What A Girl Wants!

Why is it that males are completely useless when it comes to buying gifts for females, whether they're shopping for their wives or girlfriends?

This idea that men don't know what women want struck home one day, when my fiancée's best friend messaged my fiancée, to ask me what he should buy his girlfriend for her birthday. If your mind is conjuring up the words "clueless", "confused" or "incompetent" right now - I can honestly say, that those are the exact same adjectives that sprung to my mind. The question was especially pitiful, because I barely knew the girl...and the cry for help was coming from her long time boyfriend, (who, you would assume would know her pretty well, given that they've been together for a very long time).

Stumped, I asked my fiancée the obvious, "What kind of things does she like?" He relayed the query to his hapless friend via text message, furiously tapping in on his mobile phone, and seconds later, it beeped back with the message, " shoes and handbags".

If you're thinking, "Why didn't he just buy her a pair of shoes or a handbag?" Then I confess, that's exactly what I was puzzling over as well.

I came to the conclusion that this guy had sought my advice, because, in the minds of men, a girl would know exactly what another girl would like as a present.

After some thought, I rattled off a list of things that I thought would be appropriate for his girlfriend: A spa facial or beauty treatment, Dvds, jewellery, clothes, perfume, dinner and a movie, etc. I can see all the guys out there reading this who're currently facing the same dilemma, with light bulbs going off in their heads, "Oh yeah! Great gift ideas... why didn't I think of that?!" So now that your problem is solved, and your other half has a birthday or other gift-worthy occasion coming up, you might want to put down the newspaper and begin your shopping.

To the rest of you, and particularly the guys who are still with me, I continue. Whether shopping for your guy buddies or for wives and girlfriends, there aren't any huge gaps when it comes to what men want and what women want.

It irks me, that whenever my birthday comes around, or my other half is away overseas, I'll ask him whether he's got me anything yet, and the age-old response I get back is, "I have no idea what to get you!"

Seriously. How many other girls out there can relate?

I have also learnt that men's gift hunting skills for women, do not improve with age. I am reminded of this annually, when my mother's birthday comes around and my dad comes knocking on my door, asking me what I think he should get her. And, regardless of what I suggest, every year, she will end up with a gift basket from Body Shop.

Upon thinking about it though, I can see it's a problem that goes both ways. As a girl, I find it almost impossible to think of things to get for my Dad or my brother, whenever an occasion calls for it.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some ladies out there...and I'm thinking of those who are married to men who haven't outgrown their boyhood... can quite easily satisfy the Birthday Boy with the latest videogame or "Transformers" figure collection.

For the desperate and looking, I've come up with a really helpful solution. Whether you're searching for a present for either the male or female of the species, all you have to do is break things down into categories such as: entertainment, fashion, health or beauty, gadgets or electronics, and books. Once that's done, there's not a lot left. Pick a category and go with your gut feeling: A Dvd or music CD, a cool T-Shirt, some cologne or perfume, a hip jacket or shirt, a hand held video game player or trendy watch, his or her favourite magazine or a book...the list goes on.

Hopefully this bit of advice can put an end to your gift seeking dilemmas. No more excuses. Is it really so hard to shop for a Her, as opposed to a Him?