I will consistently hear girls rebutting complaints from boys about how long it takes for them to get dressed with the statement that boys actually have it easier because they have fewer options to choose from. With their limited number of styles it makes their day to day attire easier to figure out, however I have begun to wonder if guys really do have it easier or do those limited number of options make it all the more difficult? You see I'm the type of girl that will look at two closets overflowing with clothing and proclaim "I have absolutely nothing to wear!" It's sad, I know. On the other hand my boyfriend manages to fit all of his clothes into one drawer and never spends more than a few minutes picking out an outfit.

I've spent a few weeks pondering this question of boy versus girl and all of the complexities that come along with it. For example although men have it easier when it comes to getting dressed on the daily because of their lack of options but it is also harder for them to get dressed when it comes to trying to create a unique expression of the self that girls literally celebrate with clothing. There is pressure from men judging other men when it comes to dressing differently outside of the a-typical male "uniform". Yet for women we could wear dresses, pants, skirts, skirts over pants, leggings, bodysuits, so the list goes on and most other women are generally accepting of this wide variety of styles. With the women's liberation movement came this freedom to express ourselves in masculine and feminine ways, but for men they have seemingly regressed in their freedom of unique and sometimes gender-bending expression.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are many men, my boyfriend included, that enjoy dressing in this rather neutral masculine way. Clothing is not their outlet of expression, just something they use to get throughout their day. But for women we have practically been trained to use clothing as a means of expression. We only got the right to vote recently in comparison to the history of humans and before we had a voice in government clothing was our only route of expression. Even in many countries where women are still oppressed you see them using clothing as their political voice. For men they never had to use clothing as a means of anything other than something to cover their body and perhaps this is why many men don't think of clothing beyond that sole purpose.

All of these questions and inquiries certainly makes one wonder, is it really easier for
boys to get dressed versus girls? What are your thoughts?