In a new study engineered by QVS Beauty Tools Experts, it has been revealed that a huge three quarters of men are completely oblivious of how much time and effort their wife or girlfriend goes through in order to look and feel beautiful.
Women are under constant pressure from the media, men, and other women to look pristine. That means every week cracking out the razor to banish the dreaded leg hair, warming up the wax to rip away that moustache, and slathering ourselves in fake tan is a normal routine for a lot of women. It would seem impossible to hide this from a partner, especially a partner who you live with, but it seems that women are much stealthier than anyone ever imagined!
Four in ten women admit to intentionally hiding their beauty regime from their partner. But why is sneaking around so common? Well, a third of the 1000 women who took the survey disclosed that they wished to keep up the illusion that they are always perfectly preened. One in twenty women even divulged that they have never let their partner see them without a full face of make up on. This might sound shocking and extreme to some, but with the pressure to look good so intense, it’s understandable to see why some ladies feel the need to constantly look their best.
Speaking about the poll, a spokeswoman for QVS Beauty Tools Experts stated: ‘’All women will be able to relate to locking themselves in the bathroom to carry out top secret beauty tasks they don’t want their partner to know about. Waxing or plucking unwanted hair and smothering yourself in fake tan aren’t particularly alluring things to do, so it’s understandable women don’t want to broadcast these jobs to their other half.”
Going to such lengths to hide grooming habits may seem bizarre to some, but when you’re in a new relationship it’s pretty reasonable that you would always want to look your best. Thankfully, however, three quarters of the women taking part in the poll believe that as a relationship develops, constant primping becomes less of an essential activity, with a year and seven months being the average time that women become more relaxed in their relationship. Nevertheless, 61% of women when presented with a compliment would still choose to keep their lips sealed over exposing any cosmetic cheats they might have used.
What might not come as such a huge surprise is just how many men are unaware of their partner’s grooming schedule. Not only does it seem that men are oblivious to their partner’s habits, the poll has shown that men are choosing to be ignorant, with seven in ten men claiming that they would rather not know what is happening behind closed doors. Why is this? Well, maybe men want to live in a world where their partner is a perfect, angelic being. Perhaps a more likely reason, however, is that they just don’t care about waxing or bleaching or tweezing.
On the other hand, one in ten men did say they would be surprised to find out that their loved one elected to wear shape enhancing pants or a cleavage boosting bra; it’s a little reassuring to know that the remaining nine men aren’t totally oblivious to the way their partners look in normal underwear compared to giant shapewear knickers.
It was also revealed that 25% of men polled said that they would be shocked to find out that their lovely lady wore false nails, had veneers or chose to wear coloured contact lenses.
The poll takes us further into the minds of the men surveyed by divulging that more than one in ten guys would be astonished to discover their partner wearing fake tan.
A QVS Beauty Tools Experts spokeswoman stated further that ‘’Hair removal seems to be the most embarrassing thing that women would prefer to keep from their partner. But in a way it’s a compliment to the men in their lives that they are prepared to go to such lengths to look good and keep it a secret. No matter what the beauty task involves we have every tool and accessory to assist women and men.’’
It’s certainly no surprise that so many women elect to carry out their grooming duties in private – waxing can leave red patches on the skin, tweezing nasal hair is embarrassing, plus shaving a bikini line is certainly no mean feat! Why would women want their men to watch them? There’s no shame in wanting a little privacy. Perhaps this is why when asked about it, a quarter of women answered that they would be mortified if their partner caught them carrying out one of those tasks. Whether done privately or not, personal grooming is something that almost all women can relate to, and this poll has shed light on the dynamics of relationships – not only between men and women, but women and the beauty industry.
Infographic courtesy of The London Economic and Language Factory
Header image courtesy of theguardian.com