Should Boyfriend Have to Pay Half of Grooming?
I saw a pretty in depth post on Reddit this morning that really made me think: women do a lot of things to look good for guys. A lot of those things they don't even notice they're doing. And a lot of those things cost us a lot of money. So if a guy wants and prefers you to do them, should he be responsible for half of the cost?
Here's an excerpt from the post I'm referencing:
"My [26M] gf [24F] takes forever in the bathroom. Upwards of 1 hour, sometimes closer to 2. When I playfully ribbed her about this, she'd get irritated but nothing major. 3 months ago I was playfully teasing her and she flipped out. She said she won't do anything anymore, and true to her word she hasn't shaved, waxed, or put on makeup since then, and wears her hair looking like bedhead. I told her that I got her point and would appreciate it if she resumed doing things that I also do to stay presentable. Her head hair improved a bit (although not even close to how it was before) but she still has hair on her legs and underarms, semi-unibrow etc. Now she's saying I have to pay her to resume taking care of herself, which I find crazy"
It sounds like she was doing these things before and had no issue with doing them until he complained about the time it was taking. Here's her point of view:
"I'm continuing to do this whole thing because 1) it's so much less effort for me, 2) it's way cheaper, and 3) now that I stopped, I feel like... why do I ever have to do all this shit. It's unfair. And if I have to do it because both of us have been conditioned to see me doing these things as the basic standards for a woman, then he should pay half the costs. I conservatively spend at least $1k a year on brows, shaving supplies, hair products, highlights, haircuts, and makeup. Conservatively. He should have to pay me at least half if he wants me to do it, and extra for painful things like bikini waxes if he wants me to do them again. Otherwise it's not fair."
I'm all about paying for my own stuff. If you're taking me on a date, that's one thing. But paying my bills? Paying for my hair or nails or waxes or things like that? Nah. I just am not about it. I would never want to feel like I owe someone anything just because they've financially supported anything I do. So I think she should pay for her own upkeep. At the same time, if she doesn't want to do any of that, I don't think she should be doing it just for him, either.
But what do you think? Does she have a point? Do you think he should pitch in?