Buying Underwear

Aha. Buying underwear. Buying female underwear. Guess it had to happen sometime.

If you ever need to look for a divide between the sexes, look no further than the way men and women buy underwear. Men buy underwear in packs, and the cost is more important than the colours or the texture. I estimate a $15 pack of 5 briefs to contain enough cloth to spin 1000 sexy, er, panties, which would generate about $42500 in revenue. That's a freaking high labour and specialized skill cost, in my opinion.

Anyways, I was at OG with a friend who was buying a bra. In the same way some people wake up in a stranger's bed and have no idea how they got there, I had no idea how I came to be stranded in a sea of gauze, fluff and pink. Scream.

And when the dreaded question came, I was prepared. Or so I thought.

"Hanting, which should I choose, the black or the white?"

See, it's not that simple. Option 1 was to be cool about it. All I needed to do was answer honestly, supplement my reply with justification (I really think white complements your style, contrasts against your skin, and more importantly is much cheaper) and I would be done. Option 2 was to be really macho about the whole thing, ie. grunt some non-committal answer, behave awkwardly indifferent, act irritated and bothered.

Option 1 would have meant being constructively helpful, and definitely would have gotten me out of pink-Hell much faster. But to the prying eyes around, it would have suggested a hint of sensitivity, SNAG-ness, because much as the Sensitive New Age Guy is appreciated, somehow people still expect guys to be the stereotypical MAN. Would you think a guy who felt all at home in the lingerie department, gave constructive feedback about underwear unabashedly, and who didn't wear a perverted look was in full possession of the things God gave him?

I know, I know, it's a sweeping observation, but it's UNDENIABLE.

Option 2 wasn't such a simple alternative, either. People would simply leap at the opportunity to blast such a guy for being insensitive and uncaring. His guy friends would nod at his embodiment of manhood, but he would more likely be crucified by the rest of the world for being the classic Neanderthal.

Seriously, no one appreciated the fact that I was undergoing some major decision making in that five seconds of silence following my friend's innocent question.

But in the end I chose Option 2. Being macho is so much more natural.