Sunday, January 29, 2012

Girls Goin' a Roamin'

Most hostels offer female only dorm rooms for those of us who are for whatever reason uncomfortable sharing a room with the sausage-wielding sex. I've even seen a few places that offer male only dorms as well, as is only fair. Typically beds in such dorms cost a little extra, so I've been bunking in mixed dorms. Until now.

This room is very pink.



On seeing the wall fitted out with 3 mirrors, stools, dressing table as well having a hair dryer and hair straightener (!!!), my initial reaction was somewhat indignant. Who wants all that cliched crap?

Well, to be honest I was pretty damn excited to see the hair dryer. Wet hair in this climate is a little uncomfortable. It only works for two seconds on the highest setting before entering torpor, as I discovered.

This led me to consider the hair straightener, because dammit I wanted to go outside and I did not want wet hair at the same time. Now, I've never used a hair straightener in my life. Partly because my hair is pretty damn straight, but mostly because I'm lazy and don't believe in high maintenance hair. Pfffft.

The general theory behind hair straighteners I understood, but exactly how one uses them...uh, are they supposed to vibrate anxiously when you clap the tongs together? Because this one did. I gave my hair a few swipes before being far too disconcerted by the trembling appliance and thus ended my first and probably only experiment with hair straighteners.

Huh. Sniff. Disdain.

It was a full house last night, and in the morning I was woken by the others springiness out of bed to stand in front of the mirrors and do...things. I have no idea what any of them were doing but there was a lot of it. The hair straightener was used. The hair dryer was used (on a lower setting). There were all sorts of tubes and powders and touching of hair. All this before they were even out of their jammies.

Me, I rolled out of bed, changed into be-seen-in-public clothes, and staggered downstairs for breakfast without even putting deodorant on.

I don't think I'm very good at being a woman.

Still, there is some merit to gender stereotyping. For example, "girls snore far less than boys" IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

13 comments:

  1. ArthurMiller@OUSalesperson29/1/12 19:28

    "Still, there is some merit to gender stereotyping. For example, "girls snore far less than boys" IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH."

    Pfffft

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  2. I will never understand why hostels don't offer non-snoring dorms, which you're only allowed in with a medical certificate guaranteeing that you're snore-free. It'd be a hit!

    (My great aunt snores like there's no tomorrow (can be heard on the other side of her house!), but she's the only woman I know who breaks the stereotype.)

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  3. I snore too. Brilliant women do.

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  4. I have recently come to the conclusion that I am also not very good at being a woman. I have *very* occasional moments of what I consider extreme girly-ness, and they would still be considered feeble attempts by most. Those moments happen less and less frequently all the time, as well.

    This also reminds me of someone at work telling me about a cross-country trip by bicycle that she took with her husband. She said at every camp site the bathrooms would be packed with women doing their hair and makeup in the morning. While camping. In the forest. wtf??

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  5. I hardly bother with girly things when I'm home - I en't got time when I'm traveling! Wash my face, brush my hair, swipe on some eyeliner, go. Deodorant only if pits threaten to be an issue without it. I only run into hot guys when I'm at my scruffiest, anyway.

    Captcha: icathefu. Cat the fu?

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  6. Okay, make up while camping seems a real waste of time and effort.

    I guess it's because I resign myself to the fact that I just can't get myself looking as awesome as usual, I'm surprised that people make an effort anyway. And as a result yeah, they look distinctly less scruffy than me.


    BUT IT STILL SEEMS LIKE SO MUCH WORK IN THE MORNINGS.

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  7. I only took my hair straightener when I went to Denmark last year just in case Tomas and I decided to go anywhere nice. But I used it maaaaybe twice. And it was far too humid to do much good.

    As for ladies wearing make-up WHILE CAMPING, it's a bizarre phenomenon to us who don't wear make-up that often. If you're in a forest, who gives a damn? If you struggle to exist without putting it on, you may have problems.

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  8. I've never heard myself snore so I refuse to believe any and all reports to the contrary.

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  9. But... aren't people supposed to look scruffy until they've had their first cuppa of the day?

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  10. For a possible explanation of _why_ some of these girls might be putting on makeup even while camping, see this thread: http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm?thread=80805

    Obviously such circumstances won't apply for all the people mentioned, but even if they don't, the basic concept of feeling too self-conscious might. ...Which would suck for them.

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  11. Fortunately for me, I'm a heavy sleeper, so snorers don't bother me when I'm roughing it in a hostel dorm. However, I tend to go to sleep a little later than usual, and there's usually at least 2 or 3 people snoring away, and the combined orchestral cacophony of olfactory music tends to distract and amuse me...

    ...so I become the creepy guy in the corner bunk who can't sleep and spontaneously bursts into giggling fits.

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