The high maintenance label gets thrown at women a lot, and sometimes for pretty silly reasons. Not every woman is the same, and some are lower key than others, but that doesn’t mean that living life a certain way needs this label. There’s nothing wrong with having a set of standards or a personal preference of upkeep and quite frankly, women are kind of sick of hearing that liking or doing these 8 things a particular way makes them unbearably high maintenance:
- Getting our nails done. Some women like having their nails done, and sometimes our jobs actually require us to do so. Either way, it’s annoying when someone makes a comment that going to the salon to get a manicure means we’re high maintenance. It just means we feel better with our nails groomed. It’s that simple.
- Coloring our hair. Aside from the fact that grey hairs happen and we want to cover them up with a fresh color, getting our hair done just plain feels good. There’s nothing wrong with a woman wanting to do something that makes her feel amazing.
- Wanting to be treated a certain way by men we date. Wanting a text back within a reasonable amount of time or wanting someone to open a door for us doesn’t mean our standards are too high. We want to be respected and treated with kindness by men we see potential relationships with. Who doesn’t want to be with someone who treats them well? It comes down to personal preference, not high maintenance needs.
- Makeup rituals. Makeup shaming is totally a thing and it sucks. Some women are confident rocking a bare face when they’re running their daily errands, and some won’t leave the house without at least covering the dark circles under their eyes. Either way, who cares? If a woman feels more confident with makeup, then let her wear it and stop calling her out for it. Every woman has a right to confidence, and if she’s not hurting anyone else in her quest to feel it, then it doesn’t matter.
- Shopping. OK, so excessive shopping and expecting someone else to pay for your high end taste is one thing, but if she’s paying all her own bills and wants to treat herself to a little something extra that she can afford, this isn’t high maintenance, it’s just being a boss woman. Life requires rewards sometimes, and if a cashmere sweater is the reward she chooses, so what?
- Wanting affection. Wanting to feel cared about in her relationship isn’t asking for too much, it’s a basic human need for many people, men included. It’s seriously annoying when you feel emotionally neglected and get told that you’re expecting too much. When it comes to love, women want to feel that their partners care for them and that means we want to be hugged, kissed, snuggled, and told we’re beautiful from time to time. This shouldn’t be considered “work.” It’s just a natural desire for many people.
- Liking or wanting jewelry. Who doesn’t like shiny things? Again, as long as a woman isn’t demanding someone buy her the Hope Diamond, there’s nothing wrong with liking jewelry. Some women like it, and some don’t. I worked in a jewelry store selling engagement rings for a long time, and I can tell you that most women just appreciate the sentiment and simplicity of what it represents. It doesn’t mean a man needs to spend a small fortune; it’s just a long standing tradition among society that a piece of jewelry makes a woman feel special.
- Using expensive products. The reality is that as we get older, we need to take better care of things and this includes our skin, nails, and hair. If she buys $3 or $30 shampoo, it shouldn’t matter to anyone else. Unless she’s demanding things in life she can’t provide for herself, there’s no need to call a woman high maintenance for the way she chooses to live her life.
