In your shower

The average man has the following in his shower:

1 - bar of soap (the same brand he has used for 20 years)
1 - bottle of shampoo, unless he washes his hair with soap lather.
1 - washcloth that is NEVER used but left damp to fool the women in his life (who aren't fooled)
1 - extra large hairball circling the drain which is invisible to the average male.

The average woman has the following in her shower:

1 - loofah on a stick
1 - puffy soap applicator
1 - body brush or sponge on a stick
1 - washcloth, used in a VERY specific order so as not to 'contaminate' cleaned areas of the body
1 - razor with a gentle glide head
2 - 3 varieties of shaving gel or creme; use depending upon length and/or thickness of body hair
5 varieties of shampoo in various scents and purposes
2 - 3 varieties of conditioner to be used as day activities warrant (outdoor vs. indoor needs)
6 bottles of body wash in a bouquet of fragrances and cleansing strength capacities
pumice or foot bar
variety of scented bath oil beads or for the rare day when she gets a soak in the tub
multiple setting shower head with a hose for rinsing out the shower when done
squeegee for the shower walls

And that is just for the average woman. I know women whose showers are the epitome of toiletries shopping aisles at their best, almost as if Bed, Bath and Beyond vomited their contents into the one bathroom.

Truly girly girls and women have a veritable "Baskin-Robbins" of toiletries from which to chose. One friend and I recently laughed over her 2 complete closet shelf selection of day to day products she used to require for her to leave the house smelling more like a rose and less like the compost that fertilizes it.

Anyone sane woman knows that no two days will offer the same challenges! Hence the selection.
One day may require the subtle touch of warm vanilla. A tough day at the office may require a splash of musk or a hint of lavender. A date night will definitely need more than just a 'lick and a promise' at making her statement of a woman in control.

Those days when a woman is feeling a bit rowdy may need something flirty, sexy, fruity or just plain fun, or, in extreme cases, an entire product line from soap to perfume that can leave heads turning to catch the pleasant reminder she leaves in her passing wake.

Mix and match choices can enhance any repertoire and make the day go so much better. It's like empowerment, only on a small scale.

A woman can enter like a work stained jenny mule and exit as a sweepstakes winning thoroughbred filly. She can step into the fragrant arms of possibility included in her hot shower even totally soiled with the grime of daily living and, in short order, throw back the curtain as a pristine and beautiful as an English garden.

Every day is another day of possibilities.

Men don't consider this when they stand around dolefully and say impatient phrases to indicate their displeasure at being kept waiting. But, if they are candid, there is not a man alive who has been disappointed by the vision of beauty that is oh so worth the wait that he might have had to endure.

Besides which, I think they are just jealous.

They'd like to have the freedom to choose but stereotypes still persist in men's grooming products. Even the heralded 'metro sexual' male doesn't allow himself the range that a woman does when lining the side of the tub with product. It just isn't done.

Most men feel like soap, deodorant, aftershave and hair product is sufficient. And if they exfoliate or use moisturizer, they almost expect the 'Hallelujah Chorus' for their "effort" to be more than just 'a regular man'.

So today, I'd like every woman to feel free to liberate the bottles and bottles of product from their hidden locations. It's time to reveal our secret shame: WE WANT TO HAVE A PRETTY FRAGRANCE! And we want to chose which one suits our moods just as surely as we want to retain the God-given privilege of changing our minds.

Because one without the other isn't much stuff. I might be all wet in that shower, but I still want to be able to choose how I want to reveal my emotions to the world.

So, if tripping over bottles irks you, please feel free to shower in the locker room at the "Y". No one will stop you.

But consider this, which would you rather follow into the bathroom: another sweaty jock who will smell of Irish Spring or Dial in his hasty ablutions, or, the warm and inviting scent of a woman who cares enough to chose the very best for that moment in time?

Your call.