woman, there is a need to always appear neat, gorgeous, unique, outstanding and attractive in any outing, and the process will take lot of time.  It has to do with cleaning up properly, using your cosmetics, styling/packing your hair, choosing your outfit, shoes, jewelries and even applying make up to the face, and these things are very necessary because we are addressed according to the way we are dressed.

 “Women generally have more grooming and clothing options, a wider range of clothing choices and will definitely spend more time coordinating their outfits and accessories, alongside complex makeup and hair routines. Hence,  there are lots of steps involved in women getting ready for an occasion, which may take lot of time. Additionally, women may be more likely to experience social pressure to look their best. They feel the need to spend more time getting ready because women’s clothing tends to be more form fitting, more complicated and revealing, so it can take longer to get it perfectly fitted, plus getting a matching shoe and handbag.

“Conclusively, women take longer time in preparing for an outing because they havea  husband, children, house chores and themselves to take care of.”

Ondo State FIDA Chairperson, Jumoke Ogunjebi, was of the opinion that women have delicate areas in their bodies which require following adequate healthy routines in order to stay clean, healthy and safe, saying “this makes a woman spend more time in the bathroom.

“What is more? The admiration and praises attached to aesthetics cannot be over – emphasised. One cannot divorce the need to add glamour to a woman’s outlook from the essence of looking good. As simply said, looking good is good business.”

A female lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, who craved anonymity attributed it to the kind of things they wear, make up and  different creams which are meant for different parts of the body.